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KEIZERTIMES.COM
Reloaded
Boys basketball aims for repeat
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Ryan Kirch’s list of things
for the boys varsity basketball
team to improve upon in the
coming weeks is a short one.
“We’ve got to defend better
on the perimeter and we’ve
got a couple of guys who are
still a little banged up and
waiting to return, but we’ve
got a strong group of players,”
said Kirch, Celtic head coach.
It’s an enviable position to be
in.
The Keizer boys shared
the Greater Valley Confer-
ence title last season. This time
around, the Celtics are look-
ing to stand alone at the top
and they’ve got a roster full of
seasoned players to help them
get there.
“The biggest thing we have
is a lot of depth, we have the
most depth we’ve had in the
fi ve years I’ve been here,”
said Kirch. “We’re very versa-
tile and very long with a lot
of guys who can do a lot of
things on the fl oor. As a team,
we have guys that can shoot,
guys that can defend, guys that
can rebound and guys who
can pass.”
McNary lost two stars in
Tregg Peterson, the GVC
Player of the Year, and Devon
Dunagan, but the team has re-
loaded to return with a squad
of up-and-comers.
“We’ve really picked up
where we left off,” said Mc-
Nary junior Cade Goff. “For
everyone who is returning
our goal is to be GVC champs
again.”
Kirch said Goff is one of
the budding leaders on the
team and achieved that role
because of his off-season work
ethic.
“Cade has improved as
much as anybody from the
end of last year to this year.
He was a varsity player last
year, but he wasn’t as consis-
tent as we needed him to be.
Now, he’s put on almost 20
pounds and really stepped up
his game,” Kirch said.
The team also returns se-
niors Harrison Cavell, Trent
Van Cleave, Jason Sperle and
Wyatt Grine to the court
alongside Hayden Sader mak-
ing the leap up from the ju-
nior varsity ranks. Cavell was a
fi rst team all-league selection
as a junior.
The Celtics will also ben-
efi t from the return of junior
Mathew Ismay, the GVC’s
Defensive Player of the Year as
a sophomore.
Kirch is also excited about
the additions of Adam Harvey
and Easton Neitzel to the var-
sity roster.
“Adam is a junior that will
likely see a lot of minutes
for us and he plays a lot like
Mathew Ismay on defense
and rebounding,” Kirch said.
“Easton grew up playing with
our guys and transferred to
West Salem, but now he’s back
playing in Keizer.”
Chandler Cavell, Harrison’s
younger brother, is also join-
ing the ranks.
The elder Cavell said the
team is better prepared to
spread out the pressure oppos-
ing teams focused on Peterson
last season.
“We’ve added a lot more
shooters so we can spread the
fl oor more, and we’ve also just
gotten a lot stronger which is
going to make a difference on
both sides of the ball,” Harri-
son said.
Goff said the team’s depth
is going to pay off in taking
the heat off H. Cavell and Is-
may.
“If we have a big guy in
on Ismay or Harrison, we
can switch out and post up
to anyone,” Goff said. “A big
thing we’re working on is de-
fl ections and defensive assists.
That is looking like a way for
us to get a ton of easy buck-
ets and not have to worry so
much about beating people at
half-court.”
While Kirch and the play-
ers have their sights on South
Salem again this year, they
have a tough row to hoe lead-
ing up to those main events.
The Celts travel to Spokane,
Wash., for their fi rst games of
the season and will pit their
skills against two of the top
teams in Washington state
there. They’ll host Tualatin
High School in their fi rst
home game Tuesday, Dec. 8,
and travel to meet last year’s
OSAA fi fth-place team, Cen-
tral Catholic High School, al-
most two weeks later.
“We’ve got about as tough
a schedule as we could get and
that was by design,” Kirch said.
“The idea behind all of it is
that we won the title last year
and that’s over, but we need to
maintain the expectation of
competing at that high level.”
As far as what the future
holds for the Celts, Ismay said
it’s best not to get caught up
in the hype.
“It’s hard to tell. Two years
ago, we were average and we
won a league title last year so
it’s a bit too early to tell how
good any of the other teams
are going to be,” Ismay said.
schedule
Dec. 4-5 Fitz Tourney
TBD
Dec. 8 vs. Tualatin
6:45 p.m.
Dec. 11 at West Albany
7:15 p.m.
Dec. 15 at North Salem
6:45 p.m.
Dec. 18 vs. Forest Grove
7:15 p.m.
Dec. 21 vs. Sherwood
7 p.m.
Dec. 22 at Central Catholic 7 p.m.
Dec. 28-30 Summit Tourney TBD
Jan. 5 vs. South Salem
6:45 p.m.
