Storm back on track after rough opening
Senior Matson Hardie soars for a lay-up over an unsuspecting Madras White Buffalo. Although, Hardie scored 10 points, the Storm fell 63-61 to Madras on Jan. 9. The squad fell victim to the Dalles-Wahtonka Eagle Indians and the Mountain View Cougars tin close fought games. The squad went on to win six games straight and is now tied with Madras for third place in the Intermountain Conference.
February 10, 2009 • Jesse Crowell
Filed under Sports
In the second season of the Dan Munson era, the boys’ basketball team will try to make only their second playoff appearance in school history.
After compiling a strong pre-season campaign, the Storm have posted 9-6 overall record. Unfortunately, the team has struggled to take their strong early season play into conference competition, and have begun with a 3-3 regular season record.
In their IMC opener, the Storm fell to Madras 63-61 in front of a rowdy home crowd in a game that came down to last second shot.
“It was a hard fought, back-and-forth game the whole time,” said senior post Micah King. “It came down to a last second play and we just didn’t come through.”
King, who was limited by a back injury, contributed six points on offense and helped in helped in holding Madras post player Turner Gill to a small game.
The next week, the Storm traveled to The Dalles-Wahtonka, where they struggled to contain the size of the Eagle-Indians, and dropped their second conference game by the score of 52-46.
After a slow start, the players and coaches knew the upcoming Mountain View game would be critical for their chances at winning the IMC.
With this attitude, the Storm traveled across town to face the top-ranked 5A team, and in a tight game, gave the Cougars all they could handle.
Unfortunately, the squad came up a little short and dropped their third IMC game of the season, 51-50.
“It was a well coached and well played game on both sides,” aid junior post Matt Meagher. “We didn’t get the win, but we proved to the rest of the conference that we can play with anyone.”
Senior wing Harlan Porterfield led the Storm with 13 points, while Justin Huckins added two three pointers and a total of 10 points. For the Cougars, who kept their undefeated record of 11-0 intact, senior post Brady Brent contributed 14 points.
Although the team has gotten off to a slow start in conference competition, they are still dedicated to reaching the post-season tournament.
“We’ve put ourselves in a difficult position,” said senior guard Matson Hardie. “But I promise, you will never see another team play as hard as we will the rest of this season.”
Last year, the team was troubled by inexperience and posted a disappointing 4-9 record in conference. The Storm did not secure a postseason position, as they finished in the bottom half of the Intermountain Conference, but Munson was happy with the valuable experience the returning players gained.
“I think the experience gained last year will help a ton,” said Munson. “Our team overcame a lot of adversity and that ultimately helped us mature.”
The team returns seven players with varsity experience, including senior guards Alex Lacter, Matson Hardie, and senior post Micah King.
In addition to these athletes, senior wing Harlan Porterfield, who started for the Storm as a freshman and sophomore, returns after a year hiatus because of a transfer to Lincoln High School in Portland.
Andy Custer, a senior post player, will also be available later in the season after he returns from leg injury suffered in the fall. Custer has been part of the basketball program all four years of high school, but this season will mark his first as a varsity athlete.
“One of our strongest attributes is experience,” said Hardie, a second-year varsity player. “A key to our season will be to make our team stronger by building on that experience.”
Along with the class of returning seniors, the Storm also have a strong class of returning juniors with varsity experience.
Wings Justin Huckins, the Storm’s only returning all-league player, and Matt Meagher, and point guard Clayton Cantrell all had substantial playing time on varsity last season, and proved their ability to contribute to the team. Fellow juniors that should see minutes for Munson’s squad include Cody Absalon, Brandon Norby.
With this much experienced, and improved, crop of varsity athletes, The Storm should be in the hunt for one of the four available IMC playoff spots.
“The IMC should be tough this year,” said Munson. “I believe that five or six teams in the conference will be very competitive.”
Mountain View should pose the biggest challenge for the Storm, as they are coming off two consecutive 5A state tournament appearances and return senior post Brady Brent and senior guard Pat Cashman, who both earned all-IMC honors last season.
Along with Mountain View, Hermiston, who also returns multiple all-IMC players, and Madras should be strong in conference play.
Even with a high level of in-conference competition, Munson is confident that the Storm have what it takes to make it to the state tournament.
“If we stay focused and continue to play together, we have a great shot at making the playoffs.”
“A key to our season will be to make our team stronger by building on that experience.”
Along with the class of returning seniors, the Storm also have a strong class of returning juniors with varsity experience.
“We started slow,” said senior Harlan Porterfield, who is the team’s leading scorer. “But, I think by winning five games in a row, we proved we can compete for a conference title.”
