By James Day
Silverton High’s boys and girls basketball teams finished the first half of the Mid-Willamette Conference in strong standings.
The Silverton boys team is 4-3 in league play and riding a three-game win streak. The Lady Foxes, meanwhile, are 5-2, after a pair of close losses to top rivals for the league title.
Silverton’s boys team is 9-6 overall after scoring wins against Corvallis, 41-36, South Albany, 63-45 and Lebanon, 59-41.
“We are happy to be 4-3 at this point,” Foxes Coach Darren Shryock told Our Town. “Our league is shaping up where anyone can beat anyone on any night. We could easily be 5-2, but then again we could be 2-5 just as well.
“(Senior guard) Ian Sucich continues to play well, but the difference is we are starting to figure out how to defend. We are giving up right around 46 points a game which keeps us in just about every game,” Shryock said.
“Our league schedule is front-loaded for sure as we open with West Albany and Crescent Valley in the second half. We will find out in a hurry just how far we have grown since the start of league.”
Silverton’s girls, meanwhile, had their six-game winning streak snapped with a 50-42 loss at Corvallis on Jan. 29. The Foxes rallied to beat South Albany 50-33, but fell again 53-49 in overtime to Lebanon on Feb. 5. Silverton is 5-2 at the midway point in the Mid-Willamette, tied with Lebanon for second place and two games behind undefeated Corvallis. The Lady Foxes are 9-7 overall and ranked 13th in Class 5A by the OSAA.
“We feel good about where we are, but know we have lots to improve on,” Foxes first-year Coach Tal Wold told Our Town “I do not think there is a team in the league who we can’t beat, and that was proved in the first round. With that said, I don’t think there is a team in our league who can’t beat us.
“The key for us is going to be continued individual improvement, attitude, and effort daily. With our leadership I feel good that we go out nightly and give an effort that will make the community proud.”
Lady Foxes senior and co-captain Lilly Paradis recently was honored with a nomination to the McDonald’s All-American team.
Kennedy basketball: The Trojan girls team continues to hold its own in the brutal Tri-River Conference. Kennedy is 9-4 in league and 15-5 overall as the team heads into the final week of the league season. The Trojans are ranked 11th in Class 2A by the OSAA, with three Tri-River teams ahead of them, No. 1 Regis, No. 2 Santiam and No. 7 Western Mennonite.
Kennedy closes the season after Our Town’s presstime with some stiff challenges, hosting Western Mennonite; Waldport (1-18. 0-12) and visiting Regis.
The Kennedy boys team, meanwhile, is 6-7 in the Tri-River and 9-11 overall heading into the final week of the regular season.
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