LAKE OSWEGO – The margin for error against No. 1 Lake Oswego is shrinking.
The Lakers are as healthy as they have been all year, and all of their pieces seem to be fitting together quite nicely.
It was all on display Friday night when host Lake Oswego came at No. 8 Tigard in waves for a 61-46 win that clinches at least a share of the Three Rivers League boys basketball title. The Tigers didn’t play badly, they just couldn’t sustain a rally against the deep, versatile Lakers.
“They’re a very good team,” Tigard senior Stevie Schlabach said. “They’re the best in the league, and they proved it tonight. To beat this team, you have to come out and play pretty much a perfect ballgame. They’re very tough. Every single player plays their role.”
Senior guard Josh Angle returned from missing two games with a sprained knee to record 23 points, nine rebounds and three steals and sophomore point guard Wayne McKinney had 13 points, five rebounds and three steals for Lake Oswego (18-4, 9-1), which opened a two-game lead over Tigard (14-8, 7-3) and Oregon City (16-6, 7-3) with two games left.
“I feel great about it,” Lakers coach Marshall Cho said of where his team stands. “We’ve come through some adversity with a lot of guys getting injured, and we’re finally starting to be on the mend with that. But that ended up being a blessing in disguise because a lot of guys had to rise to the occasion in these moments, and got those reps.”
Trace Salton, a 6-foot-5 sophomore post, continues to give the Lakers quality minutes since returning from offseason ankle surgery six games ago. He had nine points and showed his nimble feet with active perimeter defense.
“He’s really grown up in front of our eyes,” Angle said. “We knew he had it in him. … Just adding another piece like that is huge for us. Hopefully it will pay huge dividends later in the season.”
Angle likes the way the Lakers are rounding into form as the postseason approaches. With their depth, they don’t give opponents a chance to relax.
“We never want to give them that opportunity,” Angle said. “So if any of our starters go out and the next guy comes in, there’s never a deep breath. We have guys – one through 10 – rolling at a high level.”
The Lakers built a 22-12 lead in the second quarter and kept the Tigers at arm’s length. They took a 47-35 edge into the fourth quarter after an inside hoop from senior post Fred Harding.
But Tigard, which played the Lakers tough in a 54-44 loss on its home court Jan. 22, made a fourth-quarter run behind Schlabach. The versatile 6-4 wing scored 13 points in a four-minute span, his last basket coming on a putback that cut Lake Oswego’s lead to 51-46 with 4:53 left.
That was the end of it, though. The Lakers held the Tigers scoreless the rest of the way and put away the game with 10 free throws, five by Angle.
It came as a delight to Lake Oswego’s rowdy student section. The vocal group, which features several members of the school’s state-champion football team, has become a regular source of energy for the Lakers.
“There’s been a handful of my friends, senior boys, who have kind of organized this like Laker Army,” Angle said. “Credit to those guys. Everyone wants to come out to games now. It’s a really cool feeling to see the guys I’ve grown up with come out and celebrate our success. It’s indescribable.”
The game also marked a milestone for Angle, who passed 1,000 career points after entering with 998. The 6-3 Angle showed no ill effects from the knee injury, raising up for deep jumpers and confidently taking the ball to the basket.
“It’s doing better,” he said. “It feels good. I’d say I’m 100 percent.”
Cho was encouraged by the performance of Angle, who shot 7 of 12 from the field and 9 of 10 on free throws.
“You saw a relaxed, just playing with this pace, Josh Angle,” Cho said, “which is beautiful to see.”
Schlabach had 23 points and nine rebounds to lead Tigard, which shot 36 percent, including 4 of 19 on three-pointers. It was a tough loss for the Tigers, but they remain confident that they can be a threat in the postseason.
“We have nine seniors on the team, and we’ve been playing together since like the fifth grade, and that obviously helps us,” Schlabach said. “And I think we’re going to make a really good run.”
Lake Oswego’s biggest issue, at this point, might be distributing minutes. Cho likes the energy he sees from players as they cheer from the bench, though, an indicator that team’s culture is healthy. It’s something that Cho often is reminded about by Lakers football coach Steve Coury.
“That’s the biggest thing, just fighting for our culture every day,” Cho said. “Coach Coury says that to me every time he sees me, ‘Hey, you’ve got a shot, take care of the little things.’ So it’s probably wise for me to stay close to his advice.”
