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Sports Local Sports White Noise: Tigers advance to Corvallis
White Noise: Tigers advance to Corvallis
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 LUUUUKE: Tigers senior Luke Kevan scored 14 points. The Observer/BRUCE MASON White Noise. Onto Beaver Country. “I CAN’T HEAR MYSELF! I CAN’T HEAR MYSELF!” Kevin Attila screamed repeatedly in this moment of euphoria, as his No.1-ranked Tigers varsity boys basketball team was capping this 67-58 victory versus Molalla. Can’t hear? No one can. Sound waves are still rippling across La Grande today. And they’re echoing all the way to Corvallis. MARIST AWAITS“We answered in the second half,” said Tigers coach Aaron Mills, whose team improved to 24-1, earning a date at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday vs. Marist at Oregon State University Gill Coliseum. “We stayed in our trap, which helped us.” Sure did. Here was Anthony Nice, stealing a pass, weaving downcourt, scoring, sending the crowd into an explosion with two points. Here was McKague, putting back a rebound, two more. Then another steal. Then another layup. And soon enough, a four-point lead became 15, then McKague nearly brought the house down with that clinching bucket. “Have you ever heard it this loud?” Nice was asked afterward — a senior who’s been through his share of big games inside this noisy gym. He shook his head. No hesitation. “That was the loudest I’ve ever heard it.” White Noise. Onto Beaver Country. THE CALM ONECredit the crowd. Credit the coach. Credit these Tigers. But ... “If I was giving an MVP,” Attila said afterward, “I’d give it to Anthony (Nice). “When he gets those steals, we all get confident. If he’s calm, we’re calm. “He’s been the leader the whole year.” Again here. Here was Nice, diving and sliding all over the court, tenacious, determined, focused. He’s calm, they’re calm? He sunk clutch free throws (9-for-10) down the stretch. So did Luke Kevan (6-for-7). He’s calm, they’re calm.
 BRING ON MARIST: Anthony Nice (right) defends the Indians’ Tarance Glynn on Saturday Night. The Tigers will now play Marist at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at Oregon State University in the OSAA Final Eight. The Observer/CHRIS BAXTER “It’s really just another day at the gym,” he said. “Except for the noise, there could’ve been two people or 2,000 people. “I just play.” Yep. He’s calm, they’re calm. And they’re going to Corvallis. TO THE OSAA FINAL EIGHTLet’s give some due to these Molalla Indians. They came out fearless, unfazed by an all-white clad crowd, unfazed by the No. 1 team in Class 4A, throwing haymakers behind Capital Conference Player of the Year Tarance Glynn. He drove through the lane. He sunk jumpers. He blocked shots. He did it all, en route to 25 points. Meanwhile, the Tigers mustered just eight second-quarter points, looking like the bully who couldn’t handle the suddenly angered weakling. They couldn’t score inside. They couldn’t score outside. They were buckling back, startled, wondering what hit them, trailing 24-23 at halftime. But Dr. Jekyll stayed in the locker room, and out came Mr. Hyde. They were focused, calm and relaxed — a different look from the opening half — and soon enough, those steals and layups followed, putting Glynn & Co. away for good, and that crowd into a deafening uproar. White Noise. “It was like a movie scene,” Attila said. “Like a bomb goes off,” Nice said. “Man, that hurt my ears,” Mills said. “I didn’t even know (Molalla) called a timeout. “I don’t think it gets any better than that.” White Noise. Onto Beaver ... Tiger Country would sound better, right? MOLALLA (58) Schaefer 2 0-0 6, Moore 2 2-2 8, Morales 1 0-0 3, Hepler 0 0-0 0, Sprague 1 0-0 3, Glynn 10 5-7 25, Borowczak 0 0-2 0, Newton 5 2-2 12, Shirley 0 0-0 0, Hensley 0 0-0 0, B.McCullough 0 1-4 1, T.McCullough 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 10-17 58. LA GRANDE (67) McKague 6 3-4 16, A.Nice 2 9-10 13, Attila 6 2-2 17, Z.Nice 1 0-0 2, Tooke 0 1-2 1, Kevan 4 6-7 14, Boyd 0 0-0 0, Tishmack 0 0-0 0, Winde 1 2-4 4, Townsend 0 0-2 0, Yundt 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 23-31 67. Molalla 12 12 6 28 – 58 La Grande 15 8 17 27 – 67 3-point goals: Molalla, Schaefer 2, Moore 2, Morales, Sprague; La Grande, Attila 3, McKague. |
