Silverton 69, Corvallis 46: Five Takeaways

<p>While most of the focus at the 5A level is on the Midwestern League - and rightfully so - there are some other teams in the classification that can make a serious run at the title in 2019-20. Silverton is clearly one of those teams and on Tuesday night, the Foxes flexed some of their muscle by running past Corvallis, 69-46.</p> <p>Where Silverton won the game was in the second quarter. After posting a 20-17 lead in the first and finding themselves in foul trouble, the Foxes turned to their bench and found their swagger. Silverton knocked down threes, forced turnovers, and got into transition and outran Corvallis 24-4 in the period. From then on, the Foxes successfully maintained their lead all the way until the final buzzer.</p> <p>"I feel like our intensity level has really risen lately," said Silverton head coach Jamie McCarty. "Our kids are competing and it's a fight every day. I just see every kid on our team getting better and defense and rebounding have been the key for us."</p> <p><strong>Silverton is a Legit State Challenger</strong></p> <p>With only one loss on their record - to 6A Sherwood in the Capitol City Classic - the Foxes have now run off nine straight wins and to be honest, nobody has really even come close. It's hard to match up with Silverton's constant up-tempo attack and pressure on defense and when they are hot from three - like they were in the second quarter against Corvallis - it's practically impossible to stop. They've already captured wins over the second and third place teams in West Albany and South Albany and the subsequent matchups should be tough. But at this point it looks like Silverton will continue their winning ways all the way until the post-season.</p> <p><strong>Foxes Have Size and Depth</strong></p> <p>With the pace and aggressiveness they play at, there's no question that Silverton has to have the depth to do what they do. Due to the foul trouble they sustained in the first quarter, head coach Jamie McCarty got excellent play out of his reserves. His son, sophomore guard <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jordan-mccarty/">Jordan McCarty</a></strong> helped spell starting point guard <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/david-gonzales/">David Gonzales</a></strong> and junior wing <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/vernon-porter/">Vernon Porter</a></strong> provided a ton of energy with his rebounding and defense. <strong>Nathan Brown</strong>, usually a reserve but called to start in this game, did a tremendous job of defending Corvallis big man <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jasper-reinalda/">Jasper Reinalda</a></strong> and also drew him out on defense by knocking down four threes. All nine guys that played for the Foxes scored and there's not a huge dropoff when Silverton goes to the bench.</p> <p><strong>Gonzales Will Lead the Way</strong></p> <p>Last year's Mid-Willamette Co-Player of the Year, there's no reason to believe that <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/david-gonzales/">David Gonzales</a></strong> won't capture the honor on his own this season. The 5-foot-10 senior showed his skills against Corvallis, playing a complete game on the offensive end. He was constantly looking to attack the hoop and had some tough finishes at the basket but also stepped back and knocked down some catch-and-shoot threes. On the night he finished with 16 points and five assists, shooting an extremely efficient 7-for-10 from the field, 2-for-4 from three-point range. The entire coaching staff of Clackamas CC was there to take in the action and there's no question that Gonzales was one of the guys they were taking a long look at.</p> <p><strong>Reinalda Continues to Improve</strong></p> <p>Considering he didn't get his only bucket of the game until late in the game - a post-up turn and dunk - it obviously wasn't one of the best games of the season <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jasper-reinalda/">Jasper Reinalda</a></strong>. Nevertheless, it's not as if the 7-foot-3 post was invisible. Since the last time we saw him during the summer it's clear that he's improved on his mobility and conditioning as he didn't have any issues getting up and down the floor on both ends. He rebounded his area with little difficulty ending up with at least nine boards and blocked a couple of shots late in the game. Reinalda continues to improve as a player and despite the minimal touches he received on Tuesday, it didn't surprise us to hear that he's averaging about 16 points per game this season.</p> <p><strong>Corvallis Will Be a Playoff Contender</strong></p> <p>Despite their man guy being shut down, the Spartans will be a competitor in the Mid-Willamette race. Corvallis has a deep roster of a bunch of 6-foot to 6-foot-3 guys who are all hard-nosed, tough high-motor players who all seem to be well-coached and drilled. Head coach Ross Duerfeldt is a proven winner and there's no reason to think that the Spartans won't be in the conversation along with Silverton, South Albany, and West Albany when it comes to top four finish and automatic qualification for the post-season.</p>