Kamron Robinson had 17 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks to lead Jefferson on Wednesday. (Photo by Jon Olson)

PORTLAND – It’s been a long offseason for Jefferson’s boys basketball team, which had plenty of time to think about finishing as the 6A runner-up for the second year in a row.

“Even the new guys, they all feel it,” junior forward Nate Rawlins-Kibonge said. “Just walking down the halls at Jefferson, it’s not the same because of those two losses. We all feel different, the whole school feels different, the community feels different.”

So the Democrats were eager to get to work Wednesday night when they opened the season with an 80-60 win at Wilson in a Portland Interscholastic League game.

Jefferson, which won the title in 2017, appears to have the ingredients to make another championship run. The talented cast includes a dominant combination inside with the 6-foot-7 Kibonge and 6-9 junior Kamron Robinson and a freshman phenom in 6-7 guard Marquis “Mookie” Cook.

The Democrats, voted No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 6A preseason coaches poll, also have a motivational edge.

“None of us have won anything. We’re all hungry,” Rawlins-Kibonge said.

Jefferson’s athleticism, power, depth and versatility were all on display against Wilson.

Robinson (17 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks) and Rawlins-Kibonge (12 points, nine rebounds, three blocks) had their way inside. Junior guard Keshawn Hall (16 points), a transfer from Las Vegas, was aggressive to the hoop. Sophomore guard Lamar Washington (13 points) was a physical force. And Cook (12 points, nine rebounds) showed a soft jumper and superb body control in his Jefferson debut.

The performance gives the Democrats something to sharpen before their next game Dec. 18 at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii.

“I’m glad we got the first game out of the way, the jitters, the old guys trying to blend in with the new guys,” Jefferson coach Pat Strickland said. “For the most part, it was a 75 percent sloppy game for us. But we’ll get in the lab and work the kinks out, and try to bring some more intensity in Hawaii.”

Robinson and Rawlins-Kibonge, starters last season as sophomores, should ensure that the Democrats have a decided advantage inside against most of their opponents this season. Wednesday, they used their size and bulk to bully the smaller Trojans.

“They started coming on at the end of last year, in the playoffs,” Strickland said. “They had a great spring and summer. We’ve just got to be able to get those guys the ball on the inside. We’re definitely expecting a lot in those guys to be leading us, rebounding and scoring this year.”

Rawlins-Kibonge turned out for football for the first time and had a big season as a defensive end, drawing scholarship offers from Washington State, Colorado and Arizona State.

“I feel like it helped me a lot,” he said. “It put a lot more attention on me, but I feel like it also gave me a higher sense of confidence. I feel more physical, more explosive.”

Much is expected of Cook, considered one of the top players in the nation for his class.

“I’m expecting him not to play like a freshman,” Strickland said. “He’s got the nice body, he’s tall, he’s very cerebral, he can shoot the ball. He can a little bit of everything. We’re expecting him to step up in a big way this year.”

Given his physical tools and skills, the sky seems to be the limit for Cook.

“I think he can play in the NBA and make some money someday,” Strickland said. “I think he can be one of those early birds in the NBA, too, if he keeps working hard, stays humble and takes those baby steps.”

Does Cook feel pressure from the hype?

“Honestly, no, because I feel like I can live up to that,” Cook said. “You’ve just got to go for it.”

It doesn’t hurt that Cook has gone through a major growth spurt this year.

“Man, I grew like four inches over the summer,” Cook said. “My knees were hurting. I was like 6-2 last year. I feel like I was going to be tall eventually, but it just came so fast. Ever since I was younger, I felt like I was kind of a giraffe, and I’m kind of growing into my body now.”

Strickland said of Cook: “He reminds me of when Terrence Jones was back here at Jeff. Every time I saw him, it was like, ‘Hey, man, did you get a little taller?’”

Wilson, which finished 4-20 last season, showed some fight against Jefferson, but committed 26 turnovers and struggled to get clean looks against the longer Democrats. Junior wing Logan Robertson led the Trojans with 14 points.