Reigning 4A boys basketball champion Baker opened the season by passing an early test to win the Central Oregon Tip-Off Classic last weekend.
The Bulldogs, No. 1 in the OSAAtoday preseason 4A coaches poll, went 3-0 to claim the tournament title. They came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat host Crook County 63-57 in the final Saturday afternoon.
Baker handled Mazama 84-29 on Thursday and 5A Bend 73-52 on Friday before taking on the No. 6 Cowboys for the title. Crook County rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half two lead by one point after three quarters, but the Bulldogs went on a run in the fourth quarter to take control.
The clutch finish was an encouraging sign for Baker, which returns three starters from a team that went 28-1 last season.
“We're going to get everybody's best game,” Bulldogs coach Jebron Jones said. “Going to Crook County, on their home court, it was like a playoff environment. It was a true testament to our guys, just overcoming everything they had to deal with and finishing the game.”
Junior guard Eli Long made three three-pointers and scored 21 points and senior guard Isaiah Jones added 12 points to lead Baker against Crook County, which beat co-No. 9 Astoria 71-37 and No. 8 Marshfield 39-38 in the first two rounds.
“They made a lot of shots,” Jebron Jones said of the Cowboys, who will visit Baker for a nonleague game Jan. 4. “I think we'll see them again late in the season.”
The Bulldogs made 27 three-pointers in the tournament, hitting 10 against Mazama and 11 against Bend. Senior guard Jaxon Logsdon hit a team-high eight triples in the three games, including four against Bend.
Isaiah Jones led the Baker in scoring in the first two games with 16 and 19 points. Logsdon was the second-leading scorer in those games with 15 and 17 points.
Isaiah Jones, Logsdon and junior guard Rasean Jones – the returning starters from last season – started every game in the tournament, but Baker had three different starting lineups as Jebron Jones experiments early in the season.
Long and senior guards Grant Gambleton and Palmer Chandler – rotation players from season – got chances to start, as did junior forward Jack Joseph, sophomore forward Hayden Churchfield and freshman guard Jake Holden.
“The weekend was the first step to developing a bench to where they can be trusted during a game in tight situations,” Jebron Jones said.
Isaiah Jones and Logsdon are fourth-year starters. The 6-foot-3 Rasean Jones, a standout football receiver and state champion hurdler, is a third-year starter.
Rasean Jones suffered a separated shoulder in an October football game but made it back to play in the first three games, scoring 27 points.
“Basketball-wise, he has no limitations,” said Jebron Jones, his father. “There are certain lifts that he still can't do. He tweaks his shoulder every once in a while in practice or in games. But it's nothing major, just an occasional stinger.”
The Bulldogs will play in a tournament at Rocky Mountain High School in Idaho Thursday through Saturday. After that, they will make their first-ever appearance in the Les Schwab Invitational Dec. 26-29 at Portland State.
“That's a blessing we get to be a part of that,” Jebron Jones said. “That's something they will always remember.”
Baker, which won its first title since 2007 last season, expects to challenge for a repeat.
“They're hungrier now than they were last year,” Jebron Jones said.
Westside Winter Jam
Westside Christian, the 3A runner-up last season, won all three of its games to take the title at its own Westside Winter Jam tournament Thursday through Saturday.
The top-ranked Eagles defeated No. 10 St. Mary's 72-57 and Neah-Kah-Nie 60-48 to reach the final, where they beat 1A No. 3 Mannahouse Academy 57-49.
Westside Christian won despite struggling with its shooting.
“We will likely never shoot as poorly as we did this weekend,” coach David Henry said. “But we still pulled out victories over three state playoff teams. Once the shots go down, we are going to be a handful.”
Senior Jack Leland had a big tournament, racking up 49 points and 18 steals. In the final, the Eagles got strong performances from Leland (13 points, five steals) and seniors Jona Lee (15 points, five three-pointers) and Kyler Crites (14 points, three assists).
“We're a lot smaller than in recent years, but definitely connected, and active defensively,” Henry said. “We are a 'sum of the parts' group, and balanced in a lot of ways. We don't have Batman and Robin this year.”
Creswell upsets Marist
Creswell, unranked in 3A, posted one of the biggest surprises of the early season by downing 4A No. 3 Marist Catholic 64-51 in the opener for both teams Friday.
The host Bulldogs led 44-42 after three quarters and outscored the Spartans 20-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away.
Senior guard Tyler Whitson led Creswell with 16 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Senior Darien Dewey and junior Ace Arnold added 12 and 10 points, respectively, each hitting two three-pointers.
Senior guard Taylor Iverson scored 13 points for Marist Catholic, a state semifinalist last season.
Skyhawks soar
Southridge dominated Wells 69-50 and Sherwood 89-62 at its own four-team tournament last weekend.
Sophomore guard Elijah Thompson led the way against Wells on Friday with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Senior wing Alonzo Hoff had 16 points and three assists.
The 6A No. 7 Skyhawks dispatched No. 10 Sherwood on Saturday. Senior Keenan Reckamp made all 11 of his free throws and finished with 22 points, four assists and six steals. Junior Drew Groenig was 5 for 5 from three-point range and had 19 points and five assists. Hoff added 20 points, five rebounds and three assists.