Although they are playing well now, the opening games of the IMC schedule proved tough for the Storm.
In their conference opener, the Storm fell to Madras 63-61 in front of a rowdy home crowd in a game that came down to the last second shot.
“It was a hard fought, back-and-forth game the whole time,” said senior post Micah King, who was limited by a back injury in the game. “It came down to a last second play and we just didn’t come through.”
The next week, the Storm traveled to The Dalles for their first match up with the Eagle-Indians, but in a well-played game on both sides, the squad struggled to contain the size of their opponent and dropped their second conference game by the score of 52-46.
After a slow start, the players and coaches knew the upcoming Mountain View game would be critical for their chances at winning the IMC.
With this attitude, the Storm traveled across town to face the top-ranked 5A team, and in a tight game, gave the Cougars all they could handle.
Unfortunately, the squad came up short and dropped their third IMC game of the season, 51-50.
“It was a well coached and well played game on both sides,” said junior post Matt Meagher. “We didn’t get the win, but we proved to the rest of the conference that we can play with anyone.”
Porterfield led the Storm with 13 points, while junior Clayton Cantrall played a strong game defensively by shutting down Mountain View guard Pat Cashman, and also contributing numerous assists from the point guard position on offense. For the Cougars, who, with the win, kept their undefeated record of 11-0 intact, senior post Brady Brent contributed 14 points.
With the three early losses, the squad dropped to the bottom of the IMC and any chances of a playoff appearance seemed like a longshot.
“We put ourselves in a difficult position,” said senior guard Matson Hardie. “But everyone in the locker room knew what we’re capable of and that we just needed to keep working hard and the wins would come.”
In the following week, those wins finally started to come for the Storm as they made the weekend long road trip to Pendleton and Hermiston and earned victories over both IMC foes, a first in the history of Storm boys basketball.
The team first earned a victory over Pendleton (4-4 IMC) on Friday, Jan. 23, by a score of 56-46.
Huckins and Meagher led the Storm in scoring, with 15 and 14, respectively.
The next day, the team traveled to Hermiston (4-4 IMC) and pulled out an unexpected victory over the Bulldogs, 52-42.
“Being able to make the long road trip up to Hermiston and Pendleton and get two wins is not an easy thing to do for IMC teams,” said Hardie. “It’s a big step for our team.”
The following week, the Storm had one of their best games of the year with a 19 point victory over the Bend Lava Bears (4-12 overall).
Porterfield led all scorers with 26 points, a season high for the Storm as well, while Meagher contributed 10 points in the effort.
Last year, the team was troubled by inexperience and posted a disappointing 4-9 record in conference.
They did not secure a post-season position, as they finished in the bottom half of the Intermountain Conference, but Munson was happy with the valuable experience the returning players gained.
“I think the experience gained last year has helped us a ton,” said Munson. “Our team overcame a lot of adversity and that ultimately helped us mature.”
The team has returned seven players with varsity experience, including senior guards Alex Lacter and Hardie and senior posts King and Andy Custer.
In addition to these athletes, senior wing Porterfield, who started for the Storm as a freshman and sophomore, returns after a year hiatus because of a transfer to Lincoln High School in Portland.
“One of our strongest attributes is experience,” said Hardie, a second-year varsity player. “A key to our season will be to make our team stronger by building on that experience.”
Along with the class of returning seniors, the Storm also have a strong core of juniors with prior varsity minutes.
Huckins, the Storm’s only returning all-league player, will give the team valuable experience at the wing, while Meagher and Cantrell both had substantial playing time on varsity last season, and proved their ability to contribute to the team.
Other juniors that should see minutes for Munson’s squad include Cody Absalon and Brandon Norby.
With this experienced, and improved, crop of varsity athletes, The Storm have placed themselves directly in the hunt for one of the four available IMC playoff spots.
“The conference has been tough this year,” said Munson. “Nearly every team is competitive.”
Madras and Mountain View have posed the biggest challenge for the squad, as they sit in the two top spots of the conference and are the only teams ahead of the Storm.
Mountain View is coming off two consecutive 5A state tournament appearances and feature returning senior post Brady Brent and senior guard Pat Cashman, who both earned all-IMC honors last season.
Along with Mountain View and Madras, Hermiston, who also has multiple all-IMC players on the team from last year, is battling for the conference title.
Even with a high level of in-conference competition, Munson remains confident that the Storm have what it takes to make it to the state tournament.
“If we stay focused and continue to play together, we have a great shot at making the playoffs,” he said, “A key to the rest our season will be to make our team stronger by building on that experience.”
Loading ...
he can fly