Polk County Sports
14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 13, 2017
CENTRAL ROUNDUP
PERRYDALE ROUNDUP
Boys basketball defeats Putnam Boys basketball
Itemizer-Observer staff report
INDEPENDENCE —
Central’s boys basketball
team defeated Putnam 57-
48 on Dec. 5.
Peter Mendazona scored
a game-high 17 points. Isa-
iah Abraham added 14
points and Kaleb Kantola
added 10 points.
“It was tight all game,”
coach Tim Kreta said. “Isa-
iah played really tough for
us and hit six free-throws
down the stretch and led
the team in boards. Kaleb
Kantola was able to spread
the floor with threes, which
allowed us to stay in our of-
fense. That allowed Jesse
(Cable) to take advantage
for a few easy layups.”
The Panthers (3-0 overall)
played Milwaukie Tuesday
after press time. Central will
compete at Abby’s Pizza’s
Holiday Classic at North
Marion Thursday through
Saturday. The team’s first
game will be against Banks
Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Central plays at Cascade
Monday at 7 p.m.
WRESTLING PLACES SEC-
OND AT SPRINGFIELD: Cen-
tral’s wrestling team finished
second at the Springfield Invi-
tational on Saturday.
Noah Worthington (113
pounds) and Caleb Sedlacek
(285) placed first to lead the
Panthers
at
the
tourna-
ment.
L u i s
Martinez
(120) and
Manuel
Martinez
(126) fin-
Worthington ished fifth,
w h i l e Ty
Pearson (132) and Corbin Sed-
lacek (195) took fifth.
The Panthers will host the
Central Invitational Friday at 4
p.m.
SWIMMING COMPETES AT
CV: Central’s swimming team
competed at a dual meet at
Crescent Valley on Dec. 5.
Isaiah Compton took first in
the boys 50-yard freestyle in
26.07 seconds.
David Glade finished first in
the boys 100 breaststroke in
1:20.12.
Grace Holstad finished sec-
ond in the 200 individual med-
ley and set a school record
with a time of 2 minutes, 37.19
seconds. Holstad won the 100
butterfly in 1:07.93.
Olivia Cooper placed first in
the girls 100 freestyle in
1:10.12.
The boys 200-yard medley
relay team of Daniel Glade,
David Glade, Isaiah Compton
and Robert Deleon took sec-
ond. Central competed at
South Albany Tuesday after
press time.
of a more focused training
regiment, Alexander said.
Instead of training for the
sake of training, each day
had a specific goal.
“It’s about knowing what
to do each day to get that
half a percent better,”
Alexander said. “That’s
huge. This process is a
marathon. You have to take
each day and not go back-
wards. It’s like I tell my kids,
you don’t have to be Kyrie
Irving now, but you can
build up to it. That goal
might seem impossible
now, but the older you get,
the more mature you get,
you’ll see how that hard
work pays off.”
Now, he’s more driven
than ever to make the most
of his opportunity.
“I failed once,” Alexander
said. “It was hard at the time,
but ultimately, I think it was
the best thing for me. I was
able to finish my degree. I’m
not the same player I was a
year ago. I don’t defer as
much as I used to. I’m an all-
around more complete
guard, and I’m a lot more
mature as a person.”
From his family to his
friends to the kids he trains,
Alexander is ready to give it
his all to show those closest
to him it’s worth it to keep
chasing your dreams.
“Honestly, this is more for
the people who have sup-
ported me to make them
proud,” Alexander said.
Alexander’s path to play-
ing professional basketball
wasn’t as quick or as
smooth as he hoped, but
that hasn’t dampened his
enthusiasm.
“It’s been a long road, but
we’re here now,” Alexander
said. “It’s time. I’m ready.”
Devon
Continued from Page 13A
“For a minute, I didn’t
know if I wanted to step
away,” Alexander said. “I
love training kids, but I real-
ized it wasn’t what I wanted
to do fully yet. I figured I’ve
still got some wheels on me,
I might as well go.”
It turned out to be a fruit-
ful trip. Upon the comple-
t i o n o f t h e c o m b i n e,
Alexander received multiple
offers, including Vancouver
and Seattle.
Alexander ultimately
signed with Vancouver.
His success was the result
WESTERN OREGON ROUNDUP
picks up victories
Itemizer-Observer staff report
PERRYDALE — Perr y-
dale’s boys basketball team
defeated Delphian 54-44 on
Dec. 5 and Yoncalla 65-47 on
Dec. 6.
“I thought the kids played
really, really well, especially
against Yoncalla,” coach
Brian Domes said. “I think
we had 27 field goals and 18
assists. That’s pretty incredi-
ble, unselfish basketball. …
Dustin Silver has been play-
ing really, really well. His re-
bounding has taken a big
step up. Cooper (Butler) is
pitching in points and re-
bounds every game as well.”
Against Yoncalla, the Pi-
rates played zone defense –
a big difference from the
man-to-man Domes has
had the Pirates play prior.
