February 18, 2016

McKenzie Varsity Sports Schedule This Week

The McKenzie Varsity Girls Basketball team will play the winner of a Mt. West League playoff game between the Mt. West League #4 seed, Triangle Lake and the #5 seed Alsea. Triangle Lake and Alsea are scheduled for a Wednesday, February 17, contest at Triangle Lake. The Eagles will meet the winner in a game scheduled for Saturday, February 20, 11:00 am. at Central Linn. The McKenzie Varsity Boys Basketball team is finished for the season.

Oh, So Close! Siletz 41, McKenzie 39

The difference between playing for the Mt. West League Playoff Championship and either a 1st or 2nd seed to the OSAA State Championships and playing for the 3rd seed to State is 2 points. McKenzie Girls Basketball finished third in the Mt. West League regular season behind Siletz Valley Early College Academy and Lowell. In accordance with the MWL basketball playoff format the Eagles traveled to Siletz on Monday, February 15, for MWL playoff game 1.

McKenzie nearly pulled off the upset, the Eagle rally falling short by two points, 41-39. The Eagles will now play the winner of a game between Triangle Lake and Alsea on Saturday, February 20 with the latter playing at Triangle Lake on Wednesday. The Mt. West League will send three teams to the OSAA State 1A Girls Basketball Championships this season and the Eagles and their Saturday opponent will be vying for the League's third seed. Should the Eagles (or their pending opponent) secure the 3rd seed to State, that team will travel to the gym of the second seed from the Skyline League for a State First Round game.

At Siletz on Monday, the two teams started the playoff game pretty even, the Warriors holding a slim edge, 8-7, after the first quarter. Siletz outscored McKenzie in the second period 13-7 and that small difference would prove too be large for the Eagles to overcome. Not that McKenzie Head Coach David Duncan's team didn't give a great try. Down 21-14 at halftime, the Eagles outpointed the Warriors 12-10 in the third quarter and the rally was still on in the fourth period with McKenzie outscoring their hosts 13-10, but it was just short of securing the win.

Jorden Smith led her Eagle teammates with 18 points and the senior guard also grabbed 6 rebounds, had 3 assists, 2 steals, and just 1 turnover. Miyanna Hayes added 9 points to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. Jade Hayes scored 5 points, hauled in 9 rebounds, had an assist and a steal and committed 5 turnovers. Paige Lowry finished with 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 turnovers while Idgie Williams had 1 point and a rebound, 3 steals, 4 blocks, and 2 turnovers. Kanyen Kamrath had 2 points and a rebound. McKenzie shot 25% from the field and as a team committed 15 turnovers.

Lady Eagles Romp Over Lakers, Roll Into Third Place

McKenzie Head Coach David Duncan's Varsity Girls Basketball team knew what was at stake when they boarded the bus to Triangle Lake last Tuesday afternoon, February 9. If the Eagles defeated the Lakers, McKenzie would move into a tie for third place in the Mt. West League and have the inside track to finish the 2015 MWL Regular season in that position. The Eagles final regular season game would be at home versus Mapleton, whom McKenzie had defeated earlier 47-16. Triangle Lake's final game would be on the road to League leading Lowell, a much tougher draw.

With the road victory, the Eagles would earn third seed in the pending MWL Tournament and stand a better opportunity to claim one of the three League berths in the OSAA State Basketball Championships. On the other hand, a loss would lock the Eagles in fourth place and a steeper hill to climb.

The McKenzie girls were confident, not overly so, when asked how they would fare against the Lakers. McKenzie defeated Triangle Lake earlier in the two teams first meeting at Finn Rock, 35-28. With a new zone defense in their hind pocket and a bit of old fashioned swagger, Duncan's team clamped down on the Laker offense and laid a whoopin' on their old rival. At the final horn, the Eagles dominated their host with a 40-17 thrashing, the Lakers second worst defeat of the 2015 season.

The first quarter, however, did not look to be a rout as the Lakers established a slim edge, 8-7. But that's when the dust shook off and the travelers from Finn Rock kicked it in, holding the home Lakers to just 4 points in the second quarter while scoring 12 points in response.

Halftime score at 19-12 was McKenzie good, but on the road against an old foe not a sure bet. Eagle momentum proved strong, however, and McKenzie continued to play tough defense, holding Triangle Lake to just 3 points in the third and 2 points in the fourth quarter. McKenzie scored 10 points in the third and 11 points in the fourth to put a cap on a fine road-win.

