BEAVERTON -- Even on a night when the Barlow Bruins looked a little rough around the edges, they still found a way to win.
Barlow’s Brayden Barron scored a team-high 17 points and Jalen Atkins and Blake Hills added 13 each, helping lift the No. 2 Bruins to a 55-51 non-conference boys basketball road win Tuesday over No. 7 Westview.
Westview led by as many as 12 points midway through the second quarter before Barlow closed the half on an 8-0 run to cut the Wildcats' lead to 24-20 at halftime.
In the second half, there were five lead changes and four ties before Barlow’s Mason Bierbrauer drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to give the Bruins a 46-43 lead with 5:14 to play in the fourth quarter.
Westview still had a chance after Atkins made one of two free throws to make it 53-51 with nine seconds left.
Coming out of a timeout, James Kefgen’s 3-pointer from the right corner with four seconds left missed the mark for the Wildcats. Hills grabbed the rebound for the Bruins, got fouled, and made both free throws with two seconds left to close out the scoring.
“Typical early-season game,” Barlow coach Tom Johnson said. “We made a lot of mistakes, but I liked how we stayed tough. And you’ve got to give Westview a lot of credit. They’re a very good team and I’m happy we survived this.”
Kefgen led all scorers with 19 points for the Wildcats. Lucas D’Haem and Peyton Read added eight points each, and Dayton Jenkins finished with seven.
“We met the moment and played a really good team who deserves to be ranked second in the state,” Westview coach Mike Wolf said. “They’re really good. I think we showed that we can go toe-to-toe with teams at that level, but losing stinks.”
It didn’t stink early. When Jenkins stole the ball and scored on a breakaway jam to put Westview in front 24-12 with 4:40 to play in the second quarter, it looked as if the Wildcats could do no wrong.
Then Barlow cranked up the defense, Westview went ice cold on offense, and the Bruins were back in the game heading into the third quarter.
“We started pressing and we starting picking up our energy,” said Barron, the Bruins’ 6-foot-6 senior post. “That’s really what changed the game for us.”
Barlow had only 20 points in the first half, but scored 21 in the third quarter — eight made baskets, including five 3-pointers — to take a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
Hills’ driving layup gave Barlow its biggest lead at 52-47 with 2:37 remaining and the Bruins held on from there, pushing their record to 2-0 while spoiling Westview’s season opener.
“We saw what Westview was doing,” Atkins said. “We knew that they were going to try to speed us up and make us do stuff that we didn’t want to do. But we adjusted. That’s what basketball players do and we came together. That’s all it was. We came out and played gritty, battled it out, and you can’t ask for too much more.
“It was a good match-up. I’ll take that outcome 10 times out of 10, but they put up a fight.”
What would Atkins like to see his teammates take away from Tuesday’s game?
“The grittier team is going to win,” he said. “Whoever plays harder, whoever wins 50-50 balls and does the little things, talks and communicates … I mean, we didn’t do that in the first half. But the second half came around and we ended up coming back and winning the game, so that’s what it is.”
At the same time, Westview was right there with nine seconds left.
“We had the ball down two with a chance to win or tie the game,” Wolf said. “We executed the play perfectly and James took a tough shot that he can make. You hold your breath and if it goes in, everybody thinks you’re a hero. And if it doesn’t then you’re kicking yourself with your head down.
“I told them that I was really proud of the effort and the performance. That game helped us get better. That’s the goal.”
What else did Wolf learn about his team in the opener?
“I learned that we’re pretty good,” said Wolf, beginning his eighth season with the Wildcats. “I learned that we’ve got a bunch of guys who compete and who want to work and get better.
“Our defensive game plan was trying to make Barlow do what we want instead of what they want. You hold that team to 20 points in the first half, you’re doing something right. Then you give up 21 in the third quarter and you wonder if maybe you stayed with the same thing too long and maybe let them get comfortable and get into a rhythm.
“No state championships are handed out on Dec. 10. I’m excited about what comes ahead.”
