Talented Small Schools Battle Tuesday in one of 3A's most anticipated games of the year

#4 Dayton Pirates visit #1 Horizon Christian at 7:15 Tuesday night at the Hawk's Nest in Tualatin (a couple blocks south of Tualatin High School) in one of the biggest games of the year with many ramifications on the line.

Most importantly the league lead will be on the line as undefeated HC (13-2 overall) tries to keep it's grip on first while 6-1 Dayton (13-1 overall) has to win to be tied with HC after the first half of league play due to the early loss to Sheridan on the first night of league. Secondly and maybe even more of a motivator is that 10 HC and Dayton players play together on various age groups in the summer AAU travel circuit with Team Jones so personal pride is on the line as well. There is also word that the 6A Les Schwab Tourney selection committee members may be in the house evaluating both small schools with big school talent for possible inclusion in next years 6A Les Schwab tourney as both teams will be as good as many 5A and 6A schools next year with their young rosters. Adding to the excitement is the fact that Dayton is the only team to ever beat HC on their home court (HC returned the favor at the Pirates Den also last year).

Two of the states top coaches bring notoriety to the game as they are two of the best defensive teams in the state both giving up less than 49 points a game this season. They are also two of the top offensive teams scoring over 63 points a game as well.

HC coach Dave Brown has just surpassed 600 career wins and has led HC to the final in both the last two years and is favored to do so again this year. Dayton coach Ron Hop also has spent some time at State winning the title game as the assistant to Doug Miles in 2001 and 2002 and then as the head coach again making it to the final in 2003 and back to the 3rd place game in 2007. He also played on the 1981 team that set the state tournament scoring record at 85 points a game taking 4th place.

This game will feature two fine and very physical man to man defenses with some timely zone mixed in and a few dunks as well. The higher the score the more likely Dayton is to win, the lower the score the more likely HC will win. If the score is between 50-60 it will be a tossup. HC's tougher preseason has prepared them a little better than Dayton's schedule but tight games for both teams last week (HC-Sheridan and WC, and Dayton-VC,WC, Amity) have both teams ready to battle in this first of 3-4 meetings in this season.

Injury Report:

For HC, everyone is healthy and the only injury is to Michael Loomis who was elbowed in the face against Sheridan but will be ready to play.

For Dayton, Jacob Gonzales returns from a week layoff from back spasms and AJ Hedgecock returns from 14 days off from an turned ankle and both will be ready to play.

Dayton's keys are to push the ball as much as possible and to minimize turnovers so that possessions aren't wasted and on defense to not sag off on the shooters so that HC gets uncontested 3 ball opportunities. Their inside players need to outrebound and outscore the HC inside players by 20 while Bernards needs to play Mitchell even or better and Hedgecock and the other guards need to step up and have a combined total points within 10 of what Tebbutt gets which is usually around a point a minute(32) when he gets to play all 32 minutes. The five non starters will be key in this game and will need to provide quality minutes to make the difference.

For Horizon to win, Horizon needs to contain the 6-10 Ostling while Mitchell needs to play Bernards even or better and the inside guys have to play within 10 points of the Dayton Bigs. Tebbutt needs to score big, stay out of foul trouble and hit the open man when doubled teamed. A couple guys on the perimeter will have to step up and make some key kick out shots when the inside players get stopped up.

Both teams have deep rosters that include freshman that play alot of minutes and even start at times. Both teams have several all state and all league players and players ranked at or near the top of their position by the two Oregon based player ranking Internet sites.

Horizon features 3A's top player in 6-5 sophomore guard Jordan Tebbutt who's high flying acrobatic show always delights fans of both teams. Tebbutt had 3 Pac 10 full ride offers before entering the 10th grade and is the top player in Oregon in the class of 2012 and is ranked nationally at Guard as well. Great handles combined with a 40 inch vertical, accurate from 25 feet and in [and] a good defender. He makes every night hard on his opponents although he is usually limited to 2-3 quarters a game due to the score. CJ Mitchell, 6-1 senior point guard, 1st team all league, 2nd team all state, first team all tourney last year runs the offense and is a great driving thrasher who is equally adept at dishing it off or displaying a nice touch around the hoop. He can shoot from the perimitor as well. Regarded as one of the top defenders in the state, Mitchell takes the opponents best guard. Mitchell also dunks and is the top triple jumper in 3A. 6-3 sharpshooting senior wing Sam Schifferdecker represents all that is good about HC. Great leader, great student, a player that went through the JV program and is one of the most improved players in the state. He also is a trackster running middle distances that also makes him a great asset in Bball running the floor and having great stamina. He is one of the better spot up shooters in the state and has drawn some good defensive assignments this season from Coach Brown.

