By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
KEIZER, Ore.– Entering the game, West Salem knew McNary would be a tough opponent. And the Celtics proved it early, refusing to back down and taking a 14–12 lead after the first quarter on Senior Night at McNary High School.
But in the second quarter, the Titans found their rhythm, knocked down shots, created deflections, and took control, building a 39–22 lead by halftime.
“We stayed really level. We got to the rim, didn’t finish some thoughts with contact and it didn’t go our way in the first quarter. But nothing really changed, we didn’t lose our composure and that’s a sign of a veteran team. In the second quarter, I don’t think we played a lot different. We got some deflections, went and finish and knocked down some shots from Jack Lapray and Jonah Munns. They extended the lead and made it really tough for them to comeback. I’m just really proud of our kids, we’re playing as well as have at playoff time,” said West Salem Head Coach Dean Sanderson.
West Salem pushed their lead to 59-34 by the end of the third quarter as they carried that second quarter momentum into the second half en route to a 67-47 victory on Friday night. The win sets up a massive match-up on Tuesday between the Titans and South Salem, both currently tied for first in the CVC with one league defeat to their names.
And that one defeat came against each other with West Salem taking the first match-up at West on January 20 and South taking the second game on February 6 at South Salem.
“We’ve been pretty even all year long, they’re well-coached, they got really good players that finish at the rim. They got some guys that can shoot. It’s exciting that there’s going to be a game that comes down to the League Title-type stuff and I think our kids are ready for it. We know it’s going to be a battle, we know they’re going to go on runs, but we’re playing at a really high level right now,” Sanderson said.
Munns finished with 20 points, Diggs Sladek finished with 14 with Lapray adding another 12 points in the win. Anthony Fuentes led the Celtics with 11 points, McNary finishes the regular season at South Salem on February 27.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
