I'll be the first to admit that my heart almost came to a complete stop and my emotional pull was strenuous watching the last few seconds of the game between the McKay Royal Scots and the McMinnville Grizzlies. The game was played on Tuesday February 9th. It will be a memory that I will put behind knowing that the Scots played their hearts out.
The McKay basketball program has meant a lot to me since my son began coaching there a few years ago. Not only have I been excited to come watch the practices, but I've also been part of some overnight tournaments and some off-the-court activities. I've also had an amazing opportunity to watch some of the kids excel in their skill set drastically -- not only in basketball but academically as well.
The McKay area, which resides in the north and northeast side of Salem off of Lancaster Dr., has many families living in the area that struggle financially -- definitely a low-income area. For example, there are kids that walk several miles to get home after a hard day at school and practice. They complain at times when the weather gets cold and it's dark outside -- rain, cold, and dark is not a good combination. This is just one example, there are many more.
Despite uncomfortable conditions, there are kids that take pride in hard work to improve in all areas including on the basketball court. For the seniors like Darrell Woods, Tristen Wilson, Demeris Bailey, and Izaya Coronado, this year has been a rewarding experience. McKay has several JV players that also play varsity and contribute major minutes. The seniors have blended well with the young and inexperienced players.
Darrell Woods never played organized basketball until he was a sophomore. He was the leading scorer in this game and finished the night with his all-time high of 32 points -- plus he made all but one free throw -- I'm pretty sure he had a double-double. Tristen Wilson annoyed the McMinnville players hitting his mid-range jumper time and time again. Tristen has improved tremendously since his freshman year. Izaya Coronado took a step back sitting out last year due to a torn ACL in his knee -- he's back to full strength returning from a long road of recovery. Demeris Bailey who stands maybe at 5' 5" is a force and has improved on his shooting and defensive hustle.
The McKay coaches have done a remarkable job with the boys. The volunteer hours they put in are limitless. The progress made by this team has been impressive. Whether their players make the playoffs or not is really irrelevant, but what really matters is the decent young men they will become after leaving the McKay basketball program. The coaches always make it a point to take a group of kids to the state tournament to watch some games. Some kids from McKay have never been to an event that big. When the state tournament was held in the Moda Center a few years ago, some kids said it was their first time actually seeing it live.
The Royal Scots have come up short in many games this season -- games that could have gone either way. A record of 6 - 14 overall doesn't do justice, because their record doesn't represent how good this team is and how much heart the players have.
In the previous meeting earlier this season the McMinnville Grizzlies defeated McKay by more than 20 points. Now they were about to play for the second and final time in the GVC (Greater Valley Conference). It was one special moment to watch McKay take a 12-point lead against the McMinnville Grizzlies.
The game was intense and the Royal Scots, lead by Darrell Woods, hung in there leading most of the game. The Grizzlies would answer back using Wyatt Smith's three pointers. This tightened the score up by the fourth quarter, 75 -71, in favor of the Scots. A free throw sunk by an opponent made it 75 - 72. On the next series McKay turned the ball over and Smith was left open to hit a huge three-point shot making it, 75 -75! The Grizzlies home court erupted as McKay started making mental errors in a hostile environment.
With seven seconds remaining in the game people were standing up on the bleachers, it was McKay's ball underneath their hoop. Everyone was unsure of what the unpredictable result could be. When the basketball was in-bounded, I'm not totally sure what the plan was, but with Darrell Woods triple teamed, junior guard Josiah Castillo ended up with the basketball and a decent look at the hoop. He fired up the three-point shot. Josiah is probably McKay's best three-point shooter. As the ball was floating through the air, the crowd silenced for a moment watching breathless. The ball hit the front part of the rim and bounced once as if it was going to fall in, but it rolled out backward falling short. There was a mad scramble for the rebound and somehow a McMinnville player darted out on the fast break as the ball was zoomed to him landing right on his hands. 4, 3, 2, 1, he finished the lay-in and the home court fans went crazy! I had not heard a crowd that loud in a long while.
I hoped and was rooting for the Royal Scots -- the boys knew this game should have been theirs. It meant so much to me, simply because I have gotten to know these boys and I could sense what they were possibly feeling when the game slipped away in four seconds -- a result that wasn't supposed to happen, but it did.
It's okay to be disappointed -- it's difficult to swallow an ending like that in a crucial conference game. The Scots had their heads down in disbelief, but knowing this coaching staff and the caliber of players they have, well, I can imagine how very proud they were fighting to the end. The accomplishments this season for each individual player has been inspiring. This is the same team that defeated them by more than 20 points in the first meeting.
When McKay played North Salem in the previous week, their free-throw percentage was 45 percent -- all year McKay had struggled at the line. After that game I told them that if they could hit 65 percent in free throws, I'd buy dinner for them at the downtown Marcos Mexican Restaurant. They must have been awful hungry because they shattered their record shooting 85 percent against McMinnville -- phenomenal! I guess I'm buying dinner for the varsity team.
Sure, McKay lost a close game that possibly cost them the playoffs. But there's still four games left, and anything could happen. Also, lets look at Darrell Woods. In a normal game he would be called for "carrying the ball" or "traveling" a few times. This game there were none of those calls made on him. He scored his season high of 32 points. I don't know about you guys, but I think if there is a community college out there wanting a solid player, they better look at Darrell who stands at 6' 0". He has scored over players that were 6' 6" and 6' 8" all season long. Tristen Wilson consistently knocked down lay-ins and short range jumpers and he stayed out of foul trouble -- Tristen at 6' 4" can play at the next level if he puts in more hard work this spring.
McKay looked like a top-ranked team that night. They should all be very proud of what they did on the basketball court playing in an away game. With three sophomores, Khyler Beach, Andre Tovar, and Israel Garza, who all have different skill sets contributing at a high level, it's very possible that this team could end their season in a good note with four remaining conference games. One sophomore that's improving rapidly is Ryan Bangs -- he'll be fun to watch next year. The juniors are Hayden Hull, Shaton Daniels, Noah Tavera, Josiah Castillo, and Joey Hang. Head Coach Dean Sanderson and his staff play twelve varsity players that contribute in the rotation.