Nadav Heyman pours in 31 points as Corvallis cruises

EUGENE — It wasn’t the perfect start to the OSAA 5A state tournament for the Corvallis boys basketball team.

But it was close enough as the Spartans followed Nadav Heyman’s lead to control the first half, then turned in a torrid third quarter to break open the game with Hermiston and run away with a 72-47 victory at McArthur Court.

CHS (25-1) advances to the semifinals where it will face Thurston on Friday at 1:30 p.m. with the winner moving on to the state championship game.

Despite taking a 30-20 lead into halftime, the Spartans were far from perfect. They shot an uncharacteristic 37 percent from the field and turned the ball over seven times. Senior forward Cade Hearing, the team’s top outside threat, sat out most of the first half due to foul trouble.

“We didn’t run our offense,” CHS coach Greg Garrison said. “We tried to do a lot of one-on-one early because our guys knew we had some better matchups. But they kept us from running the stuff that makes us successful.”

Strong defense — including three charging calls drawn by junior Ross Orman — led to easy scoring opportunities for the Spartans and they took advantage to stay ahead of the Bulldogs throughout the first half. They forced 15 turnovers and recorded eight of their 10 steals in the half.

“We take pride in our defense,” Heyman said. “I think we did a good job of getting in the lanes and putting the pressure on their guards and their posts and it turned out good.”

The same could be said about the second half, when CHS came out firing on offense. The Spartans used an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter to take a 45-26 lead.

Heyman scored 12 points in the third to lead the surge, including the Spartans’ final seven of the quarter. He finished with a game-high 31 on 11 of 17 shooting.

He dazzled the crowd with several air-defying moves while attacking the basket and cross-court passes on the fast break, while adding five steals and rebounds.

“Coach is always stressing the beginning of the third quarter,” Heyman said. “It is very pivotal for the remainder of the game and the outcome. So I just tried to do my thing and get it done.”

Two free throws by Heyman stretched CHS’s lead to 20 points with 1:33 remaining in the third and the Spartans entered the fourth quarter ahead 51-32. By that time, they had complete control of the game, while Hermiston’s frustration boiled over.

The Bulldogs, who had their 15-game winning streak snapped by CHS, were assessed a technical foul early in the fourth and Alex Hendrickson converted both free throws for the Spartans.

“We just tried to be us tonight,” Garrison said of his team’s turnaround. “We tried to run our offense and do the things we’ve been doing all season long to have success. We didn’t want to play at their pace or their style. It’s been kind of our mantra all season to be us and do the things we are trained to do and I thought we did a good job of that.”

How much better were the Spartans offensively in the second half? They shot 62.5 percent from the field, hit all three of their 3-pointers and made 9 of 12 free throws.

Hendrickson finished with 11 points and five rebounds, while Nick Eason added nine and seven for CHS. But it was another senior who stepped up big for the Spartans, especially when Hearing picked up his third foul early in the second quarter — guard Camron Horrell.

Horrell scored seven of his nine points in the first half and hit several shots at crucial times for the Spartans. His 3-pointer late in the first quarter gave his team a 10-7 lead and helped it get going offensively. Then he scored midway through the second to help CHS to a 22-13 advantage.

“I was just looking for my shots,” Horrell said. “I didn’t even know Cade was in foul trouble, I didn’t know he was out. It feels great though because this is my first year playing, so I was really pumped.”

And with Thurston beating Century, the stage is set for a rematch: the Colts handed CHS its only loss of the season back on Dec. 3, 47-44.

Corvallis 72, Hermiston 47

HERMISTON 9 11 12 15 — 47

CORVALLIS 16 14 21 21 — 72

Hermiston: Sam Grogan 12, Ross 9, Humphrey 7, Meeks 4, Rodriguez 4, Irwin 4, Braddock 3, Ortiz 3, Kayembe 1, Williams, Thompson

Corvallis: Nadav Heyman 31, Hendrickson 11, Eason 9, Horrell 9, Hearing 8, Olayinka 4, Orman, Younger, Hilberg, Huddleston, Callahan, Jonsrud