Bombs away in High Flyers' home debut

The official game ball, a Baden, got a real workout during the Yamhill High Flyers-Nippon Tornadoes International Basketball League contest Thursday at Patton Middle School, played before a decent crowd.

In fact, the basketball saw more net that night than most commercial fishermen will see during their careers pulling denizens of the deep from their salt water lairs. The result of the intense basket bombardment was a 140-121 victory for the home-standing High Flyers, who utilized their two big men - Jason Hartford and Chris Hunt - to beat the smaller Japanese team in the High Flyers' first win of their inaugural season.

The 6-foot-9 Hartford finished with a game-high 38 points and 16 rebounds while the 6-7 Hunt, with a combination of inside and outside scoring moves, knocked down 30 points and hauled down 19 boards. Others played well for the High Flyers, too, but the duo of Hartford and Hunt made the difference, especially Hunt's scoring outburst in the second half.

With a 22-second shot clock forcing quick looks at the basket, both teams attacked the hoop early in each possession, and 3-point attempts were common, especially for the Japanese team which zeroed in on the rim from deep in 3-point land in the first half to take an early lead. Several of the Tornadoes were deadly from outside the arc, and they were not only quick, but spunky against their taller adversaries, racing tirelessly up and down the court, battling for each possession.

Even the High Flyers' Rome Holley, a quick point guard, whispered to me just before the end of the first half, "Man, they're quick." He and his teammates were kept busy the entire game trying to stop the Tornadoes from flying to the basket for artistic lay-ins or darting to spots outside the 3-point line to launch their net-busters.

However, the inside work of Hartford, Hunt and company began to wear the smaller Japanese players down late in the first half, and the High Flyers, coached by Terrence Burns, also appeared to have a more talented bench and gradually increased the margin to 19 - although the Tornadoes fought back to within 10 points before the final domination by Hartford in the last few minutes.

For the fans, the brand of basketball witnessed at Patton was exciting and by the second half, the home crowd was getting into it, calling players by name ... "Go, Chris, go, Jason ..."

It certainly won't take long for local fans to brand the new team as their own, and High Flyers GM Eric Bailey, a young, able administrator, spoke to the audience several times, asking for its support and inviting fans to bring friends to the team's last home game in late June.

The personal touch is one thing Bailey has in abundance - and some of his players are already catching on to the value of interacting with the fans.

In this "branding" season, in which the High Flyers play a limited schedule, the final game will come too soon for many. In fact, the season finale will be played against the Vancouver, B.C. Titans on Friday, June 26, again at 7:15 p.m. in the Patton Middle School gym.

It looks like Bailey has surrounded himself with good people, including a roster filled with a number of eager, fun-to-watch athletes who like to compete. After watching the first home game, I'm hooked on the brand of basketball the IBL offers: Fast-paced action with lots of scoring - and lots of hustle.

Come see for yourself when the High Flyers come back home again in June.

If you have an idea for a column or feature story or a comment, contact me by e-mail at jwalker@newsregister.com or by phone at (503) 472-5114, ext. 333.