OSAA 5A Semifinals Preview
The top four seeds in 5A performed as expected and advanced to the semifinals of the state championship. #1 Churchill, #4 Willamette, #3 Silverton, and #2 Wilsonville have each shown their fair share of dominance throughout the season, but who will advance to the…
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Continue ReadingThe top four seeds in 5A performed as expected and advanced to the semifinals of the state championship. #1 Churchill, #4 Willamette, #3 Silverton, and #2 Wilsonville have each shown their fair share of dominance throughout the season, but who will advance to the championship game?
No. 1 Churchill (22-4, 14-0 MWL) vs. No. 4 Willamette (20-5, 12-3 MWL)
The Lancers carry perhaps the most momentum of any final four team, boasting two colossal blowout victories entering Friday’s matchup with Willamette. The top-seeded Lancers’ core of Silas Bennion, Isaiah Wallace, Kaelan O’Neil, and Brian Goracke is unquestionably dominant, but their former contests with the Wolverines were only decided by single digits. Slashing playmaker Luke Burke and balanced forward Luke Smith are riding hot streaks, but the Lancers should still have enough firepower to hold off their upset-thirsty league foe. Prediction: Churchill
No. 2 Wilsonville (25-2, 14-0 NOC) vs. No. 3 Silverton (24-2, 15-1 MWC)
Jack Roche and the Wildcats rode Pendleton out of the gym in the quarterfinals 70-40, but the Silverton Foxes were equally impressive, bottling up Crater to just 39 points as a team. The Foxes stifling defense makes them a legitimate title contender, but Wilsonville boasts one of the state’s top guard-post duos. Silverton’s crafty junior David Gonzalez rounds out a fairly even matchup against the sharpshooting Roche, but Wilsonville’s depth and strong post presence in double-double threat Dakota Reber should make them the favorites. Prediction: Wilsonville