GRESHAM – Anyone not taking Barlow seriously as a title contender in 6A boys basketball got something to think about Friday night.
The fourth-ranked Bruins traded shots all game with No. 1 Jefferson before making the big plays down the stretch to emerge with a 99-95 double-overtime win in a raucous Barlow gym.
“We’re capable of beating them and any team that we’re going to play,” Bruins junior post Joey Wolcott said. “A lot of people kind of think of us as a joke. But we’re the real deal.”
Junior guard Jesse White made five three-pointers on his way to a game-high 37 points, junior guard Evan Inglesby had 20 points and 11 rebounds and junior post Jaren Hunter added 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Barlow, which lost to Jefferson by 20 points in a state semifinal last season.
“It definitely says what we’re capable of,” White said. “But that doesn’t, by any means, mean that we’re going to win a ring or nothing. It’s way too early for that. We knew we were capable of that. It was just a matter of putting it on the line against Jefferson and actually proving that we’re there.”
The Democrats left Barlow trying to make sense of a disappointing start to their season. They were less than stellar in beating Jesuit and Central Catholic by four and eight points, respectively, and failed to close out Barlow when they had the chance Friday.
“It’s mental,” senior point guard Marcus Tsohonis said. “The mentality of going hard in practice is one thing. We’re thinking we’re too good, including myself. I mean, we’re taking plays off. We’ve all got to just come together. It’s early in the season. I’m not really going to take a big fall on it. I don’t like losing, but we’ll bounce back, for sure.”
How did Jefferson coach Pat Strickland feel his team played Friday?
“The same way we played the first two games,” Strickland said. “We shoot ourselves in the foot against a solid team, the only difference was we weren’t able to pull it out at the end. But I will assure you things are going to change. I’m trying to go with my seniors, and they’re shooting themselves in the foot.”
The Democrats (2-1) took a 93-90 lead with 1:52 left in the second overtime on a three-pointer by Tsohonis, but Barlow (2-0) outscored Jefferson 9-2 the rest of the way.
Hunter and Inglesby scored baskets to put Barlow up 94-93 with 51 seconds left. After Jefferson senior Keylin Vance missed two free throws with 41 seconds remaining, Inglesby hit two free throws to make it 96-93 with 27 seconds to go.
Tsohonis hit two free throws to pull Jefferson within 96-95, and after Inglesby added another free throw with 13 seconds left for a 97-95 lead, the Democrats had their last chance.
Tsohonis missed a runner in the lane, and on the scramble for the rebound, Barlow senior Charles Ndayizeye was fouled. He clinched the win by making two free throws with 2.4 seconds left.
“We came in here kind of underdogs, but we fought the whole entire game,” Inglesby said. “We know we can hang with them. If we play good all four quarters, we give ourselves a chance.”
Wolcott made the biggest shot of the night for Barlow. With four seconds left in regulation, he drilled a three-pointer from the right wing to tie 78-78. Inglesby blocked a running shot by Tsohonis to force overtime.
“That was incredible,” Inglesby said of Wolcott’s shot. “We’ve been getting on him to take more shots, and he hit a big one.”
The Bruins showed their mental toughness by refusing to fold against the longer, quicker Democrats. Midway through the second quarter, they trailed by 10 points and were struggling to get good shots.
“It was just a matter of us finding our pace, because they were speeding us up throughout the game,” White said. “Especially when they’d go on a run, they’d get up in us. I think just finding our pace, and getting our rhythm is what got us in a groove.”
White, who made a school-record nine three-pointers and scored 36 points in a season-opening 101-54 win over Wilson, found his groove in the third quarter. He scored 17 points in the quarter, including three three-pointers, each one from deeper than the last.
“It just depends how far off he’s playing,” White said of the defense. “I’m confident from the volleyball line, so if you’re going to give me that, I’ll shoot it.”
Barlow coach Tom Johnson said of White: “I’ve never had a kid spend more time in the gym working on his game. And it shows."
Inglesby said that he and White stayed after practice to get extra shots to prepare for Jefferson.
“He was ready. I was ready. We were all ready,” Inglesby said. “We were pumped all day, and we got the win. It feels great.”
Johnson liked how his team didn’t back down against the talented Democrats.
“Some of our kids give us a mental toughness that we haven’t had in a few years,” Johnson said. “Dominic Jacoby and Jesse have a level of mental toughness that kind of rubs off on the other players. That’s something you can’t coach. Our kids are pretty gritty.”
The Washington-bound Tsohonis led Jefferson with 30 points, getting 23 after halftime. Vance added 15 points for the Democrats.
