Wilsonville at La Salle: Five Takeaways
The first half was a defensive battle (Wilsonville led La Salle 19-6), but both teams’ offenses picked up in the second half, as Wilsonville eventually won 47-38. The win lengthened the Wildcats’ Northwest Oregon Conference win streak to 30 games and improved this season’s record to 5-0, first in league. La Salle fell to 3-2 in conference with the loss. Here’s what stood out.
The next generation
Most Wilsonville players didn’t need to do much scoring last year. After all, they had Zach Reichle, a current Oregon State Beaver, who scored 56 in one game. After the Wildcats won state and he and others graduated, new Wildcats were needed to step up. Junior Jack Roche, the son of Wilsonville coach Chris Roche has done just that. Last Friday, he poured in 32 points against Sandy and versus La Salle he totaled 22 points, doing so in a variety of ways: four three-pointers, a couple of floaters, plus free throws. He’s averaging 16 points per game.
The staunch defender
Another player being asked to play an increased role this year is senior guard Caleb Larsen, who scored 12 points on Friday. He’s small—listed as 5-foot-10—but is “lightning quick and explosive,” according to coach Roche. He’s a tenacious on-ball defender and guarded La Salle freshman point guard Nicolas Boyd well. On multiple occasions, his defense turned into offense, such as when he opened Wilsonville’s scoring with a steal and a layup. He also has a great handle and the ability to penetrate.
The big man in the middle
La Salle’s first ten points were all scored by 6-foot-9 senior post Tabor Bosco, who finished with 12. He played with his back to the basket and used his size to score and probably would’ve finished with more had he not faced foul trouble and fouled out in the fourth quarter. Defensively, he swatted Larsen once with a well-timed block.
The lefty scorer
Jace Norton, La Salle’s best scorer and probably best player, was the first player not named Bosco to score for the Falcons. That came midway through the third quarter. He hit two three-pointers in that frame and eventually finished with 14 points. If teams aren’t careful, he can score in bunches.
The three-peat?
The back-to-back defending champs lost some terrific players from last year’s team, including Reichle. But, they don’t seem to be in bad shape. This year, they’re 8-0 against 5A schools. With returning contributor Zac Rossetti, a 6-foot-3 senior post, plus talented shot blocker Dakota Reber, a 6-foot-5 sophomore and players like senior wing Ryan Napoli, the Wildcats are tough. Plus, they pass the ball as well as any team in the state. Watch our for them come tournament time.
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