2021 6A Preview: Three Rivers League

<p>The season is about to start and without a true state championship, much of the pride in 2021 will ride on who brings home the league titles. It’s not a balanced schedule as not every team plays each other twice. And some squads will play more non-league games than others. But given what we have, here’s how we see things turning out this year in the Three Rivers League.</p> <p>The season is about to start and without a true state championship, much of the pride in 2021 will ride on who brings home the league titles. It’s not a balanced schedule as not every team plays each other twice. And some squads will play more non-league games than others. But given what we have, here’s how we see things turning out this year in the Three Rivers League.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>League Predictions</strong></span></p> <p>1. Lake Oswego<br /> 2. Tigard<br /> 3. West Linn<br /> 4. Tualatin<br /> 5. Canby<br /> 6. Oregon City<br /> 7. Lakeridge</p> <p><strong>Player of the Year</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id="606255" first="Trace" last="Salton"], Lake Oswego</p> <p><strong>All-League Predictions</strong>: Salton; [player_tooltip player_id="861091" first="Jackson" last="Shelstad"], West Linn; [player_tooltip player_id="855958" first="Brett" last="Moss"], Tigard; [player_tooltip player_id="857354" first="Noah" last="Ogoli"], Tualatin; [player_tooltip player_id="855954" first="Diego" last="Arredondo"], Canby</p> <p><strong>Top Sleeper/Newcomer</strong>: Cade Smith, Tigard</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Analysis</strong></span><br /> The culture at Lake Oswego is of winning and since the Lakers have come away with the league title the past three years so it’s hard to bet against them for a fourth straight. Head coach Marshall Cho will lean heavily on [player_tooltip player_id="606255" first="Trace" last="Salton"] (13.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg) who will be a force both inside and outside. The surrounding cast is largely new, either by transfer or coming up from JV, but they are talented players that most importantly fit within Cho’s system and philosophy. Tigard and West Linn will undoubtedly be hot on their tails though. This group of Tigers, despite the early graduation loss of [player_tooltip player_id="606254" first="Drew" last="Carter"] (24.3 ppg), is deep with experience both young and old. Head coach Shawn Alderman will look to seniors such as [player_tooltip player_id="855958" first="Brett" last="Moss"] (8 ppg, 4 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id="1069466" first="Jake" last="Wihtol"] (5 ppg, 4 rpg) as well as the sophomore twins [player_tooltip player_id="861097" first="Malik" last="Brown"] (9 ppg, 4 rpg, 5 apg) and [player_tooltip player_id="861095" first="Kalim" last="Brown"] (7 ppg, 4 rpg) to head the charge. High-flying junior Cade Smith will also be one to watch. West Linn has one of the hottest college recruits in the state in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="861091" first="Jackson" last="Shelstad"] (14.5 ppg, 3.4 apg, 4.0 spg) who will undoubtedly give opposing defenses fits with his improved skill and athleticism. [player_tooltip player_id="857340" first="Mason" last="VanBeenen"] (4.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) returns up front more confident and aggresive.</p> <p>It would be foolish to look past Tualatin as the Timberwolves are loaded, especially in the junior class. The backcourt tandem of [player_tooltip player_id="857354" first="Noah" last="Ogoli"] and [player_tooltip player_id="857353" first="Malik" last="Ross"] is one of the best in the state and [player_tooltip player_id="1079528" first="Peter" last="Burke"] has really turned some heads with his play in club ball this off-season. Canby can also not be counted out. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id="855954" first="Diego" last="Arredondo"] (15.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id="855968" first="Ben" last="Bailey"] (11.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.4 apg) are two of the most experienced players in the Three Rivers League and the continued emergence of Alex Evans (8.6 ppg, .456 3pt%) gives head coach Craig Evans a trio that can match up with opponents on most nights. Oregon City is in a bit of a transition mode as head coach Aaron Newkirk will be working with a number of younger players, but his son Multnomah-bound [player_tooltip player_id="1110562" first="Alex" last="Newkirk"] (5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg) will be the leader. Lakeridge is working its way back up under brand new head coach David Duong, hoping to provide a nice experience for its seniors like [player_tooltip player_id="1169615" first="Clark" last="Sheehan"] while gaining experience for their younger players.</p> <p><strong>Best Non-League Game</strong>: TBD, Jefferson vs. Lake Oswego</p> <p><strong>Best League Game</strong>: 5/17, Lake Oswego at West Linn; 6/11, Tualatin at Tigard</p>