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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2016)
PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, JANUARY 22, 2016 YOUR ONE STOP SHOP BRAKES, TIRES, BAT TERIES FOR 3555 River Rd N, Keizer • (503) 463-4853 2015 OREGON FORD DEALER OF THE YEAR No appointments needed. We service all makes & models. 3555 River Rd N, Keizer (503) 304-7555 KEIZERTIMES.COM McNaught to join Pirates By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Kinsey McNaught had a very different vision for her college career. “I wanted a big, huge school far away from home,” said McNaught, a McNary High School senior and soft- ball player. Then the reasons to stay closer to home started piling up. It started when coaches at Spokane’s Whitworth Univer- sity asked to meet her while they were out scouting other talent in Portland. “They were awesome peo- ple. They asked me to come up for a visit. I got to see the facilities and talk with some of the people and that hooked me even more. My family loved it, too. The next day, the coach invited my family to Please see MCNAUGHT, Page A11 Aguilar picks LCC Titans By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes McNary High School se- nior Matt Aguilar set his sights on playing college baseball at a young age. “I played for KYSA and winning a state title made me push myself that much hard- er,” said Aguilar. On Friday, Jan. 15, Aguilar signed a letter of intent to play for Lane Community College, taking the next step in his dia- mond journey. “It means everything,” said Aguilar, “I’ve been working toward this since I was a little kid.” Aguilar started out his Mc- Nary varsity career as a fresh- man pinch running for the elder players in the program. By his junior year, he was the starting shortstop for the team, a role he is expected to reprise this season. “We have baseball players and kids who play baseball, both are important, but Matt is a baseball player,” said Larry Keeker, McNary head coach. “It’s because of the time and energy and effort he dedicates in the offseason to becoming a Please see AGUILAR, Page A11 Boys escape Titan onslaught BY ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The McNary High School boys varsity basketball team survived – barely – an en- counter with the West Salem High School Titans to take sole control of second place in the Greater Valley Confer- ence. McNary had two leads in the game, a 2-0 lead to start and a 71-70 lead with six sec- onds left in the game Tuesday, Jan. 12. “West Salem always plays us tough and they were lights out from beyond the arc. We just battled back and stayed composed,” said Celt Trent Van Cleave. The Titans hit 15 of 23 trey attempts in their bid to topple the Celtics. McNary’s win was in no small part due to an exceptional game by Harry Cavell, who poured in 30 points including the game-winning lay-in. “West had one more op- portunity on a three-pointer that was in and out, but we held on,” said Ryan Kirch, McNary head coach. “We had to win ugly and gut things out despite some inju- ries, but we got the job done.” While fi ve points sepa- rated the two teams after the fi rst period, West extended its lead to 41-32 at the half. The Celtics still trailed by nine points after three, but the Keizer team outscored the Titans 21-11 in the fourth quarter for the win. Celt Cade Goff had 14 points and Adam Harvey had 12. “They executed on of- fense, but we persevered and stayed with them through the game,” said Easton Neitzel. With 3:30 to go in Mc- Nary’s follow-up game with McKay High School Friday, Jan. 15, the only question unanswered was whether the team could crack 100 points. They did, with a 102-70 vic- tory. While the game felt cha- otic at times, the Celts never relinquished their lead after the fi rst quarter. KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Celt Wyatt Grine, who scored the 100th point in McNary’s game with McKay High School Friday, Jan. 15, lays up a shot earlier in the same game. “McKay is very athletic and their strategy is to create chaos and try to get you to turn the ball over,” said Kirch. “I thought we handled that pressure well by playing fast and not out-of-control.” The Celts had a 48-31 lead at halftime. “We really wanted to at- tack their press and score ev- ery time. That was our goal and I think we did it pretty well,” Van Cleave said. The Celtic effort was helped by a number of three- pointers by Neitzel who got the team within spitting dis- tance of the 100-point mark. “The last three games I struggled and I felt I owed it to my team to get back on track and I think I was able to do that tonight,” Neitzel said. With a lay-in in the fi nal minutes, Celt Hayden Sader put McNary up 99-64, but then the team hit a brief scoring drought as the crowd By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes McNary High School’s girls varsity basketball team took sole possession of sec- ond place in the Greater Val- ley Conference with a 53-42 win over West Salem High School Tuesday, Jan. 12. “We really wanted it and we came out with a lot of fi re and it paid off,” said Lady Celt Madi Hingston. “I think we executed really well of- fensively and defensively and the fl ow from one to the oth- er was good.” Hingston, a senior, and Sydney Hunter, a McNary junior, scored 19 points each en route to the win. It was also Hunter’s third double- double in as many games. The Titans had a one-point lead after one quarter, but the Celtics clamped down on de- fense in the second frame and outscored West 10-4. As the teams retired to the locker rooms for halftime, McNary had a 22-17 lead. “Our transition worked really well and we got up the court really quick and we fi nished well,” said McNary’s Paige Downer. The Celts outscored the Titans 31-25 in the second half to take the win. The outing was the Keizer team’s most complete game effort in almost a month, said Derick Handley, McNary head coach. “West came out fi ring and we played with them the en- tire game. Our defense was fantastic all night and we did a great job of rebounding against them,” Handley said. Three days later, the Lady Celts doled out a 69-16 drubbing to McKay High School. “McKay is much im- proved over last season and that’s something we have to watch out for. We can’t go into a game thinking it’s go- ing to be the same team we faced last season. We have to play full effort,” Handley said. The Celts had a 17-point, 19-2, lead after one quarter and didn’t allow more than six points in any period. Handley and Downer both credited a new full-court de- fensive scheme. Please see BOYS, Page A11 Lady Celts defeat Titans for second KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald McNary’s Kailey Doutt covers McKay’s Andrea Fennimore in the game Friday, Jan. 15. The Lady Celts won the game 69-16. Please see GIRLS, Page A12