“That may have been the
first time I’ve played zone for
an entire game as coach,”
Domes said. “But when
you’re 6-foot-2 and under,
you’ve got to be adaptable.”
Domes hopes the next few
games will provide an op-
portunity to build depth.
Currently, Domes said the
Pirates are using a six-man
rotation.
“I don’t think there’s an-
other team in the state that
has five good, quality play-
e r s , ”
D o m e s
said. “Pacif-
ic might be
the only
other team
that is as
w e l l -
rounded as
Silver
we are, but
right now, there’s quite the
drop between our (starting)
five guys and the other play-
ers.”
The Pirates (3-1 overall)
played Livingstone Adventist
Tuesday after press time.
The Pirates host Willamette
Valley Christian Thursday at
7 p.m. before playing at the
Dufur Tournament Friday at
4:30 p.m. and Saturday at a
yet-to-be-determined time.
Perrydale hosts Country
Christian Tuesday at 7:30
p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL DE-
FATS YONCALLA: Perrydale’s
girls basketball team defeated
Yoncalla 43-22 on Dec. 6.
The Pirates (2-1 overall)
played Livingstone Adventist
Tuesday after press time. Perry-
dale hosts Willamette Valley
Christian Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
before competing at the Dufur
Tournament on Friday at 3 p.m.
and Saturday.
The Pirates host Country
Christian Tuesday at 6 p.m.
CENTRAL GIRLS BASKETBALL
Men’s basketball Bara, Panthers look to continue
earns big victory growth, strong start to season
Itemizer-Observer staff report
MONMOUTH — Western
Oregon University’s men’s
basketball team defeated
Portland Bible College 100-
57 on Thursday.
Tanner Omlid had 25
points, 11 rebounds, seven
blocks, five steals and five
assists to lead the Wolves to
the victory.
Vince Boumann recorded
23 points and nine re-
bounds. Demetrius Tram-
mell scored 15 points, and
J.J. Chirnside added 11
points and 12 rebounds.
Western Oregon (8-1
overall, 1-1 Great North-
west Athletic Conference)
played Tarleton State Tues-
day after press time.
WOU returns home to
host Alaska Anchorage
Sunday at 5 p.m. and Alas-
ka Fairbanks Tuesday at 7
p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
FA L L S TO O R E G O N T E C H :
Western Oregon University’s
women’s basketball team lost
to Oregon Tech 59-53 on Mon-
day. Shelby Snook led Western
with 12 points and seven re-
bounds.
Taisha Thomas added 10
points and two rebounds in the
losing effort.
The Wolves (5-2 overall, 1-1
GNAC) played Southern Ore-
gon Tuesday after press time.
WOU travels to face Central
Washington Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Dallas
Continued from Page 13A
“ D a l t o n w a s h u g e ,”
Schwartz said. “He hit two
quick threes. People started
feeling good and shots
started falling. We’re capa-
ble of doing that. That
should be a strength of our
team, but you live by the
three and you die by the
three sometimes.”
Extending those stretch-
es of excellence to an entire
game remains a work in
progress.
On Friday, missing open
shots began to take its toll.
“I think sometimes you
get a little frustrated when
shots aren’t falling, and you
begin to force a little,”
S c h w a r t z s a i d . “ We’v e
talked about sometimes if
you have a heavily contest-
ed shot, it’s better to pass it
and wait for a better look.”
Missed opportunities on
offense meant as the game
wore on, the Dragons were
forced to ramp up the pres-
sure on defense.
“I thought that was our
best defensive effor t,”
Schwartz said. “We held
them to 23 points in the
first half, and the final is a
little misleading because
when you’re behind, you
have to start rolling the
dice a little bit.”
While Dallas showed
signs of improvement,
Schwartz knows the Drag-
ons must get tougher or
this winter could be a long
one.
“The kids are buying into
that,” Schwartz said. “We’re
getting there slowly. Hope-
fully, we’ll see that materi-
alize into some wins here
soon.”
Coaches
Continued from Page 13A
“I have learned so much
from being a tennis player
and coach,” Nevue said.
“The experiences played a
big part of my life both per-
sonally and professionally.
I look forward to bringing
these experiences in coach-
ing and teaching to the ten-
nis program.”
Roberts has baseball and
softball coaching experi-
ence at McMinnville and
Riddle high schools. He
took a break from coaching
during his first few years
teaching at Central before
deciding now was the time
to jump back in.
“I’ve always kept a close
watch on the baseball pro-
gram and when this posi-
tion came open, the timing
seemed right to get back
into something I am so
passionate about,” Roberts
said. “… I have built a great
relationship with some of
the core players on the
team, so I feel that going
into the season I have a leg
up as a new coach. It is my
plan to bring stability to a
program that has high ex-
pectations.”
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE —
When Lexy Barba was a
freshman on Central’s girls
basketball team, she was
hesitant to score.
It wasn’t that she lacked
ability.
“I kept thinking people
would yell at me if I missed
too many shots,” Barba
said.
