McKenzie Sports Report – January 1

The McKenzie Varsity Boys and Girls Basketball teams next contests are scheduled for Tuesday, January 6 at Siletz Valley. The Eagle Boys are scheduled for 5:30 pm and the Girls game follows at 7:00 pm.

The McKenzie teams host Mohawk on Thursday, January 8. A Boys Junior Varsity game is scheduled for 4:00 pm, the Boys Varsity game starts at 5:30 pm and the Girls Varsity game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm start.

McKenzie hosts Alsea on Friday, January 9, with the Boys Varsity game starting at 5:30 pm and the Girls Varsity game following at 7:00 pm.

McKenzie Winter Classic Tournament Canceled

The 2025 McKenzie Winter Classic Tournament, scheduled for Friday, December 19 and Saturday, December 20 was canceled. The lone contest played, on Friday, was the Eagle Varsity Boys versus the Marist Catholic Freshman team.

The Varsity Girls game versus Falls City/Kings Valley Charter on Friday and the Saturday games with Toledo and Oakridge were canceled.

Eagle Boys Lose Non-League Hoops To Chemawa And Marist Catholic Frosh

McKenzie sustained a couple of tough losses in pre-season non-league play recently. The Eagle Varsity Boys team fell convincingly to the Chemawa Indian School, 53-68, on Tuesday, December 16, at Finn Rock.

The Marist Catholic Freshman team arrived upriver the following Friday, December 19, and just prior to the lights flickering out due to powerline repair elsewhere in the Valley, the Eagles’ victory plans were unplugged by the youthful Spartan team, 64-59.

Three more non-league contests follow on McKenzie’s schedule, one with Mohawk (2-7) and two, back-to-back, home and away, with Alsea (3-5). The second Alsea game scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, is the Mt. West League opener for both teams, believe it or not, in an interesting 2025 MWL schedule where League members play one League counting game and a non-league counting game. Thus, there is but seven League games for each member this season.

This scheduling trend seems to be popular across the State in Class 1A ranks and perhaps the thinking is that it allows for more non-league contests and more exposure to other programs around the State. Since a team’s overall record, strength of schedule, RPI ranking, etc., more than League Championship titles, drives the season rankings and post-season playoff qualifications and ranked matchups.

So for the 2-6 Eagles, it’s back to the practice gym to strengthen basics and develop a winning game plan. A non-league date with Eddyville Charter, next game out of the chute after the League opener with Alsea, will offer McKenzie a chance to tangle with the current MWL leader. That statement is a bit presumptive given the number of contests between now and then but it makes for good presumptive chat for the present.

Eddyville Charter is at this writing just 4-3 this season and is the only MWL team with a winning record, for whatever that is worth at this point as well. Let’s just say that the door is open to whichever MWL team can gel and coalesce into a respectable team every night out. That team might as well be the Eagles of Finn Rock. McKenzie Time!

Eagle Girls Lose 29-45 Non-League Game To Chemawa Winter Classic Cancels, Losing Two Opportunities

McKenzie Head Coach David Duncan probably is saying “Doggone it.” It seems just when you feel good about turning a corner, someone or something throws a kink in your plans and it’s back to the clipboard.

First, the Chemawa Indian School Braves traveled down the Willamette Valley from Salem to defeat Duncan’s Eagle team, 45-29. That defeat ended a brief, but encouraging two game win streak. Then the McKenzie Winter Classic was canceled and the Girls team lost two game opportunities over the Christmas Break, one versus Falls City/Kings Valley Charter and one versus Oakridge.

Next game up is at Siletz Valley, sitting in second place in early MWL standings at 4-1 and then a couple of days later, with Mohawk, the MWL leader currently at 8-1. And lurking in the schedule right behind the Mustangs is Alsea, boasting a 4-2 mark today.

So, practice, practice, and practice Eagles. Coach Duncan’s got your marching orders and its time, you’ve got time, to grow some court grit and gristle. Nothing could be a better New Year’s resolution, by local accounts, than rearranging the MWL standings in a more positive fashion. Like taking some wind out of the top three opponents. It’s been way too windy in the Siletz and Alsea Coastal valleys and certainly up the Mohawk. And that way, we can write our own windy’s about McKenzie Success!