Freshman guard Jade Hayes, always playing at full bent, scored another double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Hayes also had 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers. Sister teammate, junior Miyanna Hayes added 9 points and 8 boards, just short of her own double-double, while handing out an assist, 2 steals and committing 4 turnovers.

Senior Eagle play-maker Jorden Smith finished her night at the office with 8 points, a rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot. Freshman Kanyen Kamrath had 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 turnovers. Paige Lowry continued to improve her game and scored 3 points while hauling in 5 rebounds, dishing out 3 assists, stealing once. The sophomore committed 8 turnovers, however, nearly half of her team's total (17). Senior Idgie Williams added 2 points, 3 rebounds, a turnover, and a blocked shot and Katelynn Caulley played. For the game, McKenzie shot 30% from the field.

Sailors Swamped and Sunk On The McKenzie

The McKenzie Girls Varsity Basketball team started the evening by honoring its three 2015-16 senior athletes, Taylor Quirk, Jorden Smith, and Idgie Williams and their respective families. After the rose presentations and proper appreciation shown, the Eagles got right down to business at hand.

McKenzie wanted to make sure that their hold on third place in the Mt. West League standings would not falter at Finn Rock. The Eagles employed a suffocating full court press from the tip-off, creating multiple Sailor miscues and resulting McKenzie steals/layups.

Miyanna Hayes scored the first bucket of the game, Jorden Smith the second shortly thereafter and the rout was on. The score-clock showed the Eagles ahead 16-1 at the end of the first quarter. McKenzie Head Coach would not need the press the rest of the way, as his Eagle team remained focused, building a 34-5 halftime lead.

The second half mirrored the first with McKenzie firmly in control at the end of three quarters, 45-7 and wrapping up the 2015 Mt. West League regular season on a winning note, 56-13. McKenzie Head Coach David Duncan started all three of his seniors.

Jorden Smith responded by scoring 13 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, handing out 2 assists, and stealing the ball 9 times. Idgie Williams scored 2 points, hauled down 4 rebounds, had 5 assists, swiped the ball 6 times and committed 1 turnover. Taylor Quirk added 2 points, 3 steals and had 1 turnover. The Eagles will most definitely miss these three senior athletes, but the future does still look bright with the underclasswomen. Jade Hayes led all scorers in the game and nailed down another double-double, as the freshman scored 16 points and secured 13 rebounds. Hayes also accounted for 2 assists, 8 steals and 3 turnovers.

Junior Miyanna Hayes scored 8 points to go with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 turnovers. Kanyen Kamrath tallied 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 5 turnovers. Anna McNutt hit a bucket for 2 points, had a rebound and a turnover, Katelynn Caulley sunk a freethrow for a point, grabbed a board, had an assist, 2 steals and a turnover, and Hailee Lowry committed 1 turnover. McKenzie shot 31% from the field for the game.

Eagle Boys Hard-pressed At Triangle Lake

Host Triangle Lake defeated McKenzie handily, 57-15, last Tuesday, February 9. The Lakers, with an eye to the Mt. West League playoffs, employed a smothering full court press most of the game, holding the Eagle offense to only 3 points in the first half while scoring 24 points in the first quarter and 12 more in the second quarter for a commanding 36-3 lead at the break.

McKenzie managed to score 10 points to the Lakers 13 points in the third quarter, but Triangle Lake shut down any Eagle offensive resurrection in the fourth, holding McKenzie to just 2 points. Under the pressure, the visitors from Finn Rock, shot just 14% from the field, a season low for the Eagles. The Laker press also forced McKenzie to commit 29 turnovers.

Jermiah McGlasson was the leading scorer for McKenzie with 5 points. The freshman wing/post player was his usual solid in the paint with 6 rebounds, adding 1 assist, a steal and 3 turnovers to his stat line. Drew Hamlow scored 3 points, had 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocked shots, but the senior Eagle playmaker also committed 11 of his team's turnovers. Codee Clark scored 4 points, was strong in the key with 11 rebounds, had a steal, a blocked shot and committed 2 turnovers. Chanse Hamlow added 3 points, a rebound and 2 turnovers, Danny Quirk and Cason Cline each had a rebound and 3 turnovers, Matt Brownlee grabbed 2 rebounds and had 3 turnovers, Malakai Taylor-Ide had a rebound and a turnover, and Coleby Hart had 1 board and 3 turnovers.

Eagle Boys Prevail In Barn-burner, 36-32

Holy Smokes! Call out the Fire Department! Well, not now but we sure could have used the volunteers last Thursday, February 11. That is when Mapleton sailed into Finn Rock for the final regular season game for both the Eagles and the Sailors.

For the record, you can toss the record. Both teams arrived to the court struggling to escape the League's basement. Mapleton was sitting in 6th place and McKenzie in 7th. At stake, besides pride, was the last seed, 6th, into the Mt. West League Playoffs. For Mapleton, that simply meant beating McKenzie, which the Sailors easily did back on January 19, a 51-30 victory. For the Eagles, a win would tie both teams for 6th place in MWL standings with a 2-10 record and the victory would force a tie-breaker game on Saturday, February 13. Do or die. Pretty clear, right? For anybody thinking this would be a ho-hum night on the hardwoods, they got it wrong. What ensued was a fantastic game of high school basketball and the small attendance of loyal fans were in for a treat. Do not be misled. This was not a pretty or an awesome display of basketball skills. In fact, there was most likely more combined errors and turnovers, missed assignments, blown layups, etc. than points scored. Instead, the fans last Thursday experienced an exhibition of just what high school athletics should really be all about.

These two teams threw their records out the window, got down and dirty and played for their respective schools, communities, and pride. Every athlete, clear down to the end of the bench on both teams, laid it all out on that Eagle gym floor this night, battling for every rebound off a missed shot, scrambling for every loose ball, fighting with all their energy for an elusive victory. To their credit, the officials expertly managed the game that had every feel of a post season playoff game, but easily could have gotten out of control. Take that back. The game was out of control, but in a positive sense. As the score-clock wound down in the fourth quarter, the fans from both schools were on their feet, chanting for their teams, loud, proud and positive! The game went to the wire with all the drama of a Championship game. And at the end, when the Eagles claimed the hard fought win, both schools left with an honest sense of respect for each other. And both teams earned another shot at each other, two nights later, on Saturday, February 13, to break the tie.

Last Thursday, Mapleton scored first with a successful 3 point shot. The Sailors built a slim point lead, 6-2, early in the quarter, but McKenzie evened the game up at 6 points apiece with 3:23 left in the quarter. The Eagle defense held the Sailors scoreless the rest of the period and the Eagles started the second quarter with a shaky 11-6 lead of their own.

The Sailors regained the lead early in the second quarter, but the Eagles stayed within 2 points throughout the period until with 31 seconds remaining, Drew Hamlow hit Danny Quirk for a field goal and a 21-20 Eagle lead. The third quarter saw neither team able to rev their offensive engine, but the intensity was high throughout, with every possession challenged. At the end of three periods of play, the score was McKenzie 25 and Mapleton 26. The Eagles regained the lead, 27-26, with 6:29 showing in the final period.

The Sailor's Hunter Simington tied it up at 28 all with 4:15 left. Jermiah McGlasson regained the lead for the Eagles with a put back off a rebound and the rest of the game was simply a dogfight. Simington tied the game again at 1:15, 32-32, making the second of two freethrows. Chanse Hamlow was fouled and made the first of two freethrows to give the Eagles a 33-32 margin and McKenzie would not trail after that.

Both teams had opportunities to score field goals in the seconds remaining, but it was McKenzie free-throws and a three point blocked shot attempt by Drew Hamlow that sealed the deal for the Eagles. What a night for the lone Eagle senior playing his last home basketball game. Hamlow finished his night with 8 points scored, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 blocked shot, and 4 turnovers. Chanse Hamlow was the Eagle's top scorer with 12 points and the junior added 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers. McGlasson finished his solid night with 8 points and 8 boards, plus a steal and 4 turnovers. Codee Clark scored 4 points and hauled down 10 rebounds, dished a steal, and committed a turnover. Quirk added 4 points, a rebound, 3 steals and had 5 turnovers. James Rimmer had 2 boards, a steal and 4 turnovers, Matt Brownlee grabbed 2 rebounds and had 3 turnovers, and Cason Cline committed 1 turnover. For the game, the Eagles shot 24% from the field and turned the ball over 25 times.

