Hawks off to a high-flying start

Boys basketball: Horizon Christian starts its season with a 60-30 win over Salem Academy

By Dan Brood

The Times, Dec 4, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

FAB FROSH — Horizon Christian freshman Jordan Tebbutt (right) soars to the basket over Salem Christian’s Nick Souza in Monday’s game. The Hawks won 60-30.

DAN BROOD / The Times

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TUALATIN — Last year, the Horizon Christian High School boys basketball team enjoyed a success-filled season that saw the squad reach the championship game of the Class 3A state tournament.

If Monday’s season-opener is any indication, the Hawks could be looking at plenty more excitement and good times this year.

The Hawks began their 2008-2009 season by running to a 60-30 win over Salem Academy in a non-league game played at Horizon Christian High School.

“That was a very nice way to start the season,” said Horizon Christian senior wing Andrew Bristol, who is a returning starter from last year’s state runner-up team. “We were real excited to get going, but I was nervous before the game. We’re a lot younger and I didn’t know what to expect, but so far, so good.”

If the Hawks were nervous at the start of Monday’s season-opener, it sure didn’t show as the team got off to a spectacular start to the contest.

Horizon Christian freshman Jordan Tebbutt, making his varsity debut, sank a 15-foot jumper to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead just 14 seconds into the contest.

They took off from there.

Bristol scored on a layup off a pass from junior point guard C.J. Mitchell and senior wing Josh Platt followed with back-to-back three-pointers to give Horizon Christian a 10-0 lead before the contest was even three minutes old.

Salem Academy, getting a pair of free throws by junior Calvin Molan, temporarily stopped the early Horizon Christian scoring streak. But the Hawks answered back, getting a basket on a drive to the hoop by Bristol and a three-pointer by sophomore Jesse Corrigan as they pushed their lead to 15-2 at the end of the first quarter.

Horizon Christian kept rolling in the second quarter. Bristol connected on a three-pointer from the top of the circle to get things started and Corrigan scored on a layup off an assist by sophomore Michael Gunderson to up the margin to 20-6 with 5:03 left before halftime.

Tebbutt, the Hawks’ 6-foot-4 fabulous freshman took over from there. Taking a pass from Mitchell following a steal, Tebbutt put down a thunderous one-handed dunk that got the already- boisterous Horizon Christian home crowd roaring even louder.

“First dunk in school history,” Bristol said with a smile.

Tebbutt followed that up by sinking 15 and 19-foot jump shots to help Horizon Christian up its lead to 26-8 at halftime.

The Hawks kept running, and scoring, in the third quarter.

Tebbutt had three more baskets in the period, junior Sam Schifferdecker nailed a pair of three pointers and Platt and Gunderson added five points apiece in the quarter, which ended with Horizon Christian enjoying a 51-21 advantage.

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