After the conclusion of the Big Sky East and Big Sky West conference basketball playoffs, one Horizon Christian School Hawk and three Cascade Locks High School Pirates were named to the All-League team.
Senior standout Jared Nagreen, of Horizon, was named to the First Team All-League. Nagreen, who hopes to continue his basketball career at George Fox University next year, led the Hawks in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots in almost every game this season.
“We will miss him very much,” said Coach Ron Haynes. “He was a four-year starter and a very steady, very consistent player. He came in as a freshman with very little experience and he just grew from there … The nicest thing I can say about Jared is that as good of a player as he is, he is a better person.”
From the Pirates’ girls’ team, senior Kelli Haskins was named to the first team and junior Heather Mohr made honorable mention.
“Kelly worked really hard on the inside for us this season,” Coach Donna Nolin commented. “She was a strong rebounder, a strong defensive player and she did some nice work for us … And Heather is very tenacious. She worked hard all the time and was a fast and strong player. Her biggest strength is that she gives her 100 percent all the time.”
For the Cascade Locks boys’ team, Sam Thomas and Joe Nolin both made the All-League first team. The two seniors had a somewhat disappointing end to their high school careers, as the Pirates lost a two-point battle with Nixyawwii for a chance to advance out of the Big Sky playoffs and into the 1A/2A tournament.
“Both Sam and Joseph played very well for us all season,” Coach Joe Nolin said. “Sam had a great year shooting and he was probably one of the most-feared three-point shooters in the league. Joseph basically surprised us from his sophomore year on. He’s not particulary fast or athletic, but he worked really hard and kept at it. The reason both of them did so well is because they worked hard in the off-season. They put in the time and the effort and we’re going to miss them. They were a pretty important part of the team.”
Coach Nolin also acknowledges fellow senior Nathan Stratton, who battled multiple injuries to play for the Pirates in his final year at the school. “Nathan was one of those who worked really hard all the time,” Nolin said. “He just loved the game. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys, and that came from the leadership of our older players.”
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