Preview: Canby Cougars vs. Oregon City Pioneers
Canby and Oregon City are an even 4-4 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. The Canby Cougars will finish 2023 at home by hosting the Oregon City Pioneers at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. The timing isn't great for Canby: they have been struggling with six straight losses at home dating back to last season, while Oregon City has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.
On Thursday, Canby was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 58-54 to South Albany. While losing is never fun, Canby can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Oregon basketball rankings (they are ranked 141st, while South Albany is ranked 45th).
Despite the loss, Canby had strong showings from Jack Brauckmiller, who scored eight points along with 13 rebounds and three blocks, and Trevin Slagle, who scored 17 points. That's the first time this season that Slagle scored 15 or more points. Dallas Michel was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Even though they lost, Canby were working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Oregon City beat Canby 55-50 last Wednesday.
Canby has been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-5 record this season. As for Oregon City, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Canby came up short against Oregon City when the teams last played last Wednesday, falling 55-50. Can Canby avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
