Basketball trio earns all-state recognition

Justesen, Martin and Noland were recently voted on as 2017-2018 1A Oregon Basketball Coaches Association All-State athletes for their solid winter seasons.

On the first team was Justesen, Martin earned a spot on the second squad and Noland had her name called as a third-team winner.

“Sports have offered me more than I could have ever imagined,” Noland said. “Playing volleyball and basketball has allowed me to increase my ability to support others, communicate with a team and be outgoing.

“It has also taught me to have incredible drive and perseverance to do well and be successful. It has changed my mindset on life and helped me form the person I am today, academically, socially and physically.”

At the start of the hoops season, the Sherman Huskies were riding back-to-back state titles, but had to replace four senior standouts, including Player of the Year Max Martin, and came through with 27 wins and a fourth-place state outcome.

Justesen received first-team all-Big Sky Conference honors, along with Player of the Year, and picked up first-team all-state recognition, as he increased his offensive numbers.

On the year, Justesen dropped a career-high 18.2 points a contest on 47 percent shooting from the floor, and tacked on 6.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 3.8 steals a game.

The lefty point guard had a season-high 34 points against Grant Union and pulled down 13 rebounds in a road contest versus Yakama Tribal.

Justesen called his bevy of awards a blessing, adding that his all-around game improved, but added an aggressive scoring approach to go with his playmaking ability.

“I enjoyed the scoring role. It was really fun,” Justesen said. “I still was looking to pass first, but I knew that I was the first option on offense, so any opportunity I had to score, I would. I think this helped us early in season when we would hit stretches where we would go cold. Then I would do what I could to get to the hole or just make a shot to get our offense going again.”

In their four seasons, Martin and Justesen combined for a 100-19 overall record, 53-3 in league.

Over the past three basketball campaigns, the Huskies are 79-12, 42-0 in league, with two of those losses coming against 1A Oregon schools (Nixyaawii in 2015-16 and Prairie City at state), two versus 3A Cascade Christian and three of those setbacks were in Hawaii against 5A, 4A and 3A competition.

Justesen has yet to fully grasp the magnitude of their accomplishment.

Yes, the Huskies were earmarked for great things from an early age and multiple championships were expected, but it wasn’t easy by any stretch.

The group spent countless hours in practice, filled their roles, learned the game and were on the road many weekends for traveling tournaments.

“Basketball takes a lot of time and dedication,” Justesen said.

“I still remember the trips all over Oregon and Washington from fourth-through-eighth grade, just constantly playing teams that were better than us.”

“We challenged ourselves to get better and I think that dedication has been our recipe for success,” he explained.

While Justesen, Max Martin, Kyle Fields and Isaiah Coles got most of the limelight over the years, the value of Treve Martin’s presence on the hardwood is often understated.

In his senior season, Treve Martin finally had a chance to show what he was capable of and he responded with a first-team all-league award performance to go with his all-state honors.

Overall, Treve Martin poured in 15.3 points a clip on 46 percent shooting from the floor, canned 61 percent of his free throws, and pulled down 7.1 rebounds, dished off 1.6 assists and posted 1.9 steals.

The 6-foot-3-inch post scored a season-high 29 points versus Yakama Tribal on Feb. 6, and he dominated the boards with 19 rebounds in a league matchup versus Condon-Wheeler.

“Being all-state finally was a personal accomplishment that I had been looking to earn, but what I am most proud of from my career here at Sherman is winning two state championships with my teammates,” Treve said.

Treve passes the torch off to his little cousin Luke, so now the returning players will follow the legacy built by the former players .

There were plenty of memorable moments, from the slam dunks, no-look passes and the heated battles on the floor with teams like Horizon Christian, Nixyaawii and others.

“I will cherish wearing Sherman across my chest forever,” Treve said. “What being a Husky taught me will carry on throughout the rest of my life.”

The 2017-2018 sports season will go down in the record books for South Wasco County athletics and a major reason why was the play and leadership displayed by Noland.

During the fall, the Lady Redside volleyball squad went 25-10 overall and had a No. 8-ranking, won 70 sets, and tacked on its first-ever volleyball district championship and a sixth-place finish at state.

Jump started by their volleyball achievements, the Redsides had one of their best basketball seasons in program history.

Under the leadership of head coach Lynn Cowdrey, SWC posted 23 wins, including 17 in a row at one point, a No. 8 ranking and the program’s first league championship since 1983.

Noland was a first-team all-league winner and Player of the Year and capped her career as an all-state recipient in both volleyball and basketball.

“I was very surprised to have received this award,” Noland said. “Basketball has always been a special part of my life and to be recognized was special. It shows that hard work and dedication pays off. I’m proud to represent South Wasco County High School, on and off the court and I am thankful to have been a part of such a strong, inspirational, and talented basketball team.”

Once she graduates, Noland will move on to bigger and better things at Gonzaga University, where she plans to use many of the skills she’s learned in athletics.

For the three consecutive years, she was a team captain for both volleyball and basketball, so she learned what it takes to be a supportive, inspiring, and successful leader.

Noland got her best education away from the gymnasium and high school campus — at home with her mother, Marnie Myers.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of my mom,” Noland said. “She has taught me how to be a strong young woman and how to stand up for what I believe in.

“No matter what I do, she is so supportive. I want to thank her for always coming to my games and cheering for me, on and off the court.

“Without the love from my family, I wouldn’t have the drive to seek success. They have empowered me to believe that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.”