Mountain View 39, Springfield 31: Ten Best

<p>Often in the early season for teams it's about finding an identity. That's defintitely the case with Mountain View. The Cougars are trying to play without one of the school's all-time greats for the first time in years and it hasn't been easy. But things came together enough for Mountain View as they made all the right plays late to get past Springfield, 39-31, in the semifinals of the Wilsonville Invitational Tournament.</p> <p>"Our defense was solid tonight," said Mountain View head coach Bob Townsend. "Holding them to 25 points through three quarters is impressive. Our offense we can keep teaching but if we don't have the defensive intensity at the start of the season that's a problem. And we had it tonight."</p> <p>At first it seemed like the Cougars - who graduated Chase McClain who averaged 20+ ppg last season - had it going offensively. But things dried up and they relied up on their tough zone defense, which limited Springfield to 7-for-31 shooting for the game. Free throws kept the Millers around and they briefly had a lead, but Mountain View got some points late in the game to pull away for the W.</p> <p><strong>MVP: Grant Jordan (2020 Mountain View)</strong></p> <p>Jordan is going to be the team's go-to guy this season and while he struggled a bit shooting from the field (3-for-10), one area he didn't struggle in was the line. He made two key free throws late in the game that helped cement the win for Mountain View.</p> <p><strong>Play of the Game: Multiple Defensive Stops</strong></p> <p>With the game hanging in the balance at 31, Mountain View went ahead by two. They wouldn't give up that lead the rest of the way as they made stop after stop each Springfield possesion. While offensively there were challenges, there's no question the Cougars can hang their hat on their defense for this win.</p> <p><strong>Best Offensive Performance: Grant Jordan (2020 Mountain View)</strong></p> <p>Jordan was the only person in the entire game with double figure points, and he got them in a variety of ways. The 6-foot-3 senior faced up for jumpers, showed range by hitting a three, attacked the basket off the dribble, and even posted up a couple of times. The shooting percentage was far from sizzling but Jordan got enough done.</p> <p><strong>Best Defensive Performance: Marcell Hill (2020 Springfield)</strong></p> <p>Overall Springfield's defense was fairly tough, especially from their guards, but Hill definitely stood out the most. The 5-foot-10 senior's motor was non-stop on the defensive end and he was constantly in the grill of his on-the-ball assignment. Hill was also more than willing to take charges when the opportunity presented itself.</p> <p><strong>Best Guy Off the Bench: Dawsen Chastain (2020 Mountain View)</strong></p> <p>Chastain came into the game in the first half and immediately went to work. The senior guard wasn't afraid of putting it up and he ended up hitting three shots. While he didn't score after that - all of his three misses were threes - the points certainly helped the Cougars build an early lead.</p> <p><strong>Best Boardwork: James King (2020 Mountain View)</strong></p> <p>King ended the game with ten boards, six of them in the second half. The senior isn't particularly tall at 6-foot-2, but he showed a good motor and the willingness to mix it up inside. A couple of his offensive rebounds led to second chance opportunities for the Cougars late in the second half.</p> <p><strong>Best Intangibles: Trey Bryant (2020 Springfield)</strong></p> <p>Bryant, a transfer from Thurston, will be one of the main guys for Springfield this season. But the 6-foot guard doesn't force the issue, instead taking what the defense gets him and is patient with the basketball. He struggled with his shot a little, but hit a couple of threes, made some strong moves to the hoop, and rebounded the ball.</p> <p><strong>Best Under-the-Radar Performance: Zach Sorber (2020 Springfield)</strong></p> <p>By solely looking at the boxscore, Sorber's 1-for-8 shooting performance certainly wouldn't call his name to the forefront. But the 5-foot-10 junior guard did the little things that helped Springfield stay in the ball game and eventually take a late lead. He got his hands on loose balls, rebounded larger than his size, and took care of the ball.</p> <p><strong>Best Underclassman: Trey Bryant (2020 Springfield)</strong></p> <p>Both teams are senior dominant, but of the younger guys that played Bryant stood out the most. The junior played largely on the wing but will likely get an opportunity to play both guard spots by the time he's a senior at Springfield.</p> <p><strong>Best Aspect of the Environment: A Decent Crowd</strong></p> <p>Despite the fact neither school was from the Portland Metro area, there were a good number of fans for both teams in the stands. Each section cheered loudly for their squad whenever they made a good play and it definitely didn't feel like the gym was physically half empty.</p>