PORTLAND – Determined to make up for a 20-point loss at Barlow last month, No. 3 Central Catholic turned up the heat on the No. 1 Bruins in a Mt. Hood Conference boys basketball showdown Tuesday night.
The reigning 6A champion Rams locked down on defense and got contributions across the board to turn back visiting Barlow 68-60. It was a stark contrast from the teams' first meeting on the Bruins' court, where Central Catholic trailed by 37 points in the third quarter and lost 75-55.
“We took that personally,” Rams senior guard Duce Paschal said. “We definitely had something to prove to the whole entire state. They're still doubting us. We had to come out and prove what we can do.
“They think we fell off from last year, and we're just not where we were, but we're definitely here for that state championship.”
The win not only draws Central Catholic (14-6, 9-1) even with Barlow (19-2, 9-1) atop the MHC standings, but it gives the Rams a late-season boost as they try to build momentum for a repeat title bid.
“It's a big win. We know that's what we do,” senior guard Isaac Carr said. “That last game was almost an awakening for us a little bit. We've been locked in on defense a lot in practice. We've been playing together and competing more, rebounding, all that little stuff.
“It's helped build camaraderie within the team. We just kind of started to put things together.”
The Wake Forest-bound Carr scored 25 points and Paschal added 13 points for the Rams, who took control in the third quarter after trailing 24-23 at half.
The loss ended a 14-game winning streak for Barlow, which missed a chance to put a virtual lock on an outright conference title. The Bruins, who made 11 three-pointers in the first meeting, struggled to get clean looks, finishing with six triples.
“We got out-battled,” said Barlow senior guard Jalen Atkins, who led his team with 22 points. “They're a great team. They've got championship DNA. They just came out and made more plays than us. This is good for us. We're going to persevere and keep getting better. We need this.”
Ryder Zanon, a 6-foot-8 junior reserve post, converted a putback and a three-point play as Central Catholic opened a 40-33 lead in the third quarter. Barlow got within 43-42 early in the fourth quarter, but the Rams held strong behind Carr, who had two three-point plays and a three-pointer to help push the lead to 61-51 with 2:18 left.
Central Catholic coach David Blue said that the 6-5 Carr has made adjustments to how defenses are playing him late in the season. Carr leads the Rams in scoring with a 17.1 average.
“Isaac has slowed the game down a little bit,” Blue said. “We've watched a lot of film. … Everyone is gearing up. We've seen box-and-ones. They've been real physical with him this year. He's just playing without the ball in his hands and moving a little bit more. He's just been a great leader, especially the last two-and-a-half, three weeks.”
It helped Central Catholic that two players missing from the first game against Barlow – junior wings Jalen Nicholson (6-7) and Donovan Miller (6-6) – were back in the lineup as starters Tuesday. Their size was much needed against Barlow 6-6 senior forward Brayden Barron, who terrorized the Rams in the first game.
Also, freshman guard Carter Lockhart and Zanon came through off the bench, scoring 10 and seven points, respectively. They combined for 12 points in the second half.
“We don't win the game without those contributions,” Carr said. “Shout out to them for stepping up and making those big plays. We needed those.”
Central Catholic played its 11th consecutive game without standout junior point guard Zamir “Bam” Paschal, who had a procedure to remove pins from a surgically repaired knee. The Rams are holding out hope that he can return at some point in the postseason, but they're not counting on it.
Regardless, Blue likes how his team has responded after a long look in the mirror a few weeks ago.
“We were trying to win off of talent as opposed to collective greatness,” Blue said. “We have some talented guys, but we don't need any heroes, we just need to play solid. … The last five games, we've definitely moved the ball better.”
Said Duce Paschal: “Earlier in the season, we were still trying to figure out guys' roles. I think right now we've got it figured out.”
Barlow started strong Tuesday, taking a 13-4 lead on back-to-back three-pointers by Atkins, but could not sustain its offense against the Rams' sticky perimeter defense. Barron and senior forward Mason Bierbrauer added 17 and 11 points, respectively, for the Bruins.
“We got on them early, but we didn't put them away,” Atkins said. “Last time we put them away. They played gritty. They're on their home court.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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