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PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, FEBRUARY 26, 2016 KEIZERTIMES.COM KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Celt Marissa Kuch fi nished in the top 10 in two races at the state meet Feb. 19 and 20. Kuch takes fi fth in state 100 free KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald McNary’s Easton Neitzel dribbles around a Sprague defender in the game Friday, Feb. 19. Boys outlast Sprague By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The depth of the McNary High School boys varsity basketball team’s roster was on display in a 69-62 win over Sprague High School Friday, Feb. 19. Celt Adam Harvey led the team with 18 points followed by Trent Van Cleave with 17 and Alex Martin with 15. “Sprague has improved a lot this season and (Teagan) Quitoriano, especially, has gotten a lot better,” said Cade Goff, a McNary junior. The Olys, buoyed by a veritable throng of stu- dent support, started the game with a 7-0 lead and were up 16-3 before McNary started scrap- ing its way back into the mix. “We kind of knew that Quitoriano and Kai- den Flanigan were going to score most of their points. But they had other guys like (Perry) Van- Houten step up and play well, those were the ones we weren’t prepared for,” said Martin, a ju- nior. Martin hit a three-point goal to close the gap to 16-6, but the fi rst frame ended with Sprague up 19-10. In the second period, the Celtics kept up with the Sprague, but were still outscored 16-15 as se- nior Harry Cavell ended up in foul trouble. The Olys led 35-25 going into halftime. “Early on they just made the shots and we had a couple of guys who hadn’t practiced in a week,” said Ryan Kirch, McNary head coach. “We also rushed and didn’t rebound as well offensively.” McNary came out of the locker room with guns blazing. Less than three minutes into the third period, the Celts had erased Sprague’s lead helped, in part, by a pair of treys by Martin. He fi nished the game four-for-four from three-point range. By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes After setting two Greater Valley Conference records two weeks ago, McNary High School’s Marissa Kuch claimed top 10 fi nishes at the state meet Feb. 19 and 20. “Friday wasn’t the best day of racing for me, but I improved from sixth to fi fth in the 100 free,” said Kuch, a sophomore. Kuch swam the 100 free in 24.96 seconds and fi nished eighth in the 200 free with a time of 26.15. Kuch actually had a better time in the 200 free than several of the higher- placing fi nishers, but she was relegated to the B Final after her tough day on Friday. “The best part was swim- ming with a bunch of amazing girls in the A Finals of the 100 free. I know a lot of them from club swimming,” Kuch said. Kuch swims competitively year-round and started at age 6. “When I was little, my grandparents in California had a pool and I always wanted to get in it and never get out,” she said. At the beginning of her sec- ond season with McNary, she had two goals: claim a school record and repeat as a district champ. “The school records are re- ally hard to get, but I got the 500 free record and then the district meet went really well,” Kuch said. Kuch won the district title in the 200 freestyle in 1:53.84 and the 100 freestyle district title with a time of 52.11. Both were GVC records and she was named Female Swimmer of the Year. Please see KUCH, Page A9 Please see BOYS, Page A9 KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Bella Rodriguez won the state title in the Elks Hoop Shoot recently. Keizer kid wins state Hoop Shoot By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Fifth grader Bella Rodri- guez is a deadeye from the free throw line. Two weeks ago, the For- est Ridge Elementary School student won the state title for her age group in the annual Elks Hoop Shoot, a free throw competition. “It was tough, but it helps thinking that you’re good be- fore you start,” Bella said. Her ascension to the top included winning local, all- city, and district competitions before advancing to the state fi nals. In the fi rst round at state, Bella shot six of 10, but it left her trailing her closest opponent by one. In the second round, she hit 14 of 15 including an 11-shot streak. She drained 20 of 25 in the fi nals to take the win. Her next stop is the region- al competition in Washington. If she does well there, she’ll head to nationals in Chicago. South Salem High School alum and basketball star Ka- tie McWilliams was the last Salem-Keizer area student to win a state title in the Hoop Shoot. Bella has been playing basketball for six years with Keizer Youth Basketball Asso- ciation (KYBA). “I like that you get to work hard at a lot of different things,” she said. “I’m also a gym rat.” She collected three trophies and a medal for her hard work in the Hoop Shoot, but free throws aren’t even her favorite part of the game. “I like driving strong to the hoop, and then getting extra shots,” Bella said. Bella is the daughter of Adrian and Kelsi Rodriguez. KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald McNary’s Kailey Doutt looks for an open teammate after attempting to drive to the hoop. Girls rout Olys 66-23 By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The McNary High School girls varsity basketball team routed the Sprague High School Olympians 66-23 in a game Friday, Feb. 19. “Our plan was to pressure the ball a lot and work on our trap defense and full-court man defense,” said Kailey Doutt, a Celt sophomore. Senior Kaelie Flores said the results of the plan were only middling. “We practiced it really hard, but there’s a lot more anxiety in the games. Still, we were able to get nine steals,” Flores said. The Celtics had a 16-4 lead after the fi rst frame and led 36-14 at the half. Even if the team’s defensive strategies didn’t blossom, offensively the Lady Celts shared the ball well with points contributed up and down the roster. Flores led all scoring with 15 points, Reina Strand had 13, Madi Hingston had 12., Doutt put in eight, Sydney Hunter had six, Jaylene Montano and Abby Hawley had three apiece, and Anita Lao, Gabby Schmidt and Paige Downer had two each. The Celtics held Sprague to nine points in the second half and scored 30. Please see GIRLS, Page A9
