Polk County
Sports
WESTERN OREGON MEN’S BASKETBALL
SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13
Girls basketball: Central
at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Wrestling: South Albany
at Central, 7 p.m. Dallas at
Woodburn, 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, JAN. 14
Men’s basketball: West-
ern Oregon at Simon Fraser,
7 p.m.
FRIDAY, JAN. 15
Boys basketball: Central
at Crescent Valley, 7 p.m.
Dallas at South Albany, 7
p.m. C.S. Lewis at Falls City,
7 p.m. Crosshill Christian at
Perrydale, p.m.
Girls basketball: Cres-
cent Valley at Central, 7 p.m.
South Albany at Dallas, 7
p.m. C.S. Lewis at Falls City,
5:30 p.m. Crosshill Christian
at Perrydale, 5:30 p.m.
Wrestling: Central at
Oregon Wrestling Classic,
TBA.
SATURDAY, JAN. 16
Men’s basketball: West-
ern Oregon at Western
Washington, 7 p.m.
Women’s basketball:
Montana State Billings at
Western Oregon, 2 p.m.
Wrestling: Central at
Oregon Wrestling Classic,
TBA. Dallas at Southridge, 10
a.m.
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 13, 2016 10A
Avgi thriving as leader of the pack
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — Playing
in front of more than 1,000
fans, Western Oregon’s men’s
basketball
team de-
f e a t e d
Saint Mar-
tin’s 74-61
on Satur-
day.
T h e
g a m e ,
which was
Omlid
televised
on Root Sports, came on the
heels of a 96-90 overtime
win over Seattle Pacific on
Thursday.
Senior Andy Avgi scored
34 points against Seattle Pa-
cific and 24 points against
the Saints as the Wolves ex-
tended their win streak to
three games.
“I love it when the fans
come out,” Avgi said. “It
definitely pumps us up
and helps with the energy
a lot.”
Avgi, the reigning Great
Northwest Athletic Confer-
ence Player of the Year, has
once against stepped into a
leading role for the Wolves.
He entered the week second
in the conference in scoring
and has added a new dimen-
sion to his game — the out-
side shot.
“I’m playing outside a lot
more,” Avgi said. “It helps
draw them out, then I can go
back in the paint and flip
flop. It throws them off bal-
ance.”
Avgi is a big reason why
WOU entered the week with
a 12-2 record overall. This
year, the Wolves have risen
to the challenge of being one
of the conference’s front run-
ners.
See AVGI, Page 11A
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Western Oregon senior Andy Avgi (32) attempts to save a loose ball on Saturday.
PERRYDALE BOYS BASKETBALL
TUESDAY, JAN. 19
Boys basketball:
Lebanon at Central, 7 p.m.
Corvallis at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Willamette Valley Christian
at Falls City, 7 p.m. Jewell at
Perrydale, 7 p.m.
Girls basketball:
Willamette Valley Christian
at Falls City, 5:30 p.m. Jewell
at Perrydale, 5:30 p.m.
Leaving a mark
Senior’s faith gives him new motivation
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20
Girls basketball: Central
at Lebanon, 7 p.m. Dallas at
Corvallis, 7 p.m.
Wrestling: South Albany
at Dallas, 6 p.m.
—
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
PERRYDALE — Since starting the season 0-3, Perrydale’s
boys basketball team has turned things around.
The Pirates have won nine of their last 10 games, includ-
ing victories over Falls City (62-26), Southwest Christian
(51-48) and St. John Bosco (54-26) last week.
Two seniors, Spencer Bibler and Devin Cruickshank, find
themselves at the center of Perrydale’s resurgence.
Schedules Subject to Change
QUICK HITS
Spencer Bibler
Bibler, 17, has a tattoo he proudly displays on his left
arm.
Unlike some, his has a special, life-changing meaning.
Bibler has always loved sports — especially basketball
and football. During his junior year, doctors discovered a
tumor on his pituitary gland, which helps control growth
and development.
Doctors needed to perform surgery.
“The toughest experience was initially getting told that I
had (the tumor),” Bibler said. “That meant no football.”
See MARK, Page 12A
Cross Creek to
host tournament
PERRYDALE — Cross
Creek Golf Course will host
the 14th annual Brockway
Memorial Golf Tournament
on Feb. 6. The two-person
scramble will begin at 9:30
a.m.
Cost is $45 and includes
green fees, hole prizes and
tee prizes.
A player does not need
a handicap. The tourna-
ment is open to men,
women and mixed teams.
The tournament is dedi-
cated to Marius “Brock”
Brockway, who died in
2013.
A portion of each entry
will be dedicated to the
OGA Junior tournaments
held each year at Cross
Creek.
For more information or
to sign up: 503-623-6666.
Registration and pay-
ment must be received by
Feb. 4.
STAT SHEET
5
The number of wins
in a row Perrydale’s
girls basketball
team has racked up.
The Pirates’ last loss came
on Dec. 22. Perrydale en-
tered the week in second
place in the Casco League.
1
The number of wins
Dallas’ and Central’s
girls basketball
teams had against
each other last season. The
rivals play Wednesday
(today) at 7 p.m.
www.polkio.com
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Perrydale senior Spencer Bibler began the season on the bench, but has earned a role in the Pirates’ starting lineup.
DALLAS WRESTLING
DALLAS GIRLS BASKETBALL
Upholding the legacy
Dragons look for
identity in league
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — In the world of
Dallas wrestling, the Duna-
gans have made their mark.
Jack, a 2012 graduate,
qualified for state during his
senior season. Scotty, a 2014
graduate, placed fourth at
state during his senior year.
Now, senior Jeff Dunagan
hopes to cement his status
a m o n g s t h i s f a m i l y ’s
wrestling accomplishments.
“No t m a k e m y ow n
name, but I want to live up
to how my brothers did,”
Dunagan said. “I want to
keep the family tradition
going.”
Dunagan has been a life-
long wrestler, beginning in
the second or third grade.
“I love wrestling,” Duna-
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Jeff Dunagan looks to gain an edge on Saturday. The
senior placed fourth in the 160-pound class.
gan said. “There’s nothing
like it. I’ve grown up watch-
ing Scotty and Jack. They
both wrestled through high
school. It’s a family thing.”
See LEGACY, Page 12A
DALLAS — Entering its
Mid-Willamette Conference
opener, Dallas’ girls basket-
ball team wanted to make a
statement.
The Dragons defeated
Woodburn 51-37 on Thurs-
day — a victory that showed
a new attitude and what will
likely determine just how far
the team can advance.
“We knew Woodburn was
a better team than last
year,” sophomore Tristan
Savage said. “We had to
bring the intensity and re-
bound and just be a little bit
scrappier.”
Dallas, which lost a make-
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DALLAS 121 Main St • 503-623-8155 • www.LesSchwab.com
INDEPENDENCE 1710 Monmouth St • 503-838-6340
Mon -Fri 8am - 6pm • Sat 8am - 5pm
up game at
Mountain
View 35-31
on Friday,
used the
full-cour t
press right
from the
opening tip
Savage
against the
Bulldogs.
The result was a swarm-
ing defense that rarely al-
lowed Woodburn to get
comfortable in their offen-
sive sets — but in a game
where more than 60 fouls
were called, Dragons coach
David Brautigam said play-
ers must learn to stay in
control.
See IDENTITY, Page 12A
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