By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
WOODBURN, Ore.– It was a heartbreaking way to end an otherwise incredible season for the Chemawa Boys Basketball team.
They qualified for the League Playoffs for the first time the 2018-2019 season and were knocking on the door for their first playoff appearance since the 1982 season as they reached the third-place, winner-in-the-postseason game on Saturday afternoon.
The Braves played C.S. Lewis Academy at Woodburn High School, a team who they split with during the regular season and Chemawa hung around with the Watchmen despite some early issues with their shots not falling. But late in the third quarter, they trailed C.S. Lewis 33-31 and were looking for the lead.
“I felt like we played our best to our ability. I love games like this,” said Kish Sinclair. “I want to thank my teammates for this year. 0-20 (last year) and now league playoffs, it’s an amazing experience.”
“We played one of our best defensive games. We ran plays well. C.S Lewis couldn’t stop our offense, our shots just stop falling and towards the end, C.S. Lewis started outrebounding us and i think that was the difference in the game,” adds Chemawa Head Coach Dwayne Nowlin.
The Watchmen defense clutched up though in the closing minutes of the third quarter. They began boxing out the Chemawa offense whenever they shot and won the rebounding battle.
By the end of the third quarter, the once two-point deficit grew to eight by quarter’s end and C.S. Lewis continued that momentum through the fourth quarter to clinched the third, and final, automatic bid out of the Casco League.
In his final game as a Brave, Sinclair led Chemawa with 21 points. Senior Peter Tagarook, from Alaska, finished with 11 points as the two Braves who finished in double-figures as Chemawa finishes the season 9-12 and 5-7 in their first year in the Casco League.
“The main thing is that I want them to have fun. Chemawa is not a place where you go to play basketball, but it’s the culture and I hope the it’s much better than this year ” Sinclair said, reflecting on his senior season.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