Jan. 8 at Sprague
7:15 p.m
Jan. 12 at West Salem
6:45 p.m.
Jan. 15 vs. McKay
7:15 p.m.
Jan. 22 vs. McMinnville
7:15 p.m.
Jan. 26 vs. North Salem
6:45 p.m.
Jan. 29 at Forest Grove
7:15 p.m.
Feb. 2 at South Salem
6:45 p.m.
Feb. 5 vs. West Albany
7:15 p.m.
Feb. 9 vs. West Salem
6:45 p.m.
Feb. 12 at McMinnville
7:15 p.m.
Feb. 19 vs. Sprague
7:15 p.m.
Feb. 23 at McKay
7:15 p.m.
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Top: McNary’s Ryan Schneider puts up a shot during practice Thursday, Nov. 19.
Above: Celt Cade Goff defends against teammate Easton Neitzel.
Lady Celts have sights on title
By ERIC A. HOWALD
time around, Handley said the team stacks up well
Of the Keizertimes
against last year’s league champs, West Albany High
Derick Handley is ready for the Keizer commu- School, and the South Salem High School Saxons,
nity to get excited about Lady Celt varsity basketball. who took second in the conference.
“If we perform to the level we’re capable of, and
“We are just so athletic, we have a lot of length, a
take care of the things we need to
lot of speed, and a lot of size.
take care of, we could have two
In all fi ve positions, we have
league champion teams at
someone who can outrun the
this school. That doesn’t
opponent up and down the
happen too often. Our girls
court,” Handley said.
are working hard and they
The team spent the fi rst
deserve the support,” said
two days of practice working
Dec. 2 vs. Sheldon
6:45 p.m.
Handley, the second-year
solely on defensive techniques
Dec. 5 vs Kamehameha
7 p.m.
head coach of the team.
and strategies and, three days
The McNary girls re-
later, it was already paying
Dec. 8 at Tualatin
5:45 p.m.
turn to the hardwood with
dividends.
Dec. 11 at West Albany
5:45 p.m.
a home game vs. Sheldon
“We have a much more ag-
Dec. 15 vs. North Salem
6:45 p.m.
High School Wednesday,
gressive mindset at this point
Dec. 18 vs. Forest Grove
5:45 p.m.
Dec. 2 at 6:45 p.m.
in the season than we did at
Dec. 22 vs. North Medford 5 p.m.
Leading the team this
the same time last season,”
season are a trio of seniors,
Handley said. “Our scrimmag-
Dec. 28-30 Nike Shootout TBD
Kaelie Flores, Madi Hings-
es are much tougher with a lot
Jan. 5 at South Salem
6:45 p.m.
ton and Reina Strand. Flores
more pressure on the ball.”
Jan. 8 at Sprague
5:45 p.m.
and Hingston have already
“Our defense is going to be
Jan. 12 vs. West Salem
6:45 p.m.
signed letters of intent to
hard to stop. Once we master
Jan. 15 vs. McKay
5:45 p.m.
play for Central Washington
it, we’ll be really good,” Hunt-
Jan.
22
vs.
McMinnville
5:45 p.m.
University and Seattle Pa-
er added.
cifi c University, respectively.
On offense, Strand said the
Jan. 26 at North Salem
6:45 p.m.
Strand, who sat out her ju-
team
is coming along equally
Jan. 29 at Forest Grove
5:45 p.m.
nior year due to injury, ex-
well.
Feb. 2 vs. South Salem
6:45 p.m.
pects to fi nd a home by next
“We’re running similar stuff
Feb.
5
vs.
West
Albany
5:45 p.m.
spring.
to last year, which means we’re
Feb. 9 at West Salem
6:45 p.m.
Returning junior Sydney
reviewing, but it’s coming
Hunter said the seniors are a
along really quickly,” Strand
Feb. 12 at McMinnville
5:45 p.m.
big part of the team’s overall
said. “Everyone is picking up
Feb. 19 vs. Sprague
5:45 p.m.
look this season.
the new plays, too.”
Feb. 23 at McKay
6:45 p.m.
“This year is a big one for
Handley said the team was
us and I feel like we’re go-
still a bit “sloppy,” but credited
ing to play for them,” said
the players for not hesitating
Hunter.
when it came to shooting. His
Last year, the Lady Celts fi nished third in the marching orders for the team’s three seniors is to help
Greater Valley Conference and lost to Clackamas clean up the fi ner points of execution.
High School in the fi rst round of the playoffs. This
Please see LADY CELTS, Page A11
schedule
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
McNary’s Paige Downer pushes the ball up the court after making a steal during
practice.