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