6A Playoff First Round Predictions: Part I
The 6A Playoffs kick off on Tuesday night with first round games and we will take our best shot at predicting just who will advance to the second round. We will start with the games in the “A” and “B”…
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Continue ReadingThe 6A Playoffs kick off on Tuesday night with first round games and we will take our best shot at predicting just who will advance to the second round. We will start with the games in the “A” and “B” brackets.
Note: game days may be weather dependent; some games have already been delayed until Wednesday at press time
#32 Franklin at #1 Lake Oswego
This season been quite the turnaround for Franklin as the Quakers only won two games a year ago. Behind senior guard Taylor Pomeroy, junior big man Tucker Pellicci, and the veteran coaching of Scott Aker, Franklin captured third place in the PIL. Their reward? A date at the number one seeded Lakers who despite a late season loss to Tualatin, certainly look the part of one of the state’s top championship contenders. LO has a dynamic backcourt in Josh Angle and Wayne McKinney and one of the deepest teams in the state got a boost with the addition of sophomore Trace Salton to the lineup. Head coach Marshall Cho will have his guys ready to play and while Franklin should battle for a time, look for Lake Oswego to win this one going away at home. Prediction: Lake Oswego
#17 Westview at #16 West Salem
After a struggle at the start, Westview came on strong at the end as head coach Michael Wolf started finding the right combinations and they almost grabbed a share of the Metro League title. The Wildcats are led by dynamic senior Kobe Newton and a whole host of younger players who are athletic and can really get after it on defense. West Salem is a young team led by do-it-all guard Justin Scoggin and certainly have a team for the future but the Wildcats are playing just about as good as anyone right now and seem to have what it takes to win one on the road in a game featuring two very evenly-matched teams. Prediction: Westview
#24 McNary and #9 South Eugene (Wednesday)
It was an interesting regular season for McNary, who won some big games but also dropped some they shouldn’t have in the Mountain Valley league. The Celtics have a quality big man in Boston Smith and a dynamic sophomore in Nate Meithoff to go along with a number of guys who can shoot fairly well. According to some, South Eugene mysteriously has a high ranking but the truth of the matter is head coach Dave Hancock has a quality roster with size and scoring ability, led by senior Northwest Christian signee Cole McAninch. McNary is playing well and has the size to battle the Axe in the paint but all-around and at home, it appears that the Axe have what it takes to move on in what should be a close game. Prediction: South Eugene
#25 Gresham at #8 Oregon City
If Franklin was a great turnaround story, so was Gresham. Head coach Erik Lyslo’s building process has resulted in a playoff berth and the Gophers are led by dynamic players such as Daello Portin-Chapman and Ethan Abrahamson. Their offense will be matched up against defensive-minded Oregon City, which will be more than ready to get down and dirty on D. The Pioneers were clearly the third best team in the best league in the state and as long as guards Andre Best, Corban Remsburg, and Jake Gettell are hitting shots, should have enough to move on. Prediction: Oregon City
#28 Beaverton at #5 Central Catholic
After an upset road win at Jesuit, Beaverton stumbles into the playoffs having lost their last two games and without starting senior guard Isaac Rosenthal, who’s out for the year. Central Catholic on the other hand is arguably the hottest team in the state, with a deep roster led by star sophomore Darius Gakwasi that has won 15 games in a row and not lost since the Les Schwab Invitational in December. The Beavers will try to slow things down and be physical with the Rams, and while the game may end up a lot closer than it would appear on paper, look for the Rams to continue their undefeated streak in 2019. Prediction: Central Catholic
#21 Sandy at #12 Tualatin
Sandy has played well late in the year, winning six of their last seven with the only loss a blowout at first place Central Catholic. It’s been similar for Tualatin, who has also won six of their last seven with their only defeat at Oregon City. Both teams have dynamic guard play with Pierce Roeder and Colton Gorski for the Pioneers and Caden Dickson for the Timberwolves. What will give? Tualatin has the home court advantage – something that came into play when they knocked off #1 Lake Oswego – and that may be the difference here. Prediction: Tualatin
#20 North Medford at #13 Sunset (Wednesday)
Tying for first place, North Medford captured a share of the Southwest Conference title for the third year in a row. The Black Tornado have some size and a dynamic guard in Jaray Thomas. Sunset has these components as well with their dynamic guard Braeden Sato. The difference between the two may be junior Colby King for the Apollos, who is difficult to match up against. The Apollos home crowd will be loud and that will certainly add to Sunset’s advantage as well. Prediction: Sunset
#29 Benson at #4 Jesuit
This is an interesting matchup as neither team has any kind of reliable size and eveything revolves around the perimeter. Benson has some shot creators and they have the ability to get hot from beyond the arc led by junior Cobee Crawford. Jesuit’s offense is more spread out, but have seniors such as Justin Bieker and Aidan Williams who can get hot on their own. The Techmen probably hasn’t faced the type of disciplined offense that the Crusaders run this year and the Crusaders, while not untouchable at home, are pretty close to it. We also can’t remember the last time a Gene Potter coached team ever lost in the first round of the playoffs. Prediction: Jesuit