Displaying depth in spades with 11 players contributing, the CareyHigh School boys’ basketball team kept its unbeaten home-court record intact Tuesday night with a 53-31 Northside Conference victory over the Dietrich Blue Devils.
Senior Jacy Baird (8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists) and junior Baley Barg (11 points, 9 boards, 3 assists) had strong games as the Panthers put nine players in the scoring column—none with more than Barg’s game-high 11 points.
The Panther lead reached 23 points before Carey (39.3 ppg defense this season, down from 45.7 ppg last year) locked down the triumph with a fourth-quarter slowdown. It meant Carey is on its way to a sixth straight 20-win boys’ season.
Carey (15-2, 9-0 home, 6-0 league) made it eight consecutive wins with a lofty 45% field goal percentage and 40-21 rebounding edge over a team expected to be Carey’s toughest foe in the Northside. The Panthers swept the series, having won at Dietrich 47-44 Jan. 14.
It wasn’t Dietrich’s night at all. The Blue Devils shot only 22% and spent a good part of the second and third quarters completely scoreless. Dietrich (10-6, 4-2) saw its six-game win streak come to an end. That included a 57-49 home victory over previously unbeaten Castleford in its last start Jan. 29.
Carey’s leading scorer Blair Peck (13.8 ppg) was one of many contributors. They included Peck (7 points, 7 boards), Shane Bingham (6 points, 2 assists), Jack Cenarrusa (5 points, 2 boards), Chance Chavez (5 points), Dillon Cenarrusa (4 points, 4 rebounds), Joey Laidlaw (2 points, 2 rebounds), Brandon Dilworth (4 rebounds) and Caleb Cenarrusa (5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists).
Andru Howard (10 points), Gray Weber (8 points, 3 rebounds) and Jakob Howard (7 rebounds) led Dietrich’s attack.
Carey was due to visit Camas County Thursday night and travel to Hagerman (10-6) Saturday, Feb. 5 for a 4 p.m. varsity game. Carey slipped past Hagerman 50-47 Dec. 3.
The CommunitySchool boys (1-12, 0-7) dropped a 52-27 home league game to Richfield Tuesday. Among the Cutthroats pitching in were Doug Dufur (10 points), Dane Inman and Colton Sholtis 4 points each, Henry Rickbeil (3 points, 11 blocks), Taylor Adler (5 points) and Ben Swift (16 rebounds).
Carey senior Caleb Cenarrusa (right) drives past Dietrich junior Brody Astle during Tuesday night’s game won by Carey. Photo by David N. Seelig
