5A Semifinals – Churchill 63, Willamette 43: Five Takeaways
The Churchill Lancers entered Gill Coliseum with a point to prove on Saturday, as they proceeded to dominate the fourth-seeded Willamette Wolverines 63-43 to punch their ticket to the final. Brian Goracke scored 15 points early to help boost the Lancers…
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Continue ReadingThe Churchill Lancers entered Gill Coliseum with a point to prove on Saturday, as they proceeded to dominate the fourth-seeded Willamette Wolverines 63-43 to punch their ticket to the final.
Brian Goracke scored 15 points early to help boost the Lancers through their tone-setting first half performance. The junior forward finished with only 17, but his spark in the first half was what created separation between the two Midwestern League teams.
In the second half, Silas Bennion took the reigns of a Lancer offense that scored a modest 63 points for their standards. The junior guard pushed the ball well in transition and picked the Wolverine defense apart for multiple easy buckets.
Luke Burke paced the Wolverines with 11 points, while sophomore guard Alex Puckett and senior big man Jacob Curtis scored eight a piece.
The Lancers move on to face Wilsonville in the finals on Saturday while Willamette will take on Silverton in the third place game.
Here’s our five takeaways from Friday’s semifinal matchup:
Churchill’s defense is game changing
The Midwestern League champions have played tremendous defense all season, but their energy may have peaked on Friday, as the Lancers held their crosstown foe to just 13-for-53 from the field. Churchill’s backcourt rotation of Silas Bennion, Isaiah Wallace, Evan Pia, Ejim Akuma, and Samaje Morgan all move their feet very well. Willamette struggled to get by defenders all afternoon, and when they did, they found Brian Goracke waiting at the rim. This multi-layered defense is clearly capable of forcing arrant shots, and it gives Churchill a huge boost headed into Saturday’s championship game.
Willamette certainly missed Luke Burke during the regular season
The 6-foot-2 guard put on a show in the quarterfinals against Thurston, and although he didn’t find the same success against the Lancers, Burke still finished with a team high 11 points and 7 rebounds. The athletic scorer adds a new dimension to Willamette’s offense, and although the Lancers bottled it up well, it is apparent Burke adds to the Wolverines success.
Brian Goracke is a difference maker
The 6-foot-4 junior is definitely talented, equipped with a long-range jumper, pure athleticism, and solid touch inside. The Wolverines couldn’t handle Goracke in the first half, as the junior wing buried two three pointers on his way to a dominant 15 first half points. Many of these buckets came during Churchill’s intitial run to seize a large lead, and his impact was felt defensively all afternoon despite some mild foul trouble.
The Wolverines can’t get hung up
Despite facing a difficult blowout loss, the Wolverines are still a proven bunch with the experience to knock heads with Silverton for third place. Owen Cross, Luke Smith, and Jacob Curtis are all talented offensively, and in combination with Burke’s difference making, Willamette may have the firepower to to take down the Foxes.
Churchill is the championship favorite
The Lancers’ drubbing of the fourth overall seed was impressive to say the least. The combination of stifling defense and highlight play offense makes for a very entertaining team, and although a few question marks lay in the Lancers’ past, they seem to be catching fire at just the right moment.
(Photo: Andy Nelson/The Register Guard)