CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Mazama girls got a resounding 76-37 win over Brookings-Harbor in the 4A Quarterfinals at Gill Coliseum. Caileigh Smith led the Vikings with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Hannah Reynolds added 14 points a nine assists. Mazama will play Cascade on Thursday in the State Semifinals.

South Medford roughs up Southridge 78-39 to advance to the 6A State Tournament for the third straight year. Mazama is also making its third straight trip to States after beating Sisters. St. Mary’s falls to Valley Catholic in the 3A Championship.

The South Medford boys build a big first half lead, and hang on to beat Lincoln 70-66 in the 6A playoffs. The Panthers will play Central Catholic in the first round of the 6A State Tournament. North Valley blows out Brookings-Harbor 87-52 to stay undefeated and advance to the 4A quarterfinals where they will play Sutherlin. Eagle Point loses to West Albany.

South Medford earned a first round playoff win over North Salem, winning 78-60. Eagle Point also advanced to the round of 16 with a 55-44 win over Springfield. The North Medford boys, Crater boys and Eagle Point girls all were eliminated on Tuesday.

MERLIN, Ore. – Most high school programs go through ups and downs as talent comes and goes. It’s rare, though, that you see the kind of swing that’s happened at North Valley. In 2009, the Knights went 0-21.

“Five years ago we had some kids that played basketball,” head coach Jeff Nelson said, “but you know they played basketball from November until whenever we were done.”

Just four seasons later, North Valley is undefeated heading into the 4A state tournament.

“For a team in high school to go undefeated through the regular season and then a conference tournament, it’s a special season,” Nelson said.”
“It’s been a dream come true,” Knights senior JJ Chirnside said. “I never pictured us going undefeated this season. We’ve pushed each other so hard this season. Then the off-season, we’ve just done such great things this season and I don’t want it to stop.”

The Knights have a talented senior class led by Chirnside and Kevin Brazille. The current seniors were in eighth grade when North Valley had its winless season, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed.

“We thought about it a lot,” Brazille said. “Watching that class when we were eighth graders and wathcing them lose a lot, it wasn’t the best thing to watch.”

However, that group of eighth graders was determined to turn it around at North Valley.

“I wanted to get that season turned around so we didn’t have to go through that,” Chirnside said, “and we didn’t have to go through all the suffering. I wanted to be the winners.”
“We’ve always done really well,” senior Tristan Burke said, “all the way through middle school. We knew if we worked really hard we’d be good in high school, too.”

Last year was the breakout season, a perfect record in the Skyline League and a trip to the state tournament that ended too soon. Now the Knights are looking to make up for last year’s disappointment, and the seniors are trying to finish what they started four years ago.

“We’ve known each other since we were kids,” Brazille said, “so I mean just coming up and knowing we have this opportunity to do something special and it’s us as kids again, it feels great.”
“Us growing up together, we always had a goal that we just wanted to win state,” senior Connor Vodicka said, “and we just had that set mentality that, no matter what high school we go to, we’re all going to play together. We all just have that chemistry that keeps building up, and we all just want that one goal and that’s a state title.”

The final Roundball Wrap of the season involves all the playoff action from around Southern Oregon. Highlights include North Medford and Glencoe, Cascade Christian and Creswell, Grants Pass and South Salem, Mazama and Sutherlin and Gold Beach and Oakland. We also have an update from the OSAA wrestling state tournament.

MEDFORD, Ore. – Emily Alvarez is listed at 5’3″, not typically the height of a star basketball player, so the St. Mary’s junior relies on more than physical stature to position herself above her opponents.

“I’ve worked hard for so long,” said Alvarez. “I just go in the gym especially on the weekends. I go to gyms, I shoot around, practice my dribbling.”

Emily’s success is about more than just supreme work ethic, she also feeds off the crowd.

“Especially my mom,” said Alvarez. “She’s always screaming for me on the sidelines, yelling, cheering me on, going, ‘Attack. Get the defense.’”

“I have time for everybody, said Emily’s mom, Sandra. “I have so much to do at home, but important for me is my kids.”

Sandra and her husband Jesus are there to support all of their kids, including Rose, who plays with Emily in soccer, track and basketball, as well as Glenn, who’s on the football and basketball teams.

“It’s always fun seeing my mom screaming, ‘Aaaah, let’s go.’ It makes me want to make her proud,” said Glenn.

“Every game they’re always there,” said Rose. “They’re always with their camera, video camera, video taping, yelling, saying, ‘Oh, we can get her to play defense, hard defense.’”

The family’s always there for each other in the stands. On the court, Emily has her younger sister.

“It’s such an awesome feeling because she knows where I am on the court,” said Emily. “I know where she is on the court and we just have this huge trust bond.”

“We have a really great connection together,” said Rose. “Some sisters argue and they never want to be together, but with us it’s different. We support each other.”

All that support fuels Emily.

“They encourage me to not be afraid, no matter the height, and so I guess it made me into a great player and to have confidence,” said Emily.

With the ball in her hand, Emily’s confidence is on full display.

“If I don’t shoot the ball, she’ll tell me, ‘Shoot the ball. Don’t be scared,’” said Emily.

And she shoots, and shoots, and shoots, and with each shot, thecrowd cheers, and the video camera keeps rolling.