McKenzie Hammered At Mapleton

McKenzie Head Coach David Duncan's varsity Eagle boys earned the tie-breaker game with the Sailors and had high hopes of extending their win streak to two games and beyond, deep into the Mt. West League playoffs. But a couple days rest and a hostile gym proved too much for the Eagles, who traveled to Mapleton on Saturday, February 13, for a high noon showdown.

Mapleton routed the Eagles out of the playoffs with a 52-33 victory and ended McKenzie's 2015-16 season. The Eagles finished the Mt. West League in last place (7th) with a League record of 2-10, an overall record of 4-21 and an OSAA 1A State ranking of 62. There are 65 Class 1A Boys Basketball teams in Oregon.

The Eagles got off to a slow start in the first quarter, falling quickly behind 3-15. McKenzie's offense picked up a bit in the second period, but Mapleton still outscored the visitors by four points, 15-11. At halftime the die was cast as the Sailors had a commanding 30-14 lead. The Eagles rallied in the third quarter, outpointing their hosts 10-7 to produce some hope and start the final period down 24-37. But Mapleton regained the momentum by outscoring the visitors 15-9 and secure the victory. McKenzie did not help itself with turning the ball over 28 times and shooting just 25% from the field. Drew Hamlow, in his final game as an Eagle, scored 16 points, had 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 11 turnovers. Chanse Hamlow had 8 points, 5 rebounds, a steal and 7 turnovers. Codee Clark, fouled out of the game with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers. Jermiah McGlasson added 2 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, and 2 turnovers while Danny Quirk had 2 points, 4 assists, and a steal. James Rimmer finished with 1 point, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers and Matt Brownlee added 1 rebound and 2 turnovers.

Mt. West League Girls Basketball Tournament

Lowell won the 2015-16 Mt. West League Regular Season and as the number 1 seed in the Mt. West League Tournament, earned a bye until the MWL Tournament Championship Game. That game will be played at Central Linn High School on Saturday, February 20, at 2:00 pm., and the Red Devils opponent will be Siletz Valley Early College Academy, who defeated McKenzie on Monday. The MWL Championship game will determine the top two League seeds to State. McKenzie will play Saturday, 11:00 am., the winner of a second round game between Triangle Lake and Alsea. The Eagles will be playing for the third seed to State.

Mt. West League Boys Basketball Tournament

Siletz Valley Early College Academy finished the 2015-16 Mt. West League Regular Season undefeated, 12-0, and will participate in the MWL Tournament as the number one seed. The Warriors earned a bye until the MWL Tournament Championship Game, to be played at Central Linn High School, on Saturday, February 20, at 3:45 pm. Siletz will play the victor of a game played Tuesday evening between Lowell and Triangle Lake at Lowell. The Red Devils finished the MWL regular season in second place and the Lakers finished third.

Also Tuesday, Mapleton will travel to Eddyville Charter, with the winner of that game advancing to play Mohawk on Thursday. The winner of this game will advance to meet the loser of the game between Lowell and Triangle Lake with third seed to State at stake. The MWL Championship game will determine the number one and two seeds to State.

Siletz/McKenzie Stats Revisited

Siletz Early College Academy defeated the McKenzie Varsity Boys Basketball team, 68-34, on Tuesday, February 2. Official McKenzie stats are as follows: Danny Quirk: 7 points, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover. Drew Hamlow: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers. Chanse Hamlow: 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 6 turnovers. Matt Brownlee: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 turnovers. Codee Clark: 1 point, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, turnovers. James Rimmer: 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers. Jermiah McGlasson: 3 points, 5 rebounds, 4 turnovers. Malakai Taylor-Ide: 2 turnovers. Coleby Hart: 1 turnover. McKenzie as a team shot 30% from the field and committed 27 turnovers.

Siletz Early College Academy defeated the McKenzie Varsity Girls Basketball team, 31-27, on Tuesday, February 2. Official McKenzie stats released are as follows: Paige Lowry: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers. Jorden Smith: 9 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover. Idgie Williams: 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers. Jade Hayes: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block. Kanyen Kamrath: 1 assist. Miyanna Hayes: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers. Katelynn Caulley: 1 turnover. The Eagle team shot 20% from the field and committed 13 turnovers.

Alumni Update

Jordan Wiley and his Western Oregon University Men's Basketball team are currently the Number 1 ranked team in the latest NCAA Division II basketball poll, released last Tuesday. The Wolves have an overall record of 22-2 and received 11 of 16 first place votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll.