It's been a while since Taft appeared on the radar as a state contender in boys basketball.
The Tigers of Lincoln City last appeared in the state tournament 27 years ago. Since that time, they have recorded only six winning seasons.
Last season, though, Taft showed signs of life by finishing 15-13, its most wins since 1998. This season, with all five starters returning, the Tigers are 15-3 and have risen to No. 4 in the OSAAtoday 3A coaches poll.
They stand alone atop the PacWest Conference at 9-1, ahead of Dayton (11-8,. 7-3), Amity (11-6, 6-3) and Santiam Christian (11-6, 6-3). They carry a 12-game winning streak into Wednesday's home game against Sheridan (5-10, 1-8).
Coach Zach Lillebo said Taft doesn't have a dominant player, “but I've got kids that step up each and every night. We're not great shooters, but we run the floor well and we see the open man. We play very unselfish. We're a fast-paced team. We want to get up and down the floor.”
Lillebo said that when he took over as coach for the final eight games of the 2022-23 season, the Tigers' offense often devolved into a “one-on-five type of mentality.” With an emphasis on sharing the ball and capitalizing in transition, they have gone from averaging 47.1 points per game two years ago to 59.1 last season to 62.4 this season.
“Our offense starts with our defense,” Lillebo said. “The thing that's going to get us by is our athleticism. I have athletes, and they've truly bought into the process. I'm not easy on them. They're mature and they see the process. They believe in each other. They've grown up together since kindergarten.”
Kol Tolan, a 6-foot-3 junior wing who was a first-team all-state receiver in football and a track state qualifier in the high jump, long jump and triple jump, is the team's top scorer (14.2) and rebounder (6.0).
“He runs the floor probably the best,” Lillebo said. “He is special.”
Taft's other starters are senior guard Kai Bayer (10.1 points, 2.8 assists), junior guard Zack Hankins (8.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 3.2 steals) and senior forwards JJ McCormick (8.0 points, 4.8 rebounds) and Jackson Nightingale (9.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 steals).
The 6-1 Nightingale started the season slow but has come on strong in recent games. He scored 26 points against Amity and 27 points against Scio in the last two games.
The rotation includes senior guards Ezra James, the PacWest football offensive player of the year as a quarterback and a first-team all-conference pitcher, and Trenton Battle.
The Tigers partially negate their lack of size – Tolan and McCormick (6-3) are their tallest players – by scrambling on defense and converting in transition.
“They've really come into their own playing defense,” said Lillebo, a North Bend graduate who went 85-38 in five seasons as the Madras girls coach (2013-18) before arriving at Taft, where he also serves as athletic director and assistant principal.
Taft split its first six games, losing to Catlin Gabel 64-43, No. 6 Oregon Episcopal 63-50 and Scio 50-47. In the Tigers' loss to Scio, their only conference defeat, they sputtered down the stretch, committing seven turnovers in a six-point fourth quarter.
“We really went away from our game,” said Lillebo, whose team got payback Monday with a 70-56 home win over Scio (12-5, 6-4).
Taft built momentum Jan. 2-4 by winning the Sisters Tournament, beating Warrenton 66-54, Banks 54-26 and Junction City 65-49.
“That was huge because we had just lost to Scio the week before,” Lillebo said. “For my kids to bounce back, and travel three, four hours, I saw their confidence grow. Those were good, solid wins.”
Cordle goes for 48
South Albany senior guard Colin Cordle set a school record by scoring 48 points as the visiting RedHawks outlasted Silverton 98-94 in five overtimes in a 5A Mid-Willamette Conference game Friday.
“When my teammates told me I had 48, I was so shocked because that game was such a team effort,” said Cordle, who is averaging 26.2 points. “It took every single one of us to win that game. Five overtimes, I can’t even walk right now.”
The win helped South Albany (10-4, 7-1) keep pace with West Albany (11-4, 7-1) and Woodburn (9-6, 7-1) atop the conference. The RedHawks defeated Corvallis 56-45 on Tuesday behind 33 points from Cordle.
“We've got to stay together as a team and play together,” Cordle said. “Yeah, sure, the personal stuff is cool, but we all have that one goal, and that is the conference championship. That’s all I want.”
--Jeremy McDonald contributed to this report
Churchill honors Roche, 1995 team
Churchill commemorated the 30th anniversary of its 1995 state championship team at a Jan. 21 home game against North Eugene by renaming its court after late coach John Roche.
Roche went 300-93 in two stints (1988-2002, 2005-06) as Churchill's coach, leading the team to six league titles and two state championships (1995, 2001). He died in 2019 at age 72.
Roche's son, Wilsonville coach Chris Roche, attended the game. He told the Register-Guard that his father “was more of a behind-the-scenes guy, so he wouldn't have really needed this, but I know he would appreciate it. … It's pretty amazing and we're very grateful. We didn't feel like he was owed this, but it's very special."
The school honored the 1995 state title team at halftime of the game, won by North Eugene 63-56.
Notes: Barlow coach Tom Johnson and Cascade Christian coach Brian Morse are on the brink of the 700-win plateau. Johnson is 699-349 and can reach the milestone Friday when the 6A No. 1 Bruins (15-1, 5-0) play host to Reynolds (4-11, 0-5) in a Mt. Hood Conference game. Morse is 697-270 and can get to 700 as soon as Feb. 4, when the 3A No. 5 Challengers (11-4, 3-0) are home to face Rogue River (1-16, 0-4) in a Southern Oregon Conference contest. Only three other coaches have reached 700 wins: Mike Doherty (850-390), Gary Hull (786-254) and Craig Rothenberger (715-520). All three are inactive. … Former Creswell and University of Oregon star Luke Jackson, in his first season as the coach at Pleasant Hill, defeated his old school 73-43 in a 3A Mountain Valley Conference game Tuesday at Pleasant Hill. It was the 10th consecutive win for the first-place Billies (17-3, 5-0). … Centennial's Naoli Besha, a 6-6 senior guard, had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 steals in a 95-30 win over Milwaukie on Jan. 24.
jerryu@osaa.org
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