Three Rivers League: League Update

It's shaping up to be another incredibly competitive year in the Three Rivers League and the action kicks off on Tuesday night. Here's a look Here's a look at how each of the teams have fared in 2019-20 thus far. Tigard (10-2) - OSAA #1 Tigard currently stands as the #1 ranked team in the state and it's because the Tigers have gotten the job done on the court. Head coach Shawn Alderman's squad may be relatively young but they're talented and guys who have very little varsity experience have stepped it up in the big way alongside returnee Drew Carter. The junior has emerged as a legitimate All-State if not Player of the Year candidate and has simply been unstoppable as a scorer (he currently ranks #2 in the state). Two guys that played JV last season in Steven Long and Brett Moss have been key contributors on the wing and freshman point guard Malik Brown has given the team a huge boost, with twin brother Kalim Brown providing energy off the bench. They may not stay at #1 due to the rigors of the league schedule but there's no doubt the Tigers will be competing for the TRL title. Oregon City (9-3) - OSAA #10 Another team that needed to make up for some graduation losses is Oregon City but the Pioneers too have shown that they should still be considered among the league's elite. Head coach Aaron Newkirk has gotten great play out of a trio of seniors Jake Gettel, Dalton Welch, and Andre Best and as always, the tenacity and grittiness of their defense has been constant as always and there are hallmark wins over the likes of Beaverton and Sherwood in the non-league slate. The Pioneers took some hits early on in the schedule but have rebounded with eight straight wins, including a trio of victories over the holidays at the San Diego Surf N Slam. West Linn (6-5) - OSAA #17 The Lions have arguably played the league's toughest non-league schedule, having not only competed in the Les Schwab Invitational but also playing Barlow, Wilsonville, Jesuit, Westview, and Central Catholic - and because of the LSI ended up playing Barlow and Jesuit twice. Micah Garrett has really stepped it up for this his senior season and freshman Jackson Shelstad has already proven that he can compete at a high level. Head coach Erik Viuhkola has been getting good contributions from a number of other guys on the team and the return of Bryson Crockett from his knee injury will continue to be a wildcard down the road - especially in league play. Tualatin (6-6) - OSAA #28 Tualatin had a bit of an up and down non-league schedule, beating teams that they arguably should beat but not necessarily winning over teams that would be considered true playoff contenders. While seniors such as Sam Noland and football star John Miller provide consistency and leadership, the team is still relatively inexperienced but talented especially in the sophomore class with Malik Ross, Noah Ogoli, and Peter Burke. Head Coach Todd Jukkala is hopeful that some of the lumps they took in pre-league action will pay off against the familiar TRL foes. Lake Oswego (4-7) - OSAA #29 It was a rough pre-season for head coach Marshall Cho's team but it's hard to fault them - the Lakers' schedule was absolutely brutal. Lake Oswego not only had to face state contenders in the Les Schwab Invitational but also had to go on the road against Barlow, Central Catholic, and down to Southern California to face Westchester. Cho and his team won't make any excuses though but there will be a need to find more offense although guys like Trace Salton and Jack Chlumak have been relatively consistent with their scoring. The Lakers are a well-coached, hard nosed team that should pick up more wins in league play for sure. Canby (6-6) - OSAA #32 As we've said many times, if Canby were in another league we'd be talking about a team that would be competing for a top three finish. But head coach Craig Evans has a group of guys that are young yet talented and the Cougars won't be an easy out in any game they play in the Three Rivers League. In Diego Arrendondo they have a high-scoring guard on the perimeter and Ben Bailey has emerged from the forward position. A couple of tough losses to McNary and Sprague cost them a chance to gain some ratings-boosting points but they'll try their best to pull off some upsets in conference action. Lakeridge (5-6) - OSAA #44 It was expected to a rebuilding year at Lakeridge but things actually started off fairly well for head coach Fred Gold's squad. The Pacers won the Centennial Tournament in the midst of a four-game winning streak and hopes were high that the Pacers might be a major surprise team. But reality has hit hard going into the start of league play and while there are some solid pieces in the team's "win by committee" mantra, they may not match up particularly well in the rugged TRL slate. Their hope will be placed upon catching teams off-guard on an off night to get wins in league play.