Off the bench, 6-5 freshman Post Michael Loomis has made a large impact this season and has come up big several times with clutch 3balls and a soft touch inside. He has been the difference already in many games and could be in this one also. 6-3 junior wing Jessie Corrigan is a starter that combines solid defense and accurate shooting to give HC a very athletic and well rounded starting five that includes 6-4 Post Austin King who has been a great addition this year to the squad and brings great passing, toughness, a good feel inside and another good rebounder. Senior Guard Mitch Osborne(very good football player) plays hard nosed defense and can shoot the 3 if people sag off to cover the inside guys. 6-4 Freshman wing Calvin Anderson can drive to the bucket and can shoot it as well. He gives coach Brown a great inside outside option to give the guards or posts a needed rest. He is a great coast to coast player. Junior Marcus Parker( very strong and athletic, could be a starter next year) is a key guy in the main 8 that can do it all inside and out. Kyle Anderson and senior Jon McNeil (also one of the top sprinters and jumpers in 3A) have been valuable teammates this season.

Dayton's Inside attack is led by 6-10 Sophomore Maika Ostling who averages in double figures in points and rebounds. His last four games he has been gaining more and more confidence and has been very aggressive. He, Sean Magill of Sherwood and Landon Lucas of Sunset are the top 3 Big men in the class of 2012 in Oregon. 6-4 Sophomore forward Hayden Craig has been Dayton's best player in about 1/3 of this years games and looks to have a big game at HC. He is ranked 7th of the 2012 forwards and is having a great season. His finesse around the bucket is noteworthy and his defensive play against Austin Layton was key in the win over WC last week. 6-4 senior Jacob Gonzales, the best passing big man in the WVL returns from injury and will need to apply his physical presence inside for Dayton to be successful. 6-3 Junior Dylan Ashley who is the teams most natural rebounder has been getting more minutes every game building up to the HC game and could make a difference in this game.

The Dayton backcourt is one of the most explosive in the state with 6 guards rotating through 3 spots in the lineup at any one time. All 6 of them have started a game or have made a game winning play. Junior Travis Bernards leads the scoring and steals and is second in assists and one of the leading rebounders and at 5-10 that is pretty remarkeable. He was first team all league last year and was the spark plug behind Dayton's win at HC last year. Sophomore Guard AJ Hedgecock returns from a 14 day layoff to test his ankle against the top team in the state. He has stopped the best players in the state over the last two years and it would be fun to watch two of the best all around players in the state square off(he and Tebbutt) but more than likely neither coach will allow it for fear of each getting into foul trouble. Hedgecock is the top rated point guard in the class of 2012 but is equally efficient around the bucket and is considered the best playmaker in the state in 3A. As one of the state's very few four sport athletes(football, Bball, Track, baseball), and a 3.9 student, Hedgecock can make any game fun to watch. Junior Blake Coleman is probably the best shooter on the team as was evidenced as he stuck the game winning 3ball against WC. Coleman is also a great baseball player. 6-2 Junior Kenton Kruchock is a tough defender and accurate shooter who can run the court with anyone. He has probably been the most productive guy per minute on the team. Then there are the two freshman guards who have been starting and performing very well while Hedgecock and Gonzales have been injured. Both standout 3 sport athletes, Nate Bernards and Forest Garcia have both done a great job in starting roles and have gained valuable experience that will help the team the rest of the year. Senior Joseph Hernandez and Junior Lucas Flores fill out the varsity roster and both played football (Joseph all league line and Lucas starting running back) are valuable team members.