The season is young but the Baker boys basketball team continues to play with the calm resolve of a veteran squad.
On a night when their shots weren’t falling with any consistency, the Bulldogs stayed patient on offense and tightened their defense late to hold off pesky Homedale, 48-41, Thursday on the Trojans’ home court.
Baker, which improved to 3-1, led 39-32 after three quarters. The Bulldogs held the ball for longer than usual on most of their possessions in the fourth quarter, waiting for a good shot.
Jaxon Logsdon drove the lane for a layin and then whipped a pass inside to Isaiah Jones for consecutive baskets that gave Baker a 44-36 lead.
“We don’t need to take a bad shot once we had the lead,” Baker coach Jebron Jones said. “For the most part the kids did a great job being patient. I’m proud of them. I think this type of game only helped our team to become better.”
The game started badly for Baker.
Homedale scored three straight baskets, all in the key and two after offensive rebounds, to lead 6-0.
Jones said he decided not to call timeout, trusting his players to make the necessary adjustments. It was the second straight game in which Baker had to come back, although the situation at Homedale was never quite so dire as in the Dec. 4 game against Bend, when Baker trailed 31-16 at halftime but rallied to win 57-51.
“Our kids are old enough and smart enough to realize they need to fix stuff on their own,” Jones said. “And they did. The kids knew they had to do better — they didn’t need me to tell them.”
Isaiah Jones scored inside on an assist from Logsdon to get Baker on the scoreboard.
After Homedale scored to lead 8-2, Isaiah Jones made a free throw, Logsdon scored off an offensive rebound and Grant Gambleton made a free throw to get Baker to within 8-6. The Bulldogs took their first lead, 13-12, on Giacomo Rigueiro’s layin off a steal. Baker led 15-13 after the first quarter.
The Bulldogs extended the lead to 24-18 at halftime, and Isaiah Jones started the third quarter with a 3-pointer that gave Baker its biggest lead, 27-18.
But Homedale didn’t wilt.
The Trojans scored the next eight points as part of a 11-2 run that tied the game at 29.
“Homedale is a great team,” Jebron Jones said. “They play hard, they play physical. I wouldn’t be surprised if they contend for the Idaho 3A championship.”
Gambleton made a tough runner in the lane to give Baker the lead at 31-29, then scored again on a layin after Isaiah Jones’ steal. The Bulldogs never trailed again.
Jebron Jones said he was impressed with the Bulldogs’ ability to withstand a challenge in a road game when shots they normally make wouldn’t go down.
“We missed a lot of easy ones, but that just goes to show how important defense is,” Jones said. “The kids did a great job of trusting each other.”
Isaiah Jones led Baker with 15 points. Logsdon had eight points, and Jaron Long seven.
Homedale won the JV game, 56-43, and the JV2 game, 35-21.
BAKER (48)
Gambleton 2 1-2 5, Logsdon 4 0-0 8, Quintela 0 0-0 0, R. Jones 2 0-0 4, Rigueiro 2 0-0 5, Spike 1 0-0 2, I. Jones 6 1-2 15, Long 2 3-5 7, Hobson 1 0-0 2, Gentry 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 5-9 48.
HOMEDALE (41)
Lomeli 0 0-0 0, Goode 1 0-0 2, Henry 1 0-0 2, Fisher 3 0-0 6, Dines 5 3-3 15, Rios 3 0-2 6, Strong 3 0-0 7, Renteria 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 3-5 41.
Baker 15 9 14 10 — 48
Homedale 13 5 14 9 — 41
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.