OREGON CITY – Unheralded Oregon City has quietly taken the inside track in Three Rivers League boys basketball.
The seventh-ranked Pioneers, who haven't won a league title in 15 years, gained sole possession of first place Friday night with a 64-54 home win over No. 6 West Linn.
It's becoming clear that Oregon City (14-3, 4-0), which also holds a league win over No. 2 Tualatin (14-4, 3-1), is a legitimate force. With 6-foot-5 senior guard Gylan Payne doing a little bit of everything – and 6-5 sophomores Eli Hopkins and Alarion Scott providing length, athleticism and scoring punch – the Pioneers are building momentum with every win.
“It feels great. We deserve it,” Hopkins said. “In the coaches poll one week, we weren't even in the top 10. We took offense to that, and we went hard in practice. We just kept working hard. Every game I feel like we've got something to prove.”
Against West Linn (13-4, 3-1), Oregon City took the lead for good late in the first half. The Pioneers led 46-41 after three quarters and pushed their edge to 61-46 with 1:30 remaining.
Scott, a transfer from West Linn, led the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Hopkins had 15 points and Payne chipped in 10 points, 11 rebounds and about a half-dozen assists.
It's been a gratifying senior season for Payne, who averages a team-high 21.2 points per game.
“It's been so fun,” Payne said. “Since the start of the season, just watching the young guys develop, coming together chemistry-wise.”
Oregon City has not made the 6A tournament since 2019, losing in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons. With the marked improvement they have made on defense, though, this season has a different feel.
“We struggled in the summer, and we struggled defensively,” coach Aaron Newkirk said. “We knew we had to take a lot of steps to be competitive against teams like West Linn.”
Newkirk said his team learned a hard lesson in the season opener at Century. The Pioneers blew a 15-point lead in the second half and lost 66-64.
“The kids learned right away we have to be more consistent on defense,” Newkirk said. “Every week we have gotten better on defense. They have made tremendous improvement. That's why we're in the situation we're in now.”
West Linn coach Travis Myers was impressed with Oregon City.
“They're good. They're huge,” Myers said. “They've got really skilled guys. They do a really good job with what they do. They play with a ton of effort. I thought their bigs played really well tonight. Their effort was tremendous tonight.”
Payne didn't have his usual game on offense but left his fingerprints all over the victory.
“I noticed early that my shot wasn't falling, but I've just got to affect the game in any way that I can,” Payne said. “Tonight it wasn't scoring, it was facilitating, rebounding, getting steals and blocks.”
Newkirk raved over Payne's passing ability.
“He has a knack to see the floor like no kid we've ever had,” Newkirk said. “He sees things before they happen. He's got a lot of natural ability, just basketball sense.”
On one play in the first half, Payne drove down the middle of the key and flicked the ball high toward Hopkins, who ran the baseline and threw down a thunderous dunk. The play illustrated the chemistry they have developed.
“Throughout the season, we're just getting more comfortable with it,” Payne said. “We've had a couple during league that have been big. Me and him have probably the most chemistry on the team.”
Said Hopkins: “In the Medford tournament, we got one to go, and it's just been bread-and-butter since then. I don't even think we made eye contact.”
Scott was outstanding inside for Oregon City, in particular on the offensive glass. Scott was a little extra fired up to play against his old teammates, according to Hopkins.
“In the locker room, he was like, 'I'm going to drop 20,'” Hopkins said. “He was hyping us up all week.”
Sophomore guard Trey Price led West Linn with 15 points. Senior wing Kevin Benson and senior guard Jalen Snook added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Myers said his team did not defend well Friday.
“It's something that we've done well all year, but tonight for whatever reason, we didn't guard the ball well,” Myers said. “I thought we rebounded it as poorly as we could. … We were letting them have second chances.”
The Lions played their sixth consecutive game without senior Gavin Gross, a 6-6 wing who averages 12.3 points. Gross suffered a broken wrist Jan. 10 against Clackamas and is expected to miss up to six weeks.
jerryu@osaa.org
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