Coos Bay is finally here!! Eight teams survived one of the toughest season Oregon 3A Basketball has seen in along time! Almost every team in the Elite 8 has experienced there share of upsets or losses, except for St. Mary’s! Sr. Tre Foster and his teammates are simply on fire and it couldn’t happen at a better time. They are on a 7 game winning streak and showing no signs of slowing down. The last time St. Mary’s made it to Coos Bay they beat De La Salle for the state championship! Will history repeat itself? Players to watch... De La Salle Sr. George Sadi Jr. Ubedei McGautha Amity Jr. Josh Wart Keenan Graham Dayton Jr. Dawson Ashley Sr. Payton Garrison Tyler spink OES Jr. Charles Willmot Sr. Luca Nezhat Salem Academy Sr. Bennett Bos Sr. Austin Miller Luke miller St Mary’s Sr. Tre Foster Cascade Christian Jr. Dominic Lewis Kiegen schaan Creswell Sr. Tyler Freeze Sr. Ka Po Elite 8 Games Analysis.. All games will be played on Thursday March 5th at Marshfield HS! 1:30pm OES vs De La Salle This will be there FOURTH time playing each other! The district title game was close but De La Salle pulled away in the end. De La Salle beat a solid YC team 59-39 to advance to the Elite 8. The “Back to Back” State Champions are all business and there goal is to play on Saturday night. Head Coach James Broadous II is a mastermind at having his team focused in Coos Bay. OES lead by Head Coach Ed Kirk has only loss to De La Salle since Jan 2nd. Oes went on the road and beat a tough Rainer team 56-33 to advance to the Elite 8. The last time OES made it to Coos Bay, Jr. Charles Willmot (he was a freshman at the time) and teammates almost pulled off the upset over Dayton. Can they finish the job this time and upset De La Salle? Yoda Predictions: Delasalle/OES Meet for the 4th time. It's tough to beat someone 4 times but Delasalle is odds on favorite to do it. Delasalle 57-52. Oregon3aPredict: De la Salle 68 OES 55 3:15pm Creswell vs Amity This game will be fun to watch! Amity returns to Coos Bay after finishing runner up last season to De La Salle. Amity returned a few key players from last season but most importantly All State Josh Wart. Head Coach Scott Nelson is itching for another shot at the title and his team is ready to do whatever it takes to get there. Amity will have there hands full as they take on dynamic duo of Tyler Frieze, Ka Pao and there Creswell team. Head Coach Jesse Thomas and Creswell outlasted a hard nosed Sutherlin team 49-42 to advance to the Elite 8. Creswell pressure is like no other and is capable of forcing turnover against any team. Will Creswell be able to control the tempo and pull off the upset? Yoda Predictions: Amity/Creswell First meeting between the 2. Amity performed the best of the 16 teams Saturday. Amity continues their momentum from Saturday and takes it 69-63. Oregon3aPredict: Amity 64 Creswell 57 6:30pm St. Mary’s vs Salem Academy Earlier I said St Mary’s is the hottest team in the state and this game is just another opportunity for them to keep it going. St. Mary’s beat a really good Riverdale team 62-55 to make it to Coos Bay. Tre Foster is a load but his teammates are rising to the occasion and making big plays in clutch time. Salem Academy is the real deal and is one of the favorites to win the title. SAC defeated Pleasant Hill 54-46 to advance to the Elite 8. SAC has talent at all positons and will be a tough out for anybody including a red hot St Mary’s. Will St Mary’s hot streak continue and advance to the Final Four? Yoda Predictions: Salem Academy/St. Mary's First meeting between the 2. The hardest one to predict as St. Mary's has momentum over Salem Academy but Salem Academy is deeper and more athletic but struggled their last 2 games. Salem Academy outlasts St. Mary's in overtime 67-66. Oregon3aPredict: St Mary’s Medford 63 Salem Academy 60 8:30pm Dayton vs Cascade Christian When it comes to experience, there is no other coach in 3A that has more then Cascade Christian Head Coach Brian Morse. CC traveled 381 miles to defeat Umatilla at home to advance to the Elite 8. CC are battled tested and will be prepared for there showdown against Dayton. One of the most decorated coaches in 3A is Head Coach Ron Hop of Dayton. He is no stranger to Coos Bay and neither is his team. Dayton defeated Warrenton 46-35 to advance to the Elite 8. Dayton is deep and skilled in all positions and causes mismatch all over the court. Who will win game 3 between these two teams? The series is currently tied one game a piece! Should be an excited finish. Yoda Predictions: Dayton/CC They split during the season. Both teams struggled in the 1st quarter Saturday. Dayton's deep roster gets it done 63-57. Oregon3aPredict: Dayton 60 CC 50
