Oregon City 48, Tualatin 33: Five Takeaways
After a tough loss in a rescheduled game on Monday, Oregon City knew they needed a win if they wanted to stay in step with the leaders in the Three Rivers League. The Pioneers got that done on Tuesday night…
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Continue ReadingAfter a tough loss in a rescheduled game on Monday, Oregon City knew they needed a win if they wanted to stay in step with the leaders in the Three Rivers League. The Pioneers got that done on Tuesday night as they got off to a quick lead and never looked back as their stifling defense completely stymied Tualatin, 48-33.
The game was pretty much decided within the opening few minutes of play as Oregon City scored the first ten points of the game and led 14-2. Tualatin fought back but the Pioneers led 30-14 at halftime and the Timberwolves never cut things lower than double figures the rest of the game. Offensively, Oregon City was efficient and was led by Erich Nova’s 17 points but defense is the Pioneers’ calling card and that was quite evident on the evening.
“I’ve got to give the kids all the credit – they were really hungry and really wanted to win this game,” said Oregon City head coach Aaron Newkirk. “We’re trying to say to ourselves that every game is a single elimination – that’s how our mindset is now. With West Linn, Lakeridge, and Tigard we have three more dogfights. But we’ll play hard and that will give us a chance – that’s what we want.”
Pioneers ‘D’ Up There with the Best
Oregon City posted one of the top defensive performances we’ve seen all season. The Pioneers simply suffocated Tualatin and the Timberwolves barely got any open looks. On the game, Tualatin only shot 11-for-32 from the field (.343) and 1-for-9 from three. Individually Oregon City guards Andre Best and Corban Remsburg shadowed Tualatin senior top scorer Caden Dickson wherever he was, limiting to 1-for-7 shooting and only two total points which had to be a season low. Not a single Tualatin player scored in double figures as Jack Rose led the team with nine points.
Best In Control
On offense, Oregon City had great ball control which limited turnovers and point guard Andre Best had a lot to do with that. The junior fully led the charge as he had all season long and finished with four assists, but also created off the dribble canning a few pull-up jumpers on his way to 12 points. Best was simply unflappable even when Tualatin turned up the pressure in the second half trying to make a comeback. On the night, the Pioneers ended up efficient on offense, shooting 20-for-38 from the field.
Nova Dominating Underneath
He may only measure 6-foot-4, but senior post Erich Nova is athletic and active and he put that on display on Tuesday night. Nova posted up strong and nabbed every entry pass either high or low, and then used some creative moves to get to the basket for scores. On the night he shot 7-for-9 from the field and also pulled down a team-high seven boards.
Remsburg an All-Around Threat
He didn’t really hit any outside shots, but guard Corban Remsburg really didn’t need to. The well-built 6-foot guard was able to penetrate and get to the basket almost at will and he ended up scoring 11 points. But the senior was also big on the defensive glass, pulling down four rebounds and also served as a distributor with three assists.
Three Rivers League the Toughest in the State
With the win, Oregon City maintained their top eight ranking in the OSAA rankings and despite the loss, Tualatin is still in line to earn a first round home game in the post-season as they are ranked #14. It’s clear that the Three Rivers League is the toughest in the state as five teams are set to make the post-season and all four may have home games in the first round.