Week Six Top Performers – Class of 2022

<p>With the holiday tournaments complete, there were a few non-league games left before teams got into conference play in Week 6. With some games being canceled/postponed due to the pandemic, we spent some time watching games livestream in addition to attending a couple. Here’s a look at the top seniors we saw from four games - Central over Lebanon, Lake Oswego over Westview, South Medford over Clackamas, and West Linn over Sherwood.</p> <p><strong>Gabe Cirino (2022 Central)</strong> - The 5-foot-9 senior made his mark on the defensive end, shadowing star Lebanon guard [player_tooltip player_id="1362923" first="Henry" last="Pointer"] all night long. His on-the-ball and especially ball-denial defense made the difference as Central really limited Pointer’s looks all night long. Cirino knocked down a couple of open jumpers to boot.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1362923" first="Henry" last="Pointer"] (2022 Lebanon)</strong> - Pointer didn’t get many looks thanks to the stick ’em defense by Cirino and the box-and-1 and other defenses geared to stop him. But when he did get touches, he delivered. The 6-foot-1 guard nailed some NBA-range threes and also made some contested shots inside. Despite the limited opportunities, he didn’t necessarily force the action.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1079548" first="Carson" last="Reno"] (2022 Lake Oswego)</strong> - Solid all-around game for Reno against Westview. The 5-foot-10 guard was quick off the dribble to create for himself and others, and was also sharp from the perimeter nailing open jumpers.</p> <p><strong>Luke Brauner (2022 Lake Oswego)</strong> - We continue to fall in love with the way Brauner competes every time he plays. The lefty is getting more aggressive on the offensive end, attacking the basket and looking for his own shot while he hasn’t lost a step when it comes to competing on defense, moving the basketball, and fighting for loose balls.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="942247" first="Devon" last="Malcolm"] (2022 South Medford)</strong> - Malcolm certainly did what he’s known for, throwing down some highlight reel dunks and rejecting some shots. He was also showing great motor, fighting for boards and loose balls and helping South Medford man their pressure defense. When the game was well decided, he brought out some of his improved perimeter shooting and hit a couple of long range shots.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1079542" first="Nathan" last="Senatra"] (2022 Clackamas)</strong> - Senatra had one of the best performances we’ve ever seen out of the 6-foot-9 big man against South Medford. He competed hard inside for buckets, wasn’t afraid to draw contact, and even hit a mid-range jumper. His recovery block - completely clean - of an attempted Malcolm dunk on the break was arguably the best we’ve seen so far this season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="857359" first="Zeke" last="Viuhkola"] (2022 West Linn)</strong> - Viuhkola not only scores but he does it efficiently, largely because he takes great shots. He made a living out of going to his left and attacking the basket against Sherwood, often absorbing contact along the way. And other than one missed three, he canned his perimeter jumpers. He grabbed 12 boards and also dished out five assists. Viuhkola is simply a competitor and a winner.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1202059" first="Owen" last="Caudle"] (2022 Sherwood)</strong> - Caudle has carried the load this season for Sherwood but even with [player_tooltip player_id="1232163" first="Jared" last="Sucher"] available to play, the guard continues to put up big numbers. The reason why is because he can flat out score. The senior was able to get into the lane and finish around defenders and hit a handful of perimeter jumpers to keep the defense honest.</p>