McNary at South Salem: Five Takeaways
A slow first half turned into a back-and-forth double-overtime thriller on Tuesday night in Salem. The Saxons of South Salem led 20-19 at the half, but both teams exploded in the third quarter to double their scores. By the time the dust settled, McNary had defeated their Greater Valley Conference rival 65-64. Here’s what stood out:
Calm under pressure
Tied at 64-64 with eight seconds left in double overtime, McNary’s Chandler Cavell headed to the line to shoot a one-and-one. “I’m thinking, ‘Wow, I might just piss my pants,’” Cavell recalled. “But I got out there and honestly I felt pretty good. I was kind of at peace.” He sunk the first free throw and missed the second to secure the win for the Celtics. Cavell was an impressive scorer throughout, finishing with 20 points. He hit a few short jumpers, finished in the paint, hit a three in transition and a spot-up corner trey. The 6-foot-4 wing should have an opportunity to play at the next level.
“Skinny” doing “Skinny” things
Jaden Nielsen-Skinner, who is known by most as “Skinny,” has a wiry frame that matches his nickname, braces on his teeth, and two Division I scholarship offers: Portland State and Western Carolina. On Tuesday, he had trouble getting his shots to fall; the rim appeared to have a lid on it. He finished with 8 of 22 shooting (20 points, plus 7 assists and 3 steals). “When you miss shots, you have to have amnesia. And just forget about it, keep shooting your shot,” he said.
Trailing by three with 45 seconds left in double overtime, Nielsen-Skinner was guarded by Cavell. He toyed with the ball before perfectly executing a step-back trey that ignited the crowd and tied the score. Ranked No. 2 in the Oregon class of 2019, the big shot came as no surprise. Nielsen-Skinner says he’s spent “countless” hours practicing it.
Larry Bird pass fakes
Tyler Wadleigh, a South Salem senior, finished with 25 points. He impressed throughout. He and Nielsen-Skinner have been close friends forever and the two are instrumental for the Saxons. They produced 45 points and over 10 assists on Tuesday. Wadleigh has unlimited range and hit one of three treys from beyond NBA range, but what was most impressive was his ball handling. He weaved into the McNary defense and, when in a pickle, would pass fake until he could score or find a someone for a bucket. Pass fakes typically aren’t noteworthy; his were. With the same persuasiveness of Larry Bird, he would feign overhead passes and then simply score.
Late-game strategy
After Cavell’s free throws gave McNary a one-point lead with eight seconds left, the Celtics had three fouls to give. So, they gave them. By the time they’d hacked South Salem as many times as they could without penalty, only two seconds were left on the clock. It was smart direction from McNary coach Ryan Kirch, and the Saxons were forced to chuck it from half court. McNary point guard Andrew Jones—who scored a field goal in each quarter and overtime—tipped Nielsen-Skinner’s attempt at a buzzer-beater and secured the win.
Balanced McNary
The Celtics graduated all five starters from last year’s team… but they’re currently 7-1 in league play. Led by Jones, Cavell and wing Lucas Garvey, McNary looks like a polished team. Garvey scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half and overtime, from in the paint and on jumpers. He and Cavell are formidable wings.
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