As time wore on, that fear
disappeared.
“We want the girls to
know that we, as coaches,
have confidence in them,”
coach Julie McDonald said.
“We want to drill it in their
head to not only have the
confidence to shoot, but
that everyone is confident
in them because we have
great shooters and great
athletes.”
Now a
senior,
Ba r b a i s
part of an
experi-
e n c e d
c o r e
group of
Barba
players
leading the Panthers.
“A lot of these girls have
been young and playing on
varsity and always having
older girls playing alongside
them,” McDonald said.
“Now, they are the older
girls. We want them to grow
not just in shooting, but
knowing when to take it to
the hole, when to pass it to
a teammate and when to
take a shot.”
It’s also required players
be willing to hold each
other accountable when
mistakes are made, know-
ing when to lift teammates
up during a game, and en-
suring everyone is on the
same page on the court.
“It’s big in those mo-
ments, like during a dead
ball when we come to geth-
er and say, this is what we
need to do,” Barba said.
“Encouragement helps me
a lot, personally.”
That growth has helped
the Panthers to a 3-0 start
and has allowed McDonald
to stat installing more com-
plex schemes on offense
and defense.
“( The experience) is
huge,” McDonald said. “I re-
member coming in as a
new coach, the team you
have at the beginning is far
different than the end of the
year because the players are
still learning the playbook.
The returning girls we have
know every play in our
playbook. That allows us to
add a few new things.”
Central defeated Astoria
53-38 and Summit 66-42 on
Friday and Saturday to im-
prove to 4-0 overall.
The Panthers will take
part in the Abby’s Pizza Hol-
iday Classic Thursday
through Saturday at North
Marion High School.
“I do like to play in tour-
naments like this,” McDon-
ald said. “It gives the girls a
glimpse of what the state
tournament will be like.
We’ve got a good bench that
can give us a lot of minutes.
We played back-to-back
games last week and really
took it to Summit in the first
quarter. That’s what we
want to do to come out and
set the tone.”
FALLS CITY ROUNDUP
Boys and girls split games
Itemizer-Observer staff report
FALLS CITY — Falls City’s
boys basketball team de-
feated McKenzie 67-31 on
Dec. 5 before falling to Tri-
angle Lake 53-40 on Dec. 6.
Jason Lafayette scored a
game-high 25 points
against McKenzie. J.R.
Lafayette added 16 points,
12 rebounds and three
blocks and Austin Burgess
recorded 10 points and six
rebounds.
The Mountaineers led
30-24 at the half before
pulling away, outscoring
McKenzie 18-4 in the third
quarter.
Jason Lafayette scored 17
points against Triangle
Lake, but the Mountaineers
trailed 30-13 at the half.
“We struggled to score in
the first half and had trou-
ble recovering,” coach
Micke Kidd said.
Falls City played Oregon
School for the Deaf Tuesday
after press time.
The Mountaineers host
C.S. Lewis Thursday at 7
p.m. and Triangle Lake
Monday at 7 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
SPLITS GAMES: Falls City’s
girls basketball team lost to
McKenzie 37-19 on Dec. 5 be-
fore defeating Triangle Lake
37-34 in overtime on Dec. 6.
Emma Burgess scored a
team-high 11 points against
Triangle Lake. Sarah Mack hit
the go-ahead shot with 20
seconds left in overtime, and
Amara Houghtaling made two
free-throws to seal the win.
Burgess scored a team-high
10 points and grabbed seven
rebounds against McKenzie.
“The girls played with good
defensive energy in the first
half,” Kidd said. “But we had
trouble scoring in the second
half.”
Falls City played Oregon
School for th Deaf Tuesday
after press time.
The Mountaineers host C.S.
Lewis Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
and Triangle Lake Monday at
5:30 p.m.
DALLAS ROUNDUP
Wrestling places second at tourney
Itemizer-Observer staff report
PORTLAND — Dallas’
wrestling team finished sec-
ond at the Rose City Cham-
pionship on Friday and Sat-
urday.
Treve Earhart took first in
the 182-pound bracket,
while Cael Morrison fin-
ished second in the 106-
pound bracket.
Dragons coach Tony Ol-
liff said Dallas only entered
18 wrestlers because of in-
juries and school policies.
“Most of the other top
teams entered 28,” Olliff
said.
Dallas will compete at
the Liberty Tournament
Saturday at 9 a.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL IM-
PROVES TO 4-0: Dallas’ girls
basketball team remained un-
beaten after defeating St. He-
lens 39-36 on Dec. 5 and
South Eugene 33-28 on Thurs-
day.
Dallas played Roosevelt
Tuesday after press time. The
Dragons travel to face Hills-
boro Thursday at 5:45 p.m. be-
fore hosting McKay Tuesday at
7 p.m.
SWIM TEAM: Dallas’ swim
team competed at Silverton
on Dec. 5. Results were not
available as of press time.
Visit our website, www.polkio.com
for local news, sports and community events.