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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2016)
Polk County Sports 12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 16, 2016 2015-16 ITEMIZER-OBSERVER ALL-REGION PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM GUARD Kylie Nash Central The 5-foot-6 senior guard and 2014-15 Itemizer-Observer Player of the Year Nash proved once again why she was a force to be reckoned with. Nash did it all for the Panthers. She averaged a team-high 16 points per game, good for more than a third of Central’s total points per game (46.7). Nash also passed 1,000 points during her high school career — a testament to just how successful she has been throughout her four years with the Panthers. The senior guard could score from anywhere on the court, shooting 39 per- cent from beyond the arc, but Nash was more than just a scorer. She also aver- aged 3.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. Nash, who earned first team all-Mid- Willamette Conference honors for her performance, played a key role in Central’s success, helping the Pan- thers advance to the first round of the state playoffs. POST Tristin Savage Dallas The 6-foot-5 sophomore Savage p o s t showed the Dragons could have the be- ginnings of a dominant inside player for years to come. In a season that saw Dallas deal with a high number of injuries, Savage rose to the occasion and be- came a leader. She av- eraged nearly a dou- ble-double, scoring 10.3 points and grab- bing 9.3 rebounds per game. She was also a defensive force in the paint, making it diffi- cult for opponents to drive to the hoop, averaging 6.7 blocks per game. Savage earned second team all-MWC recognition for her efforts and was a big reason why the Dragons advanced to the first round of the 5A state playoffs. Savage should only get better in the years to come and could become one of the league’s best. GUARD Elizabeth Chavez Central Nash The 5-foot-5 freshman guard didn’t have the benefit of easing into varsity basketball, but she thrived and showed she is one of the Panthers’ most promising players. Chavez av- eraged 8.5 points, two assists and two steals per game — all im- pressive numbers considering she Chavez was coming off the bench. Just because she was a guard didn’t mean she was afraid to get physical, as Chavez also grabbed four rebounds per game. Chavez earned all-league honorable mention for her efforts during the 2015-16 season. She will likely see an expand- ed role as a sophomore. If this season is any indication, she could become one of the Panthers’ key players. FORWARD Telaney Newton Perrydale The 5-foot-11 sen- ior post was criti- cal for Perrydale’s Newton success during the 2015-16 season. Without her, it’s like- ly the Pirates would have struggled mightily. The Itemizer-Observer’s Play- er of the Year averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks per game — all team highs. Her points-per- game average was good for nearly half of the team’s total scoring (30.8 points per game) during the season and, as one of only two returning players with any significant experi- ence, she was partly responsible for teaching her teammates along the way. Newton earned first team all- Casco League honors and showed that the Pirates should not be under- estimated, helping Perrydale ad- vance to the second round of the 1A state playoffs and a second-place fin- ish in the Casco League. FORWARD Krista Omlid Central The 5-foot-10 post built on an impres- sive freshman Omlid campaign with a stellar sophomore season. Omlid got her chance to step into a starting role and took advantage of it. Omlid provided a solid offensive option in the paint, averaging 7.5 points per game. She also grabbed five re- bounds and had three blocks per game, proving she could be effective on both ends of the court. Omlid av- eraged two assists per game, show- ing she’s a multi-dimensional player who can hurt opponents in a variety of ways. Omlid earned an all-league honorable mention for her perform- ance during the 2015-16 season and figures to be a bigger part of the Panthers’ success over her final two years at Central. Brautigam didn’t let injuries derail Dallas’ season. Instead, the Dragons placed fourth in the MWC, defeated Churchill in the play-in round and ad- vanced to the first round of the state playoffs, where Dallas led second- seeded Springfield in the second half. It would have been easy to give up during the Dragons’ injury-riddled season. Instead, Brautigam helped Dallas compete in a tough league and advance to the state playoffs. — The 2015-16 Itemizer-Observer all-region girls basketball team was selected by Sports Editor Lukas Eggen, along with heavy input from area coaches. Savage COACH David Brautigam Dallas In perhaps the toughest challenge of his coaching career with the Dragons, Brautigam had to guide his team de- spite a rash of in- juries, including having nine differ- ent starting line- ups in the first 16 games. Among the players who missed significant time due to in- Brautigam juries included starting point guard Olivia Nelson, starting guard Sarah Zwicker and jun- i o r g u a rd S t e f a n i Ta l l o n . B u t Captain: Newton to continue playing in college Continued from Page 11A Leader Since she began taking basketball more seriously in middle school, Newton’s love of the game has grown from a passing interest