MARCH 20, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE C3
Aicher
Flores
McNary head coach, Kirch
had never started a freshman
on the varsity team until this
season. Freshman point guard
Jando Gonzalez started the
majority of the year for the
Celtics and was given an hon-
orable mention nod.
Gonzalez averaged 7 ppg
and shot 35 percent from the
three-point land while run-
ning the show for one of the
best offenses in the confer-
ence.
“I asked quite a bit of him,
trying to run and control an
offense and typically guard
the other team’s best guard. I
thought he had an incredible
year. He is tough, competes
hard and never has any excus-
es. He played through a dif-
fi cult injury for much of the
league season without ever
complaining. He shot the ball
well from three and was able
to get into the paint on mul-
tiple occasions. With contin-
ued strength and experience,
he will only get better,” Kirch
said.
Senior Riley Flores was the
only McNary upperclassmen
to receive all-league recogni-
tion as an honorable mention.
Flores was a reliable three-
point specialist for the Celt-
ics, shooting 40 percent from
beyond the arc. But what per-
haps was more impactful was
Flores’s leadership on a team
with seven sophomores and a
freshman.
“Riley really matured as a
senior and that maturity really
showed within our program.
He was incredibly positive and
accepting of many underclass-
man that were on the roster
this year. He had a strong in-
fl uence on how many of them
grew throughout the season,
helping to lead to much of
our success,” Kirch said.
Sophomore Zane Aicher
was also a honorable mention
selection.
As a 5-foot-10 post, Aicher
had to deal with a size disad-
vantage in every game. But he
was still able to solidify him-
self as McNary’s most reliable
interior defender and one of
the team’s top rebounders.
“For a guy who has only
been playing basketball for
three years, its an incredi-
ble accomplishment to be
mentioned by other coaches.
Competitiveness and tough-
ness are our fi rst two program
values, and nobody represents
that more than Zane. He was
mentioned as the player that
his teammates would most
like to play with. He leads by
example every day, and were
excited to work with him in
the offseason to help with his
skill development.” Kirch said.
Kirch was also named the
MVC Coach of the Year.
WE TAKE PRIDE
in being staff ed better than
any other senior living
community
Come See the Finest in Senior Living
CALL (503) 390 -1300
1165 McGee Ct NE
Keizer, OR 97303
VillageAtKeizerRidge.com