Frieze
CRESWELL – Senior guard Tyler Frieze was named 2019-20 3A Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year, and the Bulldogs’ other four regular starters also earned boys basketball all-league honors when those teams were announced recently.
Frieze led the fifth-ranked MVC Champion Bulldogs to a third-place finish at the 3A Boys Basketball State Championships on March 5-7 and was named First Team All-Tournament after recording a game-high 21, 19 (tie) and 23 (tie) points respectively in Creswell’s three games at state.
He paced the Bulldogs on offense, averaging 19.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, shooting 59.3% from two, 47.6% from three and 83% from the free-throw line.
He also led Creswell in points in the paint (104) and assists (26), scored 22 points off turnovers, and had 26 deflections and 21 steals.
Creswell head coach Jesse Thomas shared MVC Coach of the Year honors with Harrisburg head coach Terry Crabb.
Senior point guard Kai Apo and senior guard Dallton Dewey joined Frieze on the first team.
Apo was named second team all-tournament at state, scoring 19, nine and a game-high 23 (tie) in Creswell’s three games; he was also named Creswell’s Moda Health Player of the Game for the Dawgs’ quarterfinals win over Amity and for the win over St. Mary’s.
He averaged 14.5 PPG and 6.6 RPG on the season; he shot 58.8%, 41.4% from three and 69.2 from the line, and scored 33 points off turnovers.
He led the team in defensive rebounds (66) and total rebounds (79), and had 24 assists, 26 deflections and 22 steals.
Dewey averaged 16.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG on the season. Among players seeing action in nine-plus games, he led in overall shooting percentage at 61.8% from two, 48.5% from three and 96.3% from the line.
He was dominant on defense, leading the Dawgs in deflections (35), steals (24), points off turnovers (35), offensive rebounds (20), blocks (three) and recovery (steals + blocks + charges taken, minus fouls committed). He also had 18 assists.
Senior post Austin Gabriel was named to the all-league second team and was Creswell’s Moda Health Player of the Game, with 13 points and six rebounds, in the Bulldogs’ semifinal loss to Oregon Episcopal School. He averaged 6.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG on the season, shooting 54.5% from two, 33.3% from three and 77.8% from the line. He had 20 deflections, 12 steals, 16 turnover points and was second on the team in total rebounds (54).
Senior guard Payden Criddle received all-league honorable mention. He averaged 4.1 PPG and 3.2 RPG, shooting 56% from two and 50% from three and recorded 19 offensive and 19 defensive rebounds. He had 30 deflections, 17 steals and 13 assists.
Joining Frieze, Apo and Dewey on the MVC first team were Pleasant Hill junior Max Smith, Santiam Christian senior Kobi Williamson and La Pine junior Alex Farnsworth.
Named to the second team along with Gabriel were Pleasant Hill senior Amar Rupnawar, Pleasant Hill junior Jayden Casarez, Santiam Christian senior Ben Galceran, Santiam Christian junior Levi Villers and Harrisburg senior Tyler Thompson.
Receiving honorable mention along with Criddle were Pleasant Hill senior Reece Hardy, Harrisburg senior Jack Meadows, Harrisburg senior Wyatt Perry, La Pine senior Triton Notary and La Pine sophomore Aiden Brown.
