Kodiaks face tough loss to Okanogan

    After a win at the first game and suffering a difficult loss at the second game, the boys still put in their best effort in the week of December 3rd. The week's schedule was loaded with three games, all on the road.
    "Since we have three road games, we have a short week of practice. We need to work on making game shots in practice and we got to save our legs cause we have back to back games Thursday and Friday," said head coach Paul Fraker.
    The Kodiaks kicked off the grueling week by squaring off against the Okanogan Bulldogs at the Tuesday, December 4 game which was played in Okanogan's court.
    Okanogan's team walked onto the court with a similar record for the early season - taking a minor loss the previous Tuesday, November 27 and then winning at Saturday, December 1 game. Both Cascade and Okanogan lost to out of conference teams which seemed to set the stage for a similar foundation for both teams.  It seemed like both teams were gridlocked on having a 2-1 record by the end of the game.
    "They (Okanogan) jumped out on us early and we didn't respond too well," said head coach Paul Fraker. "(It) put the game out of reach in the first quarter."
    The contribution of factors to the loss was, the slight due to out of their own home court and the roster heavy with young players. The Bulldogs came to play with five seniors on the team and an aggressive performance to match. Fraker said he was expecting it to be a tough game.
    "We played like a young team. It took awhile to settle down and get comfortable," said Fraker.
    However, the loss didn't diminish the player's efforts. One player, Ethan Burpee, stood out, according to Fraker. Back on the line up, Burpee didn't waste time and managed to break Okanogan down at certain points to get some lay ups and assists.
    Despite the end score of 84-38, the loss shouldn't discourage the Kodiaks given the opponent's tough performance. The season is only just begun and if the team's efforts are any indication of the season, it should end well for the Kodiaks.
    "We just got to stay together and improve each week," said Fraker. "We're looking to build on it."