Tigers Earn 4th Seed, Set to Face #3 Lincoln

(Tigard) -  March Madness started early in Tigard this year.  Two teams, playing one game, with the season on the line.  Winner gets in the playoffs.  Loser goes home.  Add Senior Night, overtime, eight ties and six lead changes, you have an instant classic.  Tigard had multiple players step up at the right time in beating the Cougars for the third time this season, scoring the final nine points of the game to win 58-51 in overtime.  6’3 senior post Curtis Middleton scored nine points in the fourth quarter and overtime, making all five of his free throw attempts.  “It feels amazing,” Middleton said.  “The best feeling I’ve ever had on a basketball court.  I didn’t play two years ago when we made the playoffs, so I can’t wait.”  6’3 senior post Mitchell Van Dyke led the Tigers with a game-high 20 points, scoring 18 of his teams 20 at one point during the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters.  “We had a bunch of guys step up,” Van Dyke said.  “It was a real team effort.  We had to get this one with the playoffs on the line.”  6’4 senior post Josh Yoder, an all-state quarterback on Canby’s football team who is headed to University of Washington next fall, led the Cougars with 15 points.

Tigard started the game with some hot shooting from 6’1 senior wing Jordan Wells, who drilled two three-pointers from the same spot on the left side of the court as the Tigers built an early 10-5 lead.  Canby answered with some full-court pressure defense, forcing four Tigard turnovers during a 10-2 run, getting four easy layups.  The game was all knotted up after one quarter, 15-15.  The game slowed down in the second quarter as Tigard concentrated on getting the ball inside to Van Dyke.  He obliged with nine of their 11 points in the quarter.  Canby stayed close, forcing seven first half Tiger turnovers, as the teams combined for three points in the final four minutes of the half.  Tigard led 26-23 at the break.

The Tigers continued to get the ball inside to Van Dyke and he scored their first nine points of the third quarter.  “We were trying to get the ball down low to take advantage of our strengths,” Van Dyke said.  “We had success in the second quarter and then kept going to it.”   The Cougars kept fighting, clawing to within one point three different times in the quarter, but couldn’t take the lead.  Yoder scored five points for the Cougars and when 5’8 sophomore guard Andrew Evans banked in a buzzer-beater from the top of the key, Canby trailed 41-37 entering the fourth.

6’1 senior wing Dylan Casey got a driving layup early in the fourth, as Tigard extended their lead to six points, 45-39.  The Cougars answered with six straight of their own, holding Tigard over three minutes without a point, to forge a tie with three minutes left.  5’11 senior guard Ryan Wall got a rebound put-back, Yoder connected on a turnaround jumper, and 6’2 senior wing Oscar Zamora got free for a backdoor layup during the run.  Van Dyke answered 16 seconds later for the Tigers with another inside basket.  6’4 junior post Kevin Anderson did the same for the Cougars 20 seconds later and the game was tied again, 47-47.  Tigard turned the ball over and didn’t possess it again in regulation.  Canby held the ball, running off a minute and a half before calling timeout with 31 seconds left.  The Cougars worked the ball around, but couldn’t get an open look, forcing another timeout with 13.7 seconds left.  This time Zamora got an open look from the top of the key, but he missed and Tigard couldn’t control the rebound, so Canby got the ball back with 3.2 seconds left.  Another timeout ensued.  Canby inbounded to Anderson on the baseline and he looked to have a decent shot, but the smaller Casey timed his jump perfectly and blocked the ball out of bounds with 1.2 seconds left.  Canby had one more shot, but Wall couldn’t get it off in time, draining a 22-footer AFTER the buzzer sounded.  They were headed to overtime.

Action was fast and furious in the opening minute.  Canby scored first, as Anderson used a nice post move to give the Cougars their first lead since the opening quarter.  Middleton answered for the Tigers with two free-throws to tie it back up.  Yoder hit a turnaround jumper in the lane with three minutes left for another Cougar lead, 51-49, but they would not score again.  Casey made a free throw and after a Cougar turnover, Middleton fought his way through the lane, completing a three-point play with two-minutes left to give Tigard a two-point lead.  Canby had another turnover and Tigard started to run some time off the clock, until Casey found an open lane and made a driving layup with 40 seconds left to give the Tigers a four point lead.  Canby missed on the other end and after a mad scramble for the loose ball, a jump ball was called and Tigard had the possession arrow.  Canby was forced to foul.  Wells made one of two free throws and then Middleton sealed the deal when he intercepted a long pass at midcourt and went in to score inside of 10 seconds for the final margin, 58-51.

5’10 sophomore guard Jared Kelsay played some key minutes in the fourth quarter and overtime for Tigard, as starting point guard, 6’0 junior Spencer Smith, got poked in the eye, and then hurt his foot.  “That was a great effort from a sophomore guard,” Van Dyke said. “Jared had a couple really big steals.”  Kelsay is the JV team’s primary point guard and has played limited minutes on varsity this season.  Tigard didn’t have a turnover in overtime, after losing 12 in regulation.  “I’m so pumped with adrenaline,” Middleton said.  “I love this team.  We mesh well together.  Everybody likes each other.  It’s a great team.”  The Tigers travel to face #3 Lincoln, the PIL's top seed, next Wednesday, March 3.   It was great ending to Senior Night in Tigard, as the girls team clinched the Pacific Conference Championship in the early game, winning 48-40.

                      1^st         2^nd        3^rd         4^th        OT      FINAL

Canby          15          8          14         10          4          51

Tigard          15         11         15          6           11        58

Canby – Josh Yoder 15, Wall 9, Anderson 9, Zamora 6, Evans 5, Kuznetsov 4, Walker 3, H. Sanders.  Free Throws – 3/6.  Turnovers – 10.

Tigard – Mitchell Van Dyke 20, Middleton 13, Casey 11, Wells 7, White 7, Smith, Meyer, Harbolt, Najdek, Kelsay.  Free Throws – 14/18.  Turnovers – 12.