Grant's boys basketball team capped an impressive week with its most important win of the season Friday night.
The co-No. 10 Generals came from nine points behind in the fourth quarter for a 71-69 win at No. 3 Roosevelt in a pivotal 6A Portland Interscholastic League game. It comes after Grant defeated No. 2 West Linn 55-52 on Monday and No. 7 Cleveland 68-53 on Wednesday.
Senior wing Max von Arx converted a layup with two seconds left to give Grant (11-2, 6-1) the win over the Roughriders (9-3, 2-1). The Generals trailed 64-55 early in the fourth quarter before closing out the game on a 16-5 run.
The win puts the Generals in a first-place tie with Lincoln (12-4, 6-1) in a hotly contested PIL race.
“It's super huge for us,” Grant coach Robert Key said. “Our league, I think this might be the strongest since I've been in the PIL as a head coach.”
Junior Adrian Mosley scored 30 points to lead Grant, making 11 of 23 shots, 5 of 10 from three-point range. He had 10 points in the fourth quarter, including two three-pointers. His layup with 2:17 left put the Generals ahead 66-65.
After Roosevelt sophomore Terrence Hill scored to tie 69-69 with 22 seconds left, Grant called timeout to set up a final shot. Mosley missed a three-pointer, junior Marcus McKinney rebounded and found von Arx for the go-ahead layup. Hill missed a half-court heave at the buzzer.
Von Arx finished with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists. Key said it was a “gutsy performance” by von Arx, who sat out the first part of the third quarter with a back injury.
Senior wing Andre Lawrence also had a strong all-around game for Grant, collecting six points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and two blocks.
“He played lights-out,” Key said of Lawrence.
But Mosley was the difference for Grant. The 6-foot-3 guard, coming off a 27-point outing against Cleveland, has raised his season scoring average to 20.5
“The kid is just exceptional,” Key said. “He's a winner. He wants to play at the highest level when he's done playing in high school, and that's his focus.”
After posting up a lot in his first two seasons at Grant, Mosley has moved outside and adjusted to playing point guard.
“I've always told him, 'We can't win games with just you,' and he understands that,” Key said. “He makes players around him better. He's understanding the point-guard role now.”
Friday's game ended a stretch that saw Grant play seven games in 11 days. After playing only six games in December – and missing the Les Schwab Invitational due to COVID issues – the frantic schedule helped the Generals iron out some wrinkles.
“It means a lot,” Key said. “This helped us tremendously as far as getting a rhythm and me getting to know my team in terms of a good, solid rotation. It's really paid off a lot.”
Hill scored 32 points for Roosevelt, including 15 in the third quarter when the Roughriders wiped out an eight-point deficit and pulled even at 53-53 entering the fourth quarter. The loss ended Roosevelt's four-game winning streak.
Churchill ends Crater streak
Senior point guard Samaje Morgan scored 19 points as No. 5 Churchill defeated No. 4 Crater 62-46 in a key 5A Midwestern League game Friday night.
With the home win, the Lancers (10-4, 5-0) stayed tied for first place with No. 7 Eagle Point (12-1, 5-0). The loss ended a 10-game winning streak for Crater (13-2, 5-1).
Churchill took advantage of 10 first-half turnovers to build a 24-18 lead by intermission. The Comets fought back with a 9-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters, drawing to within 40-39, but the Lancers went on a 10-2 surge and pulled away.
Senior guards Evan Thompson and Matthew Forsyth each made three three-pointers and scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, for Churchill. Senior wing Tate Broesder scored 14 points for Crater, which also got 12 points from senior Colton Vranes and 10 points from senior Caden Lasater.
Eagle Point, which won its 11th in a row Friday by holding off North Eugene 46-43, plays host to Crater on Tuesday and Churchill on Friday.
Mountainside buzzer-beater
It was a big week for Mountainside, which took over first place in the 6A Metro League by beating No. 5 Beaverton 50-31 at home Tuesday and going on the road for a 46-43 overtime win over Jesuit on Thursday.
Senior guard Dylan Westlake played the hero against Jesuit, hitting a buzzer-beating 40-footer at the end of overtime for the win. He finished with a game-high 20 points.
“We're extremely happy for our kids and ecstatic for Dylan,” Mavericks coach Dustin Hewitt told Pamplin Media Group. “He's such a great kid and the ultimate teammate. That shot couldn't have happened to a better kid, and it's definitely the best shot in our program's history."
Jesuit senior Tyree Blake forced overtime with a basket, and the Crusaders were in position to win when they had possession late in overtime with the score tied 43-43. But they were called for traveling with three seconds left, setting up Westlake's game-winner.
Mountainside improved to 10-3, 3-0 in the Metro, ahead of Southridge (10-5, 3-1), Beaverton (9-4, 2-1), Sunset (6-7, 2-1) and Jesuit (8-7, 2-2).
jerryu@osaa.org
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