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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2016)
PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 4, 2016 A VEHICLE FOR EVERY LIFESTYLE VIEW OUR INVENTORY AT SKYLINEFORDDIRECT.COM We have HUNDREDS OF NEW & USED VEHICLES to choose from. Keizer (503) 463 - 4853 3555 River Road N, Keizer KEIZERTIMES.COM Lady Celts cruise to second round By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes McNary High School’s get- out-of-zone free card, Madi Hingston, was working hard in a fi rst round state playoff game with Century High School Tuesday, March 1. Hingston earned that moni- ker because when teams like the Jaguars attempt to keep the Celts from attacking the rim with a zone defense, a three- pointer by the McNary senior typically prompts them to go back to man-to-man coverage. Hingston drained four shots from three-point range on the night to as McNary blazed a trail to the second round with a 63-34 win. “Mentally and emotionally, I was really proud of the way the girls carried themselves. You would never think it was a team that hadn’t won a playoff game in six years,” said Derick Handley, McNary head coach. Three of Hingston’s four treys came in the fi rst frame, but the Keizer team as a whole buttoned up on defense to keep the Jaguars from going on long runs. “We knew that they were a better than decent shoot- ing team and really good from the three-point range,” Hings- ton said. “We knew they had some good guard play and we wanted to be on them so they couldn’t get outside of the arc and set their feet.” McNary was up 14-3 when Century went on a short run to close the gap to 14-11. Af- ter shutting down the the Jag- uar offense, McNary answered with an 10-0 run to fi nish the period up 24-11. “Our girls were the fi rst to calm down and they were able to stop the runs. Every time Century started to make a run our girls were able to shut them down and then go on a run of their own,” Handley said. By halftime, McNary was riding a comfortable 39-22 lead to the locker room. “We didn’t want to settle because they are a good shoot- ing team. We wanted to keep the pace up but not lose com- posure,” Hingston said. Coming out of the break, the Celts took the foot off the gas offensively, but foiled nearly every possession by Century. The Jaguars scored only four points in the third and McNary led 49-26. “Our passing was phenom- enal, a few times we got a little sloppy and didn’t use ball fakes, but for the most part we did a great job. Our posts did a Please see CELTS, Page A15 KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald ABOVE: Sydney Hunter makes a charge to the net in the game with Century High School Tuesday, March 1. RIGHT: Kaelie Flores hooks in a shot. Coaches pick Cavell Ebbs, Burrows fourth in state, Phelps fi fth as Player of the Year By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Harry Cavell’s route to be- coming the unanimous Great- er Valley Conference basketball Player of the Year as a McNary High School senior was circu- itous at best. As a freshman he started out playing for West Salem High School’s junior varsity team with a handful of minutes on the varsity court. “It was nice to be part of a winning program and see what that felt like. I also got to play with my brother which was great,” Cavell said. As a sophomore, he attend- ed a prepatory boarding school in South Carolina, which is where he discovered his pas- sion for the game. “We would practice twice a day and work out. It’s where I learned to be serious about the game, but I pretty much ate, slept and breathed basketball and school,” he said. While the experience helped him grow, Cavell said he and his parents were ready for him to return home when his junior year rolled around. Technically, Cavell should have been part of the McNary program for his fi rst two years of high school, but the Celtic program was just beginning to emerge from an era of diffi cult seasons with the help of a new head coach, Ryan Kirch. When Cavell enrolled at McNary as a junior, he wasn’t sure what to expect, despite KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald McNary senior Harry Cavell was the Greater Valley Conference unanimous selection as Player of the Year. having grown up alongside a number of the Celtic veterans. As it turned out, he needn’t have worried quite as much. “Tregg (Peterson) and Devon (Dunagan) and Cole (Thomas) were all good friends of mine and they all welcomed me back into the program even after I should have been at McNary my fi rst two years,” Cavell said. “I just wanted to play with my friends again.” Please see CAVELL, Page A15 By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The McNary High School varsity wrestling team posted three state placers at the tournament held in Portland Feb. 26 and 27. Celt sophomore Brayden Ebbs led the way, fi nishing fourth in the 138-pound weight class. He improved on his sixth place fi nish as a freshman. “I wrestled hard and did most of the things I should have. I had a pretty quick fi rst day, but the second day you have to have a completely different mindset because every match is going to get tougher and tougher,” Brayden said. While Brayden was visibly disappointed in not coming home with a state title, father and McNary Head Coach Jason Ebbs said there was little reason for it. “He walked into the state tournament with his confi dence exactly where he needed to be, but there were fi ve returning state placers at his weight class,” Jason said. “Watching him go out there with that confi dence facing those odds was comforting.” Ebbs made it to the semifi nals before getting ousted from title contention, but already has his sights on goals for next year. “I’m defi nitely still chasing that state title, but I also hope to go undefeated next year,” Brayden said. Senior Jon Phelps placed fi fth at 132 pounds. Phelps, how to work hard and love it. the third of three brothers to I love working out and being graduate from the program, good and taking the wins and scored the family’s biggest the losses,” Phelps said. trophy. Freshman Brooke Burrows “Jon beat the No. 3 seed in took fourth in the girls state the tournament tournament at 106 right off the bat. pounds. Burrows He not only won the regional made it to the championship three podium, he beat weeks ago. some tough “It didn’t go as kids along the well as I’d hoped, but way,” Jason said. I fi gure I’m still a “The great freshman and I placed thing about fourth in the state,” Jon is that once Burrows said. “The he believed he goal next year is to go could make it to state again and win Brayden Ebbs to state and then more matches than I place, he let did this year.” nothing stand in Her coach offered his way.” Burrows about the Phelps said highest compliment he got on a he can offer any hot streak the wrestler in his fi rst day of program. competition, “She is the toughest but felt a little 106-pound wrestler off kilter the in Keizer right now,” second day. Jason said. Brooke Burrows “Still, I McNary’s Isaiah recovered Putnam, a sophomore, and took fi fth and Wyatt Kesler, a and this feels junior, also made it to a m a z i n g ,” the state compeition, Phelps said. but came up short of Phelps is placing at state. joining the U.S. “I’m sure they’re Marines after both disappointed, but he graduates both of them are the and said he’ll types of wrestlers who take important are going to come Jon Phelps lessons from back next year with wrestling with bigger goals and a him into the Armed Forces. better idea of how to achieve “I’ve learned discipline and them,” Jason said.
