Cougars add to their legacy

Swimmers look to pass
district test this week

By Sean Patterson
Canby Herald

The regular season now a memory, it's time the Canby High School swim team find out how it sizes up against the rest of the Pacific-9 Conference.

The league's district meet, where district championships and state berths will be on the line, unfolds this Friday and Saturday at the McMinnville Aquatic Center. Action begins with preliminary heats Friday at about noon and concludes with Saturday's finals races at 2 p.m.

Without question, Canby's highest hope for a state berth rests with senior freestyler Lisa Champ, who has emerged as the school's most decorated swimmer ever and, with last year's second-place finish in the state 100-yard freestyle, its highest state placer.

As she did last February, Champ will again swim the 100 and 200 freestyle at this year's district meet, but unlike last year she and the Cougars won't be competing in the 200 medley relay this time.

"We want to give Lisa every opportunity to make state in the 100 and 200, so we'll swim the two freestyle relays rather than the medley," Canby head coach David Biskar said of the medley, the meet's first event and a race Canby won last year.

''Lisa has her sights set on winning a state event, and the way she's been swimming, that's a very realistic goal at this point.''

Perhaps the race of the day could come in the 200 free, where Champ will go up against Newberg's Mary Sherman and Tualatin's Sarah McCauley. All three are evenly matched going in, Biskar said.

In the end, those who win an event or meet a state-qualifying time move on to the Class 4A championships Feb. 16-17 at Mt. Hood Community College. Swimmers may also make the cut if they get in as a wild card.

In addition to Champ, Canby has high hopes for senior Sarah Anderson, who will contend in the 50 free, and boy swimmers Alex Laskey and Corey O'Brien, who will race the 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley, respectively.

Canby should also get high placements from Michelle Maier in the 200 IM, Kari Rittenbach in the 500 free and Ashly Scroggy in the 500 free.

In terms of how Canby shapes up as a team, the CHS girls will be hard-pressed to stay with favorites McMinnville and Tualatin. McMinnville is also a favorite to win the boys' competition.

"Our girls were 6-2 in duals and our boys 4-4, and that's pretty indicative of where we fit in," Biskar said.

The Cougars wrapped up the regular season with a split against Newberg last Thursday at the Canby Municipal Swim Center.

Led by Champ's record-setting swim in the 100 butterfly, the girls prevailed 98-72. Champ broke her own school record in the event, clocking in at 59.00 seconds to better the old mark of 59.77.

The senior also won the 100 back (1:00.63) and helped the 200 free relay team establish a school record of 1:45.17. Joining her on that squad were Anderson, Maier and Rittenbach.

Anderson was also an individual winner, taking the 100 free (57.56), and Maier won both the 200 IM (2:21.18) and 100 breast (1:15.19). Perhaps her best swim, though, was her split in the 200 free.

Meanwhile, runner-up finishes came from Rittenbach in the 200 free (2:10.43) and 500 free (5:48.28); Scroggy in the 200 IM (2:28.04) and 100 free (1:00.57); and Dessa Bingley in the 100 breast (1:20.59).

Biskar was also pleased with the swimming of Denise Vaught, third in the 100 back (1:15.1) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:46.52).

Canby's boys dropped a 92-78 score but did get wins from O'Brien in the 100 fly (56.85), Laskey in the 100 breast (1:04.75) and Robert Street in the 500 free (5:26.47).

The team also won the 200 free relay, with O'Brien, Laurance Koenig, Laskey and Joern Van Aalst posting a season's best time of 1:38.55.

In other races, O'Brien was second in the 200 IM (2:06.39), Laskey got that same placement in the 200 free (1:57.90), and Street was runner-up in the 100 breast (1:11.58). Van Aalst was second in two races, the 50 free (25.93) and 100 free (57.41).

N. Marion wins the battle
of Huskies

The North Marion Huskies picked up another Capital Conference high school girls basketball victory Friday, defeating the Sweet Home Huskies 46-35 on the road.

Sweet Home, tied for last place in the Capital Conference, tried something new on North Marion, playing a 1-3-1 zone on them for the entire game.

"They played a different type of defense on us - one we haven't seen this year," Husky head coach Dennis Melcher said. "It was good for us because we had to be a lot more patient and run our offense."

To their credit, Sweet Home hung around for quite a while. "We never really put them away," Melcher said. "But they kind of hung around for most of the game."

North Marion led by a point after the first quarter, 9-8, and extended that lead to eight at halftime, 22-14.

The two teams played to a 13-13 draw in the third quarter before North Marion extended the lead in the fourth, outscoring the host Huskies 11-8. "One of the things that I was happy with was our defense," Melcher added. "We did a good job with our press and got a lot of steals."

Kelley Carpenter led the way for North Marion with 14 points, while Kristen Kahle added 11 and Shelby Maguire had nine.

Julie Melcher had an off night scoring for the Huskies with only two points, but was active in other areas with 11 assists and four steals.

The win puts North Marion all alone in second place in league play at 6-1. The girls had a bye Tuesday and will return to action at Cascade on Friday. Game time is at 5:45 p.m.

North Marion is on the road again next Tuesday, visiting Sisters.

Sweet Home comes from
behind to knock off Huskies

By Jason Horton
Canby Herald

In a battle of the two Capital Conference Huskies, it was the host Sweet Home Huskies who came away with a come-from-behind 49-45 win over North Marion in boys basketball action last Friday. Sweet Home swept the season series for the second year in a row.

"We played a great game," North Marion head coach Jason Scanlon said. "They (Sweet Home) just executed at the end and that was the difference."

North Marion got out to a 17-13 lead after the first quarter, but Sweet Home fought its way back to tie the game at 29 going into the locker room at halftime.

In the third quarter, neither team got much offense going, with North Marion clinging to a two-point lead entering the final period at 38-36.

But the fourth quarter, like it has been several times this year, was not kind to North Marion, as Sweet Home outscored the Huskies 13-7 to claim the victory. North Marion did, however, have a shot to win the game.

With 20 seconds left and down by only two points, 47-45, North Marion's Adam Kraft missed a potential game-winning three-pointer. Sweet Home got the rebound and made two free throws with seven seconds left to seal the victory.

"If you look at the stat sheet, it looks like we won," Scanlon said. "It was a great game played by two good teams. All of our kids played great help-side defense and blocked out well. It just came down to them going 4 for 4 from the free-throw line down the stretch and we missed our two (free throws)."

Ryan Krause led the way for the visitors with 16 points, while Josh Miller added 10, Steve Miller had seven and Adam Kraft had five points, eight assists, four rebounds and four steals.

"Ryan and Adam both had great games," Scanlon said. "Ty Brack and Josh and Steve Miller also had good defensive games."

The loss puts North Marion three games out of first place in the Capital Conference at 3-4. The Huskies four league losses have all been under six points, but Scanlon sees improvement.

"The wins and losses aren't where we wanted to be," he said. "It is frustrating for the kids because we are improving every game in a lot of the little things, but just not getting the wins. We'll be a tough team come playoff time, though."

North Marion has a bye Tuesday before traveling to Cascade on Friday and Sisters next Tuesday.