Sandy summer team cant overcome first quarter struggles

PORTLAND - Sandy basketball coach Jason Maki may not have seen the result he was hoping for Friday afternoon, but he has been pleased with the turnout for Sandy's summer league.

The Pioneers finished their summer season last weekend by taking part in the 26-team Shirts & Skins Summer Classic. Sandy opened the tournament with a tough 62-24 loss to Columbia River High, never having a chance after falling behind 23-3 to start the game.

The Pioneers reached double figures early in the second half when Kevin TenEyck connected on a give-and-go play with Juan Ruiz, but the Chieftans hit their first four shots of the half and stretched their margin to 24 points.

Sandy was left playing for pride over the final 12 minutes.

Brandon Ford provided a highlight when he took the baseline and split two defenders to convert a three-point play. Moments later, he made a similar move and was fouled on his way to the basket.

He knocked down both free throws to get the Pioneers to 20 points.

Sandy's final points came when Jacob Groom made a nice drive into the middle of the lane before passing off to Hunter Rowe for an easy layin.

Despite the lopsided loss, Maki has been pleased that almost 40 players turned out for the summer program, allowing the Pioneers to run three separate teams through its June summer season.

"Basketball is one of those sports that the more you play, the better you are going to get," Maki said. "But we have a lot of three-sport guys at Sandy, so I don't care if you're out here playing basketball, or if you're doing summer baseball or a football camp, as long as you're doing something I'm happy."