Smoke Signals 7
FEBRUARY 1, 2004
Willamina Boys Basketball Rebuilding, Focused
- ! Xlu
V" 1 " '
VJvS' 'J -
I v i x ;..
I
Jump Ball Zach Burdon, 6'2"goes up for the jump ball against 6' 5"Blake Hinckley during a game against Caitlin Gabel High School held on January 23. Burdon scored
30 points, but the team lost in overtime. Bulldogs' Head Coach Cliff Toney said his team is in a rebuilding year after losing seven seniors to graduation last year.
By Ron Karten
The Bulldogs lost seven seniors to graduation
last year, so the team is doing a lot of rebuilding
this year, according to Head Coach Cliff Toney,
who works days as supervisor of the Commu
nity Service Program for
the Yamhill County Ju
venile Corrections De
partment. Mid-season, the team
was 7-7 overall, 3-4 in
league play which put
since he was a sophomore.
The Bulldogs "lost to some teams we probably
shouldn't have lost to," said Toney, who added
that you could describe the process as "growing
gfeeffi Gi&xQm am? atf&k? Qx&m
Shall (f musti (fttfTrOiisui
them in a tie with Nestucca and Amity for third
in the West Valley League.
"We only brought back one varsity player that
played a lot," said Toney. He was referring to
senior James Hosley, a guard who has played
pains.
Leaders for the Bulldogs thus far include Zach
Burdon, a sophomore Guard, who "is one of the
better sophomores in the area at our level," ac
cording to Toney. He has been averaging 11
r iff- i-f-sr- tLy
'i H xy
- - f1, - - - i
True Point Junior Point Guard Leo Ayala tries to break his way through two defenders from Caitlin Gabel.
points and eight
rebounds a
game. "He's got
a lot of years to
play and he's
already kind of
shining," said
Toney.
Hosley is av
eraging 14
points a game.
Daren
Risseeuw Jr is a
6'7" 325 pound
junior playing
at the Post who
is "getting bet
ter day by day,"
according to
Toney. "And
he's still grow
ing." The team has
four games left
in February,
with District
playoffs set for
February 14-21,
with the State
matches set to
follow on Febru
ary 26.
"Our league is
so even this
year," said
Toney, "any
body can beat
anybody," but
when pushed,
Toney predicted
that "Santiam
Christian and
Westside Chris
tian have a
head up on the
top two spots
and everybody
else is trying to
get in for the
last spot."
ip r
h jj
'
Leader Willamina Head
Coach Cliff Toney tries to rally
his team during a recent game
against Cailin Gabel High
School. The Bulldogs lost 74 to
65 in overtime.
Photos by
Peta Tinda