Newman looks to have balanced scoring and depth this season, beats Genoa-Kingston

Even without starting shooting guard Evan Bushman in Wednesday’s season opener, the Newman Comets showed they are still fully capable of scoring in bunches.

Asher Ernst scored 21 points in his Newman debut as the Comets pulled away after halftime in a 71-49 win over Genoa-Kingston in the Oregon Thanksgiving Tournament.

Garret Matznick (16 points), George Jungerman (12) and John Rowzee were also in double figures for the Comets. Newman coach Ray Sharp said Bushman is dealing with an ankle injury and might be back late next week.

Ernst scored 15 points in the second half, hitting a 3-pointer and following it up with a transition dunk to help the Comets pull away.

“Once we got our offense going, I feel like it kind of took off from there,” Ernst said. “We have so much depth this year that it’s easy to keep everyone fresh.”

Ernst said he’s still getting to used to his new team after playing with Morrison last season, but Wednesday made for a solid start.

Playing football with a lot of the other guys during the fall also helped the transition.

“I’m new, but it feels like I’ve been playing with these guys for a really long time,” Ernst said. “It’s fun starting a new role.”

Ernst and Rowzee bring some size inside at 6-foot-4 and Jungerman is 6-3. Matznick runs the offense at point guard again this season and Bushman is the Comets’ sharpshooter outside when he’s on the court.

“They really have to have five guys play defense on us, otherwise we’re probably going to get an open shot,” Matznick said. “Everyone can go and score if we need them to.”

Sterling Newman's Garret Matznick shootst against Genoa-Kingston at the Oregon Boys Basketball Thanksgiving Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025 at the Blackhawk Center in Oregon. (Earleen Hinton)

Newman’s zone forced 17 turnovers in the first half on Wednesday.

Matznick said Ernst is a big addition to the team, which features standouts in baseball, football and track & field.

“He’s probably our best actual basketball player,” Matznick said of Ernst. “Having him really boosts everybody around us, because I think later in the season, they’re really going to try to key on him, especially once he starts getting downhill and scoring. Everyone else is going to be open.”

Coach Sharp said the team has size and shooting in addition to depth.

“I think that balance is going to help us all year,” he said. “We’re pretty unselfish with the basketball.”

Sharp said Ernst is continuing to learn the team’s system and expectations.

“I think as the season goes on, we’ll just kind of keep seeing him be better and better in our system,” he said.

Genoa-Kingston coach Griffin McNeal said the Comets were a challenge to defend and score on Wednesday.

“Their 1-3-1 [defense] is really hard to prepare for with not many practices,” he said. “They’re good and they play really hard.”

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Oregon's Tucker O'Brien puts up a shot over a Woodstock Marian defender at the Oregon Boys Basketball Thanksgiving Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025 at the Blackhawk Center in Oregon. (Earleen Hinton)