4A State Tourney Day Wrap Up & Semifinals Preview
The 4A state tournament kicked off on Thursday at Pacific University in Forest Grove with four action packed game. We recap the games & take a peak at Friday’s semifinal games both pitting match ups between the Cowapa League &…
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Continue ReadingThe 4A state tournament kicked off on Thursday at Pacific University in Forest Grove with four action packed game. We recap the games & take a peak at Friday’s semifinal games both pitting match ups between the Cowapa League & the Oregon West Conference.
QUARTERFINAL WRAP UP:
Banks 51 Marist 38
The Braves jumped up to a big halftime lead, held off a Marist rally by making their free throws down the stretch & pulled away late for a 13 point win. 6’8 senior post Blake Gobel lead Banks with 16 points & 9 rebounds & 6’4 junior wing Jacob Slifka shook off a rough shooting night from the field to 9/10 at the line on his way to a 13 point 7 rebound performance. For Marist, guard JJ Anderson knocked down four 3’s on his way to a 14 point game.
Woodburn 55 Marshfield 30
The Bulldogs got ahead early & never looked back as they cruised to an easy victory to clinch their berth in the state semifinals for the first time since 1995. As usual, senior guard RJ Veliz showed the way for Woodburn, with 22 points 8 rebounds, & 2 steals. Guard Trevor Karsseboom chipped in 11 points as well. Marshfield got 13 points from wing Grant Woosley, but couldn’t get their big guys going, getting a combined 2 points from the usually reliable duo of senior posts Grant Webster & Corey Stover.
Stayton 57 Henley 53
The Eagles made four free throws in the last 30 seconds to break a 53 all tie to advance to the semifinals in their first state appearance in a decade. The senior post tandem of 6’8 lefty Kaleb Adundi & 6’7 Riley Nichol dominated on both ends as they combine for 46 points & 21 rebounds in the victory. Henley was lead in defeat by the 19 points of talented senior guard Andrew Reynolds.
Seaside 75 North Marion 50
Seaside showed why they are the two time defending state champions, as their offensive tempo, spacing, & movement were on display, as they sliced up the defense of the Tri Valley League Champions. 6’2 junior wing Ryan Hague had a memorable performance going 14/18 from the floor on his way to 29 points & 10 rebounds. Senior guard Chase Januik added 16 points to a balanced effort. North Marion was lead by the play of athletic 6’2 junior wing Sergio Jimenez who scored 14 points to go along with 7 rebounds in a losing effort.
SEMIFINAL PREVIEWS:
Banks vs Woodburn
The #2 teams from their respective leagues square off in the first semifinal game. Woodburn continues to surprise the basketball community with their inspired play. They will go as far as senior point guard RJ Veliz will take them. The 6’2 senior transferred from Blanchet after two all state campaigns at the 3A level & has shown no signs of struggling against better competition. Banks is vying to make the state title game for the first time in school history and will lean on their team defense to make it happen.
Prediction: Banks has had a habit in recent years of shutting down an opponents top offensive threat and we believe that head coach Marc Roche will come up with an effective game plan to contain Veliz, as Banks moves on to the championship by winning a low scoring game that will be decided in the 4th quarter.
Seaside vs Stayton
The two time defending state champs, who essentially play with 5 guards on the floor at all times take on a Stayton duo that features the best post tandem in several years at the 4A level. Can Seaside’s pressure defense limit the touches of Stayton’s bigs? Can Stayton’s guards knock down enough perimeter shots to keep the defense honest? The answers to these questions will go a long way towards determining the winner.
Prediction: In route to their first two state titles, Seaside has taken on all styles of play & found a way to adjust their game to defeat their opponents. Despite an early season loss to Stayton, we see this one going the other direction, Seaside is playing as well as anyone in the state the last two months, have been here before, & have senior leadership in the back court that is usually required to win games down the stretch. Look for Seaside to pull away over the last 6 minutes to qualify for their fourth straight state title game.