South Eugene High School - Eugenean Yearbook (Eugene, OR)

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Look out behind you, Blair! Cottage Grove, using a zone defense and an effective fast break, managed to give the Axemen quite a scare before succumbing 48-47 in the closing seconds of the game. The little Lions found that they just could not cope with the Axemen combination of Wetzell, Blair, and Larsen, as these three accounted for 37 of the Axe- men's 47 points. It was late in the thrill-packed fourth quarter before the Axemen could take the lead for good. Larsen was high point man for the Axemen with 14 points. Blair and Wetzell were close on his heels with 13 and 10, respectively. A tremendous performance by sophomore Don Du- Shane went for naught as the Marshfield Pirates set us down 73-45 on the Piratels home court. DuShane, a scrappy guard, matched skyscraping Mel Counts point for point as they both garnered 26 points. Facing arch-rival Springfield for the second time this season proved without a doubt who had the better team as we aced them out 49-47. The Axemen out-scored the Millers in every quarter but the last as the Millers crept to within two points before the final buzzer sounded. The scoring load for South Eugene was car- ried by rugged Dave Wetzell and ball-hawking Don DuShane as they garnered 17 counters apiece. Seeking revenge after losing by one point to North Bend earlier in the season, the Axemen invaded the bay area and effectively shut down the favored Bull- dogs. Out scored in the first three quarters, the Axe- men roared back in the final period for 22 points which were enough to eradicate the Bulldog's 37-29 third quarter margin and score a 51-44 upset. DuShane's ballhawking was the major cause of the Bulldog's downfall as he racked up 17 points to capture scoring honors for both teams. Wetzell and Blair were close be- hind with 13 and 12, respectively. The Axemen, knowing that this game was a '4must,', set down the North Eugene Highlanders in what might be called one of the most important games of the year. By winning this game, we put ourselves in a favorable spot for a tournament berth. Using a rock-ribbed de- fense and a torrid fast break, the Axemen controlled the play all the way from start to finish. Outside of the 46-37 final score, the biggest grain of sand in the Highlander's gears was Axemen guard Don DuShane. Don must have a stingy soul for if he did not have possession of the ball, he was hard at work trying to steal it. He was successful on more than one occasion. DuShane led all scorers with 16 points. XVally Larsen was close behind with 11. A trip to Roseburg proved to be just one of those nights for the Axemen as they were the victims of a 64-23 shellacking at the hands of the host Indians, who have gained a reputation for pulling off upsets. The lid was defi- nitely on the Axemen,s basket as they hit a woeful 23 per cent of their shots from the field. Sophomore john Jost led the Axemen with 8 points. This loss left the Axemen in a second place tie with North Bend in the final standings. Turn to page 126 for the final outcome.

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The first district game for the Axemen was with Cot- tage Grove on the Lion's home floor. Cottage Grove, showing unexpected spirit, fought to little avail, as the Axemen rolled over them 54 to 50. The play was rather ragged showing the results of a long lay-off from competition. A trip to Albany turned out rather disastrous as the Axemen dropped a close 52-45 decision to the host Bulldogs. The loss may be blamed on a bad case of nerves, for the Axemen appeared to be at odds with what to do with the ball once they gained possession of it. Several excellent scoring opportunities were missed as the result of this. Mel Counts spelled the difference between victory and defeat for the Axemen, for without his skyscraping height, Marshfield would have never won. His advan- tage on the backboards was just too much for the Axe- men as he repeatedly grabbed rebounds and stuffed them back in, something which the shorter Axemen could do little. Despite a gallant try in the final quar- ter by the Axemen, they fell 75f56 with Bo Blair high for the Axemen with 13 points. Any game between South Eugene and Springfield brings out the best in both of the teams. This time was no exception, but more good came out of our team than that of Springfield's. The Axemen showed the Hrst real signs of real team play in this game as they rolled to a 55-52 victory over our cross-river rivals. Wally Larsen, Bo Blair, and Dave Wetzell all had themselves a big night as they collected 16 points apiece. Losing a ball game by one point is always a heartbreak and losing 54-53 to North Bend was no exception. Both teams showed flashes of really great basketball with North Bend being the most fortunate of the two by having possession of the ball in the closing minutes of the game. Their one-point lead lasted throughout the last two minutes of the game because of a stall which was quite successful in freezing the ball from the anxious Axemen. The first game between North and South Eugene gave the Axemen rooters quite a scare before we finally pulled it out of the fire by defeating North Eugene 51-45. The Highlanders showed signs of good basket- ball throughout the game and should be up on top next year. However, they could not cope with tall men such as Blair and Wetzell, and lost the game mainly because of their inability to get rebounds. The final outcome was in question right down to the last four minutes before Larsen and Wetzell put it on ice for keeps. Roseburg, averaging a little over 6'4 in the front line, found out that their height was no advantage to them as they were the victims of a 50-39 shellacking at the hands of the vastly-improved Axemen. Big Dave Wet- zell had a field day for himself by dumping in 23 points. Besides carrying the bulk of the scoring load, he thrilled the crowd with several brilliant defensive efforts, as several times he would seemingly come out of nowhere to block shots. Bo Blair also looked out- standing as he accounted for ll points. North Salem, ranked number one in the state, set the Axemen down in sloppy style, causing many to won- der who gave them their rating. Their 6, 9 pivot man, Grant Harter, managed to snare enough rebounds to keep the Vikings out in front for the majority of the contest. A third quarter rally brought the Axemen to within one point of the Vikings who were ahead 29-21 at the half. Blair and Larsen tied for high point honors with 13 apiece. Axemen watch with eager eyes. May I have this dance?

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