12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 25, 2015
Polk County Sports
2014-15 ITEMIZER-OBSERVER ALL-REGION PREP BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM
GUARD
Everett
Minahan
Dallas
The 6-foot-1 junior
guard had a break-
out campaign. In
Minahan
his first full season
at the varsity level, Minahan estab-
lished himself as the Dragons’ key of-
fensive weapon. Minahan averaged a
team-high 11.4 points per game,
while shooting 50 percent from the
field and 67 percent from the free-
throw line. The first team all-Mid-
Willamette Conference selection also
averaged 2.4 steals and 2.1 assists per
game as he established himself as he
continued to improve as the season
wore on. Minahan became the cata-
lyst for the Dragons’ offense and
helped Dallas reach the first round of
the state playoffs. “He never misses an
open gym and he continues to en-
courage his teammates to get better,”
Dallas coach Trent Schwartz said. “In
addition, he has just matured a ton as
a person over the last year in deci-
sions he makes within the team’s
framework.”
POST
Kaj Bansen
Central
The 6-foot-4 senior
post/wing was the
heart and soul of
Central’s offense
during the 2014-15
Bansen
season. Bansen av-
eraged 12.6 points per game and
made 59 3-pointers, both team-highs.
While Bansen was a dangerous out-
side threat, he was also one of the
Panthers’ best overall players. He
grabbed 4.2 rebounds per game,
while recording 26 steals and 17
blocks on defense. Bansen was also
one of the Panthers’ most dependable
free-throw shooters, making 75 per-
cent of his shots from the charity
stripe. But his leadership went be-
yond stats. “Kaj was the voice of our
group along with Kyler (Fleming),”
Central coach Tim Kreta said. “… His
outside shooting allowed us to run
our offense fully and open up oppor-
tunities for others inside.” Central ad-
vanced to the Class 5A state playoffs,
while Bansen earned first team all-
MWC honors for his efforts.
POST
Hayden
Broadus
Dallas
The 6-foot-
6 senior
post estab-
Broadus
lished him-
self as one of the Dragons’ go-
to players. Broadus averaged
8.6 points and a team-high 5.6
rebounds per game during his
senior campaign. Broadus, who
earned all-MWC honorable men-
tion, gave Dallas more than just
an inside offensive presence
and a solid rebounder. The
three-year starter gave the
Dragons a defender who
could guard nearly any
position, giving Dallas
flexibility in its defen-
sive schemes and line-
up. Broadus played a
major role for the
Dragons through the
years and will leave
some big shoes to fill
next season. “Hayden
is our best post de-
fender who could de-
fend anyone with his
versatility,” Schwartz
said. “He’s a team
captain, a
good student
and a leader.”
honorable mention.
GUARD
Kyler
Fleming
GUARD
Chad Price
Perrydale
Central
The 5-foot-11 sen-
ior guard missed
nine games be-
Fleming
cause of
a left hand injury this sea-
son. The team averaged
42.1 points during that
stretch. Central averaged
52.6 points with Flem-
ing in the lineup.
Despite missing
games, Fleming
finished sec-
ond in total
points with
200
and
points per
game, aver-
aging 12.5
points per
contest. He
also grabbed
three rebounds
and dished out
two assists per
game. On de-
fense, he had
23 steals and
drew eight of-
fensive fouls.
“Kyler was our
spark on the de-
fensive end of the
court,” Kreta said.
“He wasn’t afraid
to step up and
take a charge or
make a stand de-
Hayden
fensively. On of-
Broadus
fense, Kaj would
start on the out-
side and Kyler
would attack the
paint.” Fleming
earned all-MWC
The 5-foot-9 senior
guard came up big
for the Pirates dur-
ing Tri-River Con-
ference play. Price
Price
averaged a team-
high 14.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and
3.5 steals per game in league games.
