PAGE A16, KEIZERTIMES, JANUARY 21, 2022
McNary falters in second half against West Salem
M C N AR Y
HOOPS
McNary wing Jabol Balos-Mesey attacks the paint against West Salem.
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
After falling behind by double-fig-
ures in the opening half, the McNary
boys' basketball team rallied to cut the
lead to four in the third quarter. But the
Celtics ran out of gas in the final period
against one of the top teams in the
Mountain Valley Conference (MVC),
falling to West Salem by a score of 66-51
on Friday, Jan. 14.
“They really made us guard, and I
think it took a lot of energy out of us. We
would have a really good defensive pos-
session, but come back down and have
a possession with only one pass, then a
shot. After a while, that really wears on
you,” McNary head coach Ryan Kirch
said.
Tyler Copeland and Brody Roth led
the way for the Celtics with 15 points
apiece.
“We competed for the entire game,
but I think we got worn out and started
giving them some easy buckets,”
Copeland said.
A three-point play from Jabol Balos-
Mesey in the opening moments of the
game gave McNary the 5-4 advantage.
However, it was the only time McNary
Photo by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes
would lead in the contest, as West Salem
responded by going on a 9-0 run.
McNary point guard Jando Gonzalez
knocked down a deep triple to stop the
bleeding, but the Titans still ended the
first quarter with a 16-9 advantage.
Early into the second quarter, West
Salem was able to extend their lead to
10.
Kirch said that he was impressed
with the defensive effort of his crew and
that West Salem just played really well
on the offensive end.
“We really guarded them and forced
tough shots. But you got to give them
credit, they made multiple tough shots
where our guys were right in their face,”
Kirch said.
Six straight points from Copeland
helped McNary cut the lead to 29-23
at the half. The Celtics cut the deficit
down to four on a put-back basket from
Copeland early in the third quarter, but
cold shooting from McNary allowed
West Salem to go back up by double
figures.
McNary shot just 40% from the field
and was 4-of-19 from beyond the arc.
“We missed a ton of shots. I thought
we took a lot of rushed off-balance