to borderline obsession. “If you ask anyone at Per- rydale about me, they’ll say ‘oh yeah, she’s the basketball player,’” Newton said. “I’m always in the gym or at some tournament on a club team. I can’t imagine not being involved in basket- ball.” Throughout her high school career, Newton has been a key part of the Pi- rates, but she never had to worry about becoming the team’s leader. “Last year, with the class LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file Perrydale senior Telaney Newton averaged 14 points per game, nearly half of the Pirates’ total points per game. ahead of me, there was al- ways someone there to be the leader of the team,” Newton said. “It’s been like that since I was a freshman.” That all changed this year. As one of only two returning seniors with any significant playing experience, Newton had to step up. “It was up to me,” Newton said. “It was on my shoul- ders.” Things didn’t get off to such a good start. The Pi- rates dropped their season- opener to 3A school Willam- ina 75-14. “That was a bit nerve- racking,” Newton said. “It wasn’t a pretty game. In the locker room, I sat down with Anna (McGill) and we talked about how it was just the first game. We had freshmen who were terrified and didn’t even know a lot of our sys- tem yet. It was a little bit of a worry, but I knew that at our level, we would be competi- tive and progress.” Newton knew she could no longer be passive. She would have to teach and help her teammates grow. That meant showing team- mates where to be on the court and giving compli- ments, even when mistakes were made. It wasn’t an easy transi- tion. “Sometimes I struggled,” Newton said. “I had a hard time finding the words to tell the girls because I’m used to someone else saying it. Hav- ing patience (was difficult). We had a lot of young girls. You get frustrated because you go over with them, and LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file Perrydale’s girls basketball team took second in the Casco League and advanced to the second round of the OSAA Class 1A state playoffs. they do the opposite. I re- membered when I was a freshman and I did the oppo- site when older girls would go over things with me. They never lost patience with me, so I learned how to be calm.” Newton grew into a vocal leader for the Pirates — one who helped her younger teammates feel welcome and helped her team devel- op from the one that lost by 61 points in its season open- er to one that advanced to the state playoffs. “We started to set our lineup in the middle of the season,” Newton said. “Be- fore, our lineup changed al- most every game. We started to do well and won more games than we lost.” The Pirates began to settle on a starting lineup and rota- tion. One thing remained un- changed — Newton played a central role on offense. She was not only the team’s leading scorer, she was a facilitator and the player opposing coaches had to plan around. “I don’t know another player who was more impor- tant to her team’s success this year,” Pirates coach and father Terry Newton said. Telaney was a dominant force on the boards, and the key to making Perrydale’s of- fense go. But she wasn’t worried about padding her stats. “It never really seemed to affect me as a player,” Telaney said. “It was just the way the team flowed.” Telaney’s basketball career won’t end with high school. She plans to continue play- ing at the collegiate level after graduating this spring, though she hasn’t made a final decision on where. “I just want to keep play- ing the game I love,” Telaney said. “I couldn’t imagine not playing basketball for at least a couple more years.” Newton’s final season with the Pirates was a mem- orable one. “It meant the world,” Telaney said. “People as- sumed we wouldn’t make it out of our league or make it as far as we did in the play- offs. To make it to the final 16, it was an incredible expe- rience. It was so much fun to spend time with these girls.” Fans: WOU Players took notice of fan support LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer Western Oregon fans came out in levels not seen before this season on Friday night. Continued from Page 11A This felt like what makes college athletics so addicting to see live. It was electric. And fans weren’t the only ones who noticed. “It was very exciting,” guard Janvier Alaby said after Friday’s win. “That was huge. (The fans) kept us going throughout the whole game.” Yes, the players heard the fans loud, and clear and it affected them in critical mo- ments. “It really pushed us in cer- tain parts to get that stop or get that loose ball,” guard Ju- lian Nichols said. The crowd, at its loudest moments, was close to deaf- ening. And it was glorious. It’s moments like those that remind me why I love college athletics. To see a group of players banding to- gether is something special. Add in the energy of a group of fans taking such pride in their team — it’s a rush you can’t find anywhere else. Players spark excite- ment among the fans. The fans’ energy wills the players to perform better. It’s a rela- tionship that, at its best, is something you’ll never for- get. At any university, mo- ments like these don’t come along very often. At the Divi- sion II level, those moments are even more rare. Western Oregon may not be an athletic haven for sports fans. But for at least one weekend, it showed how powerful sports can be.