Price was unquestionably Perrydale’s
top scoring threat and option. Yet,
despite opponents focusing on ways
to stop Price, he still found his way to
score and open up other opportuni-
ties for his teammates. “Chad was our
main offensive weapon, and to still
average 14.5 points
a game when
teams knew
who we were
going to is im-
pressive,” Per-
rydale coach
Mike Lowry
said. “… Chad’s
ability to pressure
the passing lanes and
the ball were a huge
asset. Off the floor the
kid was a great leader. He
didn't know when to give
up and would always put
the team ahead of himself.”
Price earned second team
all-Tri-River Conference
honors for his efforts.
starter and senior
co-captain Kyler
Fleming. Fleming
missed nine games
between Jan. 21
and Feb. 17, but
Kreta helped Cen-
tral remain in play-
off contention,
eventually earning
Nash
a berth to the play-
in round as the Panthers earned the
MWC’s fifth seed. Under Kreta’s guid-
ance, the Panthers advanced to the
first round of the state playoffs before
falling to Marist 51-31 on March 6. De-
spite facing difficult circumstances,
Kreta excelled in his first year as Cen-
tral’s coach and played a key role in
the Panthers’ success during the 2014-
15 season. Even with dealing with
Fleming’s injury and getting used to
becoming head coach, Kreta’s ability
to keep his team together and make
improvements helped them remain
competitive.
—
The 2014-15 Itemizer-Observer all-re-
gion boys basketball team was se-
lected by Sports Editor Lukas
Eggen, along with heavy
input from area coaches.
Kaj
Bansen
COACH
Tim Kreta
Central
The first-year coach not only helped
Central transition successfully from
Class 4A to Class 5A, he also helped
the Panthers weather an injury to
Edge: Minahan no longer the timid player
Continued from Page 10A
Almost from the moment
Minahan began playing bas-
ketball, he excelled.
“When I was in fifth grade,
I played on a competitive
team,” Minahan said. “I was
probably one of our best
players and that just made it
more fun.”
As he grew older, some-
thing never quite clicked. He
still enjoyed playing basket-
ball, but he struggled to fully
embrace his role as a point
guard.
“I was pretty timid on the
court,” Minahan said. “I
didn’t want to mess up, so I
played conservatively.”
Minahan’s fear of making
mistakes led him to be wary
of being more aggressive on
offense. His progress on the
court went slower than he
anticipated.
After his freshman year, his
frustration was at its peak.
“I didn’t have much suc-
cess my freshman year,” Mi-
nahan said. “I didn’t have the
best work ethic or attitude.
After that season, I was tenta-
tive about playing basketball
again.”
In the end, Minahan de-
cided to return — and make a
drastic change in the way he
approached the game.
“I had been playing it for
such a long time, I just
thought there’s no reason for
me to quit,” Minahan said. “I
knew I could succeed, I just
needed to work hard. I didn’t
want to play poorly anymore
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer file
Everett Minahan (right) led the Dragons in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game during the 2014-15 season.
and I wanted to make a
change.”
His sophomore season
saw the beginnings of those
changes, practicing before
school and staying after prac-
tices. The result was starting
on junior varsity and playing
in Dallas’ 2013-14 play-in
game against Liberty. But it
wasn’t until Minahan began
his junior campaign that he
got his first full taste of varsity
basketball.
“In the play-in game, I real-
ly had nothing to lose be-
cause I was coming up from
JV,” Minahan said. “This sea-
son was tougher to start. I
didn’t really know what to ex-
pect for the season and it
took me a couple of games to
realize what varsity was going
to be like.”
But Minahan’s timid play
continued until coaches
pulled him aside after the
third game of the season.
“My coaches saw that I
had that aggressive play in
me,” Minahan said. “After the
Mountain View game (on
Dec. 12), they told me that I
can play with these kids. I just
need to be aggressive with
them.”
At long last, Minahan took
those words to heart. Mina-
han became aggressive, un-
afraid to drive to the hoop.
Minahan was no longer the
timid player.
One of the biggest changes
to his game was easing away
from his signature move: the
floater.
“I wasn’t as athletic so I
couldn’t get to the rim all the
way,” Minahan said. “So I just
worked on the one-handed
floater and made it a part of
my game. I can get to the rim
more easily now.”
