PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, FEBRUARY 20, 2015
Boys cage McMinnville, need
rally to beat West Salem
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
A tie at the end of the first
half in a game between the
McNary High School and
McMinnville High School’s
boys varsity basketball teams
ended in a 57-42 win for the
Celts, Friday, Feb. 13.
The Grizzlies were first to
the board, but a pair of quick
buckets by McNary senior
Devon Dunagan gave the
Keizer team a 6-5 lead.
“We played really well and
had a few too many turn-
overs, while they made some
good adjustments,” said Ryan
Kirch, McNary head coach.
Both teams turned the
ball over on several posses-
sions in a low-scoring 11-7
first period, but McNary’s
Harry Cavell, Mathew Ismay
and Dunagan drained baskets
from the line to take control
going into the second period.
As the half wound down,
Celt Cole Thomas put in one
from the foul line and an-
other from the paint to help
McNary hold on to a four-
point lead, but the Grizzlies
had the game tied up at 21-
21 with 1:45 left in the half.
McMinnville went up 23-21
on their next possession, but
Dunagan laid one in to knot
the game before retiring to
the locker room.
“I think we closed pretty
well and we had a good field
goal percentage in the second
half even though we weren’t
there in the first half,” said
Celt junior Trent VanCleave.
Ismay put McNary up 25-
23 as the second half started
and a tougher defensive stand
on the part of the Celts kept
McMinnville six points. The
Celts outscored the Grizzlies
18-13 in the final frame for
the win. Midway through
the fourth period, VanCleave,
a point guard and McNary
offense runner, took a hard
fall but returned to the game
by the end of the night.
“I jumped out and my legs
got kicked out from under
me. It was all back, and there
was a big knot, but I didn’t
want to sit out and get stiff-
er.,” VanCleave said.
Cavell and Dunagan had
13 points each on the night;
Thomas had eight; Tregg
Peterson, who was kept out
of the paint for most of the
night, had seven points; Is-
may put in six; Cade Goff
and VanCleave had four each;
and Connor Goff hit two
from the foul line.
Three days prior, Tuesday,
Feb. 10, the West Salem High
School Titans had McNary
on the ropes for much of the
game.
“We didn’t start with good
energy and it wasn’t there for
the longest time. Sometime
in the fourth quarter, some-
thing clicked. Maybe we
were in desperation mode,”
VanCleave said.
The Titans outscored the
Celts 17-7 in the first frame,
but McNary edged back
into the game with a 15-11
second period. West held on
to a 46-34 lead at the third
frame buzzer. Only a run-
away fourth quarter saved the
game. The Celtics poured in
26 points to West’s 14.
“We were certainly ner-
vous. We shot terribly even
though we seemed to get
ones that looked good,”
Kirch said. “On the other
hand, West is a good team
and guarded well.”
The rally tied up the game
just in time to send the con-
test into overtime where the
Celts outscored West 8-2.
Peterson scored 26 points
for McNary; Dunagan put in
20; Cavell had 12; VanCleave
had nine; and Cole Thomas
and Connor Goff had two
each.
Volunteers,
donations
sought for
MHS arts
benefit
One of the winter’s biggest
and most popular fundraisers
is being planned and organiz-
ers need help from parents, the
community and businesses of
Keizer.
Knight of Arts Show and
Auction, the major event
to raise funds for all the arts
programs at McNary High
School, will be held on Sat-
urday, March 7. Proceeds from
this year’s event are earmarked
for a video recording system
and audio upgrades in the
school’s Ken Collins Theatre,
as well as scholarships for stu-
dents who continue their ed-
ucation in the arts.
The goal for this year is to
raise a total of $30,000. In re-
cent years, McNary Fine Arts
has distributed more than
$10,000 in scholarships.
There are four ways for in-
dividuals or businesses to help:
donate money dedicated to a
specific art, a scholarship or
the overall program, volunteer
to help raise financial dona-
tions, donate time at the event
or volunteer to serve on the
board and assist in organizing
the event.
For financial or auction
donations contact Jeff Cowan
(chief@keizerfire.com);
to
volunteer at the 2015 event
contact Julie Elwell (elwell.
julie@gmail.com); to as-
sist the board contact Leah
Garro (garro_leah@salkeizer.
k12.or.us); to volunteer at the
Knight of Arts Show con-
tact Jim Taylor (taylor_jim@
salkeiz.k12.or.us).
Report Your
Sports!
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Celt Trent VanCleave lays up a shot in McNary’s game with McMinnville High School Friday, Feb.
13. McNary won 57-42.
Call
503.390.1051