By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

VANCOUVER, Wash.–  The AAU season has kicked off for the Oregon Swish Girls Basketball team Saturday up at Evergreen High School in Vancouver, Washington.

Having gone 2-1 in their first time out with their lone defeat with a battle with The Pac Varsity in their second game before rebounding with a 73-43 win to end the day.

For Aly Herber, it was a long time coming after suffering a gruesome ankle injury in the first half of Salem Academy’s season opener against De La Salle North Catholic at the Westside Winter Jam on December 2.

“It was exciting, but I’m ready to play.  I’m happy to be playing,” Herber said.  “Getting everything back because we start school (Summer Ball) in a month and I’ll be ready to go.”

Herber is joined by a few of her Crusader teammates like her sisters, Celia James and Grace Hinkle.  Cascade’s Meah Carley is also on the team as well as McNary’s Ava Rubio and Avery Buss as well as South Salem’s Sadie Peterson.

Peterson is coming off a Mountain Valley Conference Honorable Mention nod as a sophomore with the Saxons, helping them to a 18-6 and a 12-2 MVC record as she hopes to take the next step this Spring and Summer with her game.

“I think it’s going to be really helpful because there’s more intense and aggressive (play).  You get more sharp at shooting and the skills that’ll help you be good at for school ball,” Peterson said.  “I got more confidence (this past season) in me and my teammates as well.  So I think that’s a really good thing to have under my belt.”

As they now return to practice in preparation for their next round of games next weekend, it’s just now a matter of piecing together Team Chemistry and working with one another.

“I think we did pretty great for not playing for very long, but it was good to get back to work as a team and try to get that win (at the end of the day),” Paterson said.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald