Woodburn Independent Online

Avgi’s 28 points lift ‘Dogs

Team still has a shot at state playoffs

• Published: 2/16/2010 10:19:47 AM

WOODBURN — The Woodburn boys basketball team picked up a crucial victory Friday against Dallas, 53-48. The win kept the Bulldogs within striking distance of the fourth and final playoff spot out of the Mid-Willamette Conference.
 
“We’re at a point here, with not even two full weeks left, things could turn out a lot of different ways,” coach Joel Dunn said. “We just need to be a little better today and the next day and the next.”
 
Against the Dragons, Woodburn trailed by one point entering the fourth quarter, 34-33, when a pair of freshmen came up big.
 
“We had to make some plays to win and we had a freshman (Julian Veliz) thrown in there after playing most of the JV game and (Martin Ray) was already in there at crunch time and they did fantastic,” Dunn said. “Julian in particular, that was a tough situation to get thrown into. He had a key steal and a crucial three-pointer in the fourth quarter and he just has good basketball sense.”
 
The Bulldogs also got a fantastic performance from junior Andy Avgi, who went off for 28 points.
 
“Andy had a big game … and he did not have a big first half,” Dunn said. “We came in (at halftime) after looking at the touches and shot attempts he had in the first half and we had to figure out a way to get him the ball better (in the second half).”
 
Woodburn did just that, getting the ball inside to Avgi early and often and when he wasn’t scoring, he was passing to an open teammate.
 
“We’re best when he’s touching the ball a lot because either he’s scoring or someone else is open or he’s getting to the free-throw line,” Dunn said.
 
“He’s a good passer, and it helps to be 6-foot-6, but he is a good passer and he’s not a selfish kid. If someone else is open, he’ll get them the ball. Sometimes we have to tell him to be more selfish with the ball.”
 
The win puts Woodburn at 3-7 in league play, two games behind South Albany for the fourth and final playoff spot. Woodburn plays Lebanon (Tuesday) and Crescent Valley (Friday, at home) this week and finishes the season with two games against the teams directly ahead of them in the standings, West Albany and South Albany.
 
“We’ve really had to work hard this year at not looking too far ahead — all of us,” Dunn said. “We’re trying to go one step at a time. The Dallas game, the first time we played them, really knocked us on our heals. We did not have a good response to that game. You could tell after Friday’s win, the kids felt good.”
 

  (log in to rate)