Wilsonville downs Canby to take third at state;

finishes season with 25-4 record

By Miles Vance,

1 days ago

It could only be a battle. There were no secrets and there were no surprises. There was only effort and grit.

In the end, the Wilsonville boys basketball team outlasted Northwest Oregon Conference foe Canby 61-48 in the third-place game of the Class 5A state tournament at Linfield University on Saturday, March 15.

For the Wildcats - who missed a berth in the state championship game for the first time in nine years - it was a fitting end to another great season, even though it didn’t end with another championship.

“It was pretty good. We didn't get our biggest goal, but I think we competed every game and played our hardest,” said Wilsonville senior guard Cole Hammack - a unanimous first-team all-tournament selection - who finished with 13 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals. “I just think we competed every game.”

Senior point guard Cole Hammack attacks the paint vs Canby in the OSAA 5A State Tournament 3rd place game, won by the Wildcats, 61-48

“I just wanted to play hard and leave my mark,” said Wildcat senior post Emmitt Fee, who was named Wilsonville’s Player of the Game after finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. “I feel great about it. Even though it's not first and we're not in the state championship game, to end on a win and end on a high note, it just feels great.”

“We were definitely hoping to make it to the championship, but we all agreed that if we came out tonight with a great effort and got it done, we'd end with a good feeling,” added Wilsonville senior guard Jacob Boss, who had nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

With the win, the fourth-ranked Wildcats snapped their one-game losing streak, won for the eighth time in their final nine games and finished at 25-4 overall after winning the Northwest Oregon Conference.

No. 14 Canby, meanwhile, ended its year at 17-12 overall after finishing third in the NWOC.

While the Cougars - they lost to Wilsonville for the third straight time this year on Saturday - were disappointed with their setback, they left proud of their efforts after reaching the state semifinals for the first time in school history...

Junior guard Jaxon Lawson was named Player of the Game for Canby after racking up 18 points, six rebounds, eight assists and one steal. Senior Cohen Vandecoevering and sophomore Jack Brauckmiller had six points each, with Vandecoevering added one rebound and one assist, and Brauckmiller adding five rebounds, one assist and three blocks.

The Wildcats held the upper hand early on, pushing ahead 17-9 on a 3-pointer by sophomore Jett Bruce early in the second quarter and still leading 25-17 when Fee took a Bruce pass and connected inside with 2:48 left before halftime.

While Canby would never lead again, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t close, with the Cougars still within 38-36 when sophomore Cooper Cousin took a pass from junior Jaxon Lawson and buried a three 30 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Down the stretch, however, the Wildcats outscored the Cougars 23-12 to secure their victory, with Boss pouring in seven points, Bruce adding six and both Fee and senior Drake Devin four apiece.

“No matter what game or who we’re going to play, we just had to let it rip and go all out with no regrets,” Fee said. “It says a lot about us. It says how tough we were.”

“Just being able to come out and get this win is a great feeling for sure,” Boss said. “I love these guys. It's a great feeling to come out and finish off on a high note.”