DECEMBER 31, 2021, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A23
keeper to tie the game at 1-1.
Earlier in the game, Alfano missed
out on a number of opportunities to
put the Celtics on the board. But when
she got another great look at a goal in
the 62nd minute, she wasn't going to
let the opportunity slip away.
Alston received a perfect through
ball from Peyton Olafson while sprint-
ing up the sideline, then crossed the
ball over to Alfano, who played it off
the short hop and fi red a missile into
the top of the goal for the score, giving
the Celtics their fi rst lead.
“Sydnee was due. She was bound to
get one,” Brouse said. “It was such a
beautiful goal.”
Meithof signs to play at
Westmont
McNary's Nate Meithof had been
one of the top prep players in the state
for the last two years, which is why he
was able to take his skills to the next
level.
In May, the shooting guard signed
his letter of intent to play college bas-
ketball for Westmont College in Santa
Barbara, Calif.
“I am really excited to be able to get
the opportunity to show what I can do,”
Meithof said. “I am going to work as
hard as I can. It is going to be fun.”
As a junior, Meithof averaged over
23 points and nine rebounds per game
and was named the Mountain Valley
Conference co-Player of the Year. In the
COVID-19 shortened season, Meithof
averaged 25 points per contest.
“I think it’s important that Nate goes
to a place where he can unpack his
bags for the next four years of his life.
It's a great fi t basketball wise. It's a level
where he will have a ton of success and
he will play for a very good coaching
staff ,” McNary head coach Ryan Kirch
said. “Academics are incredibly high
there and he will be set for his life from
that standpoint.”
Meithof's basketball accolades
speak for themselves, but what he is
most proud of is being the fi rst per-
son in his biological family to have the
opportunity to attend college.
“It really feels like my fi rst major
accomplishment,” Meithof said.
Meithof was one of the most sought
after juniors in the area in the winter of
2020. But when the pandemic hit, his
recruiting slowed down signifi cantly.
However, there was one coach in par-
ticular that never took his eyes off
Meithof.
After being an assistant at the school
for two years, Keizer-native Landon
Boucher took over the Westmont bas-
ketball program in the spring of 2020.
The fi rst player that he recruited was
Meithof.
“My fi rst phone call was to Kirch. I
knew Nate was a big-time player and
I knew that he could be a high-level
player for us,” Boucher said.
Nearly a year later, Meithof took
his offi cial visit to Westmont with his
grandpa.
“It was a fun trip. I felt like I was
stepping into a very welcoming envi-
ronment,” Meithof said. “A couple play-
ers showed me around the campus,
which was a lot bigger than I realized.”
During the visit, Meithof got the
opportunity to play one-on-one with
some of the Westmont upperclassmen,
which was when Boucher realized the
type of potential Meithof has.
“I only was able to see what he could
do against high schoolers. But when
I saw him play against some of our
seniors, we all found out how gifted he
is both off ensively and defensively,”
Boucher said. “I knew he was good, I
just didn't realize how good he was.”
Celts upset Grant to advance
to second round
Whether it was injuries, heart-
breaking losses, or needing players to
change positions, the McNary volley-
ball squad had their fair share of trials
during the regular season.
But when adversity hit in the Celtics
opening round playoff match against
Grant, they responded in resounding
fashion.
After dropping the fi rst set, McNary
rallied back to win the next three
games, defeating Grant 19-25, 25-20,
25-17, 25-21 on Wednesday, Oct. 27 to
win their fi rst postseason match since
2015.
“I am so excited for them. We have
been battling and overcoming one
obstacle at a time with injuries and
fi guring out players playing diff erent
positions,” McNary head coach Crystal
DeMello said. “They have been able to
make that journey all season and come
out here and take care of business
against a great team. We are beyond
happy.”
Junior middle blocker Emily Blagg
led the Celtics with 16 kills and Emily
Lettenmaier added 13 kills for the
Celtics in the win.
“It feels amazing, honestly. Our team
One week after the visit, Meithof
committed to play at Westmont. With
Boucher, and assistant coach Josh
Erickson being from Keizer, it was
clear that the local ties played a role in
Meithof's decision — Erickson gradu-
ated from McNary in 2003 and was a
part of the basketball team that took
fourth place in the '03 state tournament.
“I think a lot of it had to do with
the fact that me and Josh are both
Keizer guys. All three of us went to the
same schools when we were growing
up. I just feel like it was meant to be,”
Boucher said. “Nate is an elite shot-
maker and the way he is able to create
for himself is unbelievable. He is going
to have an instant impact and be a part
of a really good team. We are thrilled to
have him."
really came together,” Lettenmaier said
about the victory.
With the score tied at 1-1, both teams
went back and forth to begin the third
set, but with the score tied at 13-all,
McNary began to take control, scoring
14 of the next 18 points to win 25-17. In
the fourth set, Grant was able to stay
with the Celts early. But as the game
wore on, McNary continued to prove
that they were the better team.
With Grant up 13-11, the Celtics
rattled off six straight points to go up
17-13, forcing the Generals to burn a
timeout. A stuff block from Jaelynn
Wilcox and a kill by Maddox Snider
allowed the Celtics to extend the lead
to 21-15.
Lettenmaier ended the match with
an emphatic kill to send the Celtics to
the second round.
DeMello said the most encouraging
aspect of the victory was seeing the
trust and confi dence her girls had in
each other.
“All of them wanted the ball and all
of them trusted that there was some-
one behind them if they were out of
position. It was excellent to see them
lean on each other and put together a
great team eff ort,” she said.
Continued on page A24