Minahan averaged a team-
high 11 points and 2.1 assists
per game. He also averaged
2.1 steals per game. Minahan
earned first team all-confer-
ence honors for his perform-
ance.
But he’s not satisfied with
his effort on the court.
“I need to work on my
jump shot and continue to
gain confidence,” Minahan
said. “I need to work on really
being a leader. Next year, I
think I’ll have to score a bit
more than this year.”
Minahan is no longer the
shy, timid player he once
was. Now, he’s a driven
leader who wants to do
everything he can to help his
team win.
“I want to succeed in the
postseason,” Minahan said.
“That will make it so much
more memorable. Our team
will have a great work ethic
and we can definitely do bet-
ter.”
PREP TENNIS ROUNDUP
Dallas girls downs North Marion
Dragons clinch tiebreaker as girls win their first match of the year
Itemizer-Observer staff report
DALLAS — Dallas girls
tennis team earned its first
win of the season in thrilling
fashion. The Dragons and
Huskies
were tied
4-4, with
Dallas win-
ning the
tie-breaker
74-67 on
total ga-
mes won.
Marissa
Brewen
Brewen
earned a 6-1, 6-4 win over
Emma Snyder in singles
play, while the doubles pairs
of Abigail Gar ner and
Amelia Poston, Dana Taylor
and Adelaine Gillette, and
M e g a n
Floyd and
M e g a n
Ronco also
ea-rned
victories to
lead the
Dragons.
“It was
Poston
awesome
to watch Marissa really step
up and play a great match,”
Dallas coach Jordan Sollman
said. “… My doubles teams
came out way more aggres-
sive (on Thursday) than
( a g a i n s t Mc Mi n n v i l l e ) ,
which was awesome to see
and was the reason they
were able to win their
matches.”
Garner and Poston rallied
Up Next
• Dallas’ boys and girls
tennis teams will face
Woodburn Tuesday at 4
p.m.
• Central’s boys and girls
tennis squads take on
South Albany Tuesday at 4
p.m.
from a 4-0 deficit in the first
set to win in straight sets, 6-
4, 6-4.
“I was very impressed
with their composure and
their ability to come back
and win,” Sollman said.
The Dragons travel to face
Woodburn on Tuesday,
where they look to build off
its victory over North Mari-
on.
“These girls have not let
up, and they want to come
out to compete and win
every single day.”
CENTRAL BOYS FALL 6-2:
Central’s boys tennis team lost
its season-
opener to
Philomath
6-2
on
Th u r s d ay.
Kevin Cable
defeated
Alex Castle
6-0, 6-0 in
the No. 1
singles posi-
Cable
tion, while
Nathaniel Miller earned a 7-6,
6-3 victory over Sean Carter in
the No. 4 singles spot. Central
played at Crescent Valley Tues-
day after press time. The Pan-
thers host Lebanon Thursday
and Silverton Tuesday at 4 p.m.
as Central begins Mid-
Willamette Conference play.
CENTRAL GIRLS DROP
OPENER: Andrea Garibay and
Patience Teague earned a pair
of singles victories, but Central
lost to Philomath 6-2 on Thurs-
day. Garibay defeated Joanna
Bacho 6-2, 6-0, while Teague
earned a 6-1, 6-0 win over
Tegan Weaver in the third and
fourth singles positions to earn
the Panthers’ two victories. Cen-
tral hosts South Albany Tuesday
at 4 p.m. to open league play.
DALLAS BOYS LOSE
TIEBREAKER: Despite wins by
all four of the Dragons’ doubles
teams, Dallas’ boys tennis
squad lost to North Marion 4-4
(67-56 in games won). The
doubles pairs of Josiah Gillette
and Cameron Gumpinger, Cole
Oace and
Caedmon
Blair, Randy
Mullins and
Josh Dud-
ley, and
Honnario
Calipano Jr.
and Ryan
Bibler all
earned vic-
Bibler
tories for
Dallas. North Marion, however,
swept the singles matches in
straight sets, three of four by
the score of 6-0, 6-0, to earn
the victory. The Dragons host
Woodburn Tuesday at 4 p.m. in
the team’s Mid-Willamette
Conference opener.