PORTLAND – West Linn knew it couldn't afford to let hot-shooting Southridge get comfortable Thursday at the Chiles Center.
So the No. 4 Lions jumped to an early lead and used their length and athleticism to harass the No. 5 Skyhawks on the perimeter, emerging with a 56-50 win in the quarterfinals of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A boys basketball tournament.
Southridge couldn't find a rhythm from deep, connecting on 4 of 19 three-point attempts, a stark contrast from the round of 16, when the Skyhawks made 18 three-pointers and scored a season-high 96 points in a rout of West Salem.
“We're a strong defensive team. That's why we won,” West Linn senior wing Kevin Benson said. “We made sure they weren't shooting that many threes. We forced them inside. It worked.”
Struggling from the perimeter, the Skyhawks also missed several shots near the basket as the pressure mounted. They finished the game shooting 33.3 percent from the field (19 for 57).
West Linn first-year coach Travis Myers said that playing from ahead made a big difference for the Lions, who never trailed, opening an 11-point lead early in the second quarter.
“It's huge with a team that can shoot it like that,” Myers said. “Because if you let a team that can shoot it at the percentage they shoot from three, they start hitting early, and you get down … it can get out of hand early. We were able to play the way we wanted to play, and not let them do what they wanted to do.”
Southridge coach Phil Vesel said some of the shots his team missed were “great looks, looks we've been hitting,” but credited the Lions for their defense.
“Sometimes when you're coming off a game where it was easy, and you're just flowing, and then you're playing a great team like West Linn, it's not as easy,” Vesel said. “I just felt like a couple guys played a little bit tight today.”
The 6-foot-6 Benson led West Linn with 13 points, 13 rebounds and two assists. Senior wing Gavin Gross had 11 points and seven rebounds and sophomore point guard Trey Price added 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Lions (22-5), who will carry a nine-game winning streak into Friday's semifinal against No. 1 Barlow.
“We're at our best right now, for sure,” Lions senior guard Jalen Snook said. “Our confidence is as high as it can be. We're ready for the semi tomorrow. We're not afraid of anybody.”
West Linn led 31-24 at half and pushed the lead as high as 40-29 on a layup by Price midway through the third quarter. Southridge wouldn't go away, though, getting to within 49-46 on a three-point play by senior forward Alonzo Hoff with 4:15 left in the game.
Skyhawks senior Keenan Reckamp scored to close the gap to 51-48 with 2:16 to go, but Southridge could get no closer. Benson split two free throws after grabbing an offensive rebound, then scored on a drive to put West Linn ahead 54-48 with 1:22 remaining. The Lions closed it out from there.
Vesel lamented the missed opportunities during Southridge's comeback.
“Against a team like that, those are plays you have to finish,” said Vesel, whose team fell in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. “When you play catch-up, you're a little more anxious. We had a couple looks right at the rim that could have made it a one-possession game late.”
The long and springy Benson was a force on both ends for West Linn, slithering to the basket to score and relentlessly pursuing rebounds. He showed his quickness on a steal and dunk in the first quarter – following a steal and dunk by senior wing Wyatt Smiley – as the Lions took control.
“I told Kevin in practice yesterday that he would be the key if we won tomorrow or not,” Myers said. “He definitely was. … He's match-up nightmare for guys because he's way more athletic than he looks. He can just get to a lot of balls. And offensively, with his touch around the rim, he does a great job.”
Hoff finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three steals to lead Southridge (22-6). Sophomore guard Nikko Kalish came off the bench to score 11 points and sophomore guard Elijah Thompson added nine points.
West Linn, the runner-up in 2023, advances to the semifinals for the third time in four seasons. The win helped make up for a 72-67 loss at Southridge in the round of 16 last season.
“Last year was a fluke, and this year, we're coming out,” Benson said.
The Lions have reached the final four despite two talented freshmen from last season – point guard Pat Vialva Jr. and wing Alarion Scott – transferring to Three Rivers League rivals Tualatin and Oregon City, respectively. They have drawn motivation from being underestimated.
“That's kind of been the chip on their shoulder all year,” Myers said. “When we started the year, it was a lot of, 'No one thinks much of us.' I'd say after about three or four games, people started to figure out we weren't bad.”
Thursday's other quarterfinal games:
No. 1 Barlow 73, No. 8 Sprague 47: Senior guard Jalen Atkins and senior forward Mason Bierbrauer combined for 48 points as the Bruins (25-3) cruised past the Olympians (22-5).
Atkins made three three-pointers and finished with 25 points, six assists and two steals. Bierbrauer shot 9 of 14 from the field and had 23 points and four rebounds. Barlow also got an all-around game from senior forward Brayden Barron, who had 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
The Bruins jumped to a 9-2 lead on a three-pointer by senior Blake Hills and never looked back. Atkins and Bierbrauer had three-point plays during a 10-0 run in the second quarter as the lead grew to 34-18
Atkins got hot in the third quarter, scoring eight consecutive points on two three-pointers and a jumper to extend the lead to 42-25.
Barlow, which lost in the quarterfinals last season, advances to the semifinals to meet West Linn. Barlow has made one final, finishing as runner-up in 1996.
Sprague, making its first appearance in the quarterfinals in school history, committed 23 turnovers to Barlow's eight. Senior guard Braxton Long had 18 points and seven assists and senior forward Anthony Best had 10 points and six rebounds.
No. 11 Jesuit 69, No. 3 Central Catholic 56: The Crusaders (18-10) used a 21-0 run in the third quarter to overcome an 18-point deficit and take down the reigning champion Rams (19-8), avenging a quarterfinal defeat to Central Catholic last year and two nonleague losses this season.
Central Catholic led 37-19 early in the third quarter on a three-pointer by junior wing Jalen Nicholson before Jesuit turned the game with a massive surge.
Senior guard Ryan Fraser started the rally with two layups and a three-pointer. The Crusaders added four more three-pointers in the run, two each from senior point guard Patrick Kilfoil and sophomore guard Isaac Bongen.
Bongen hit a triple to draw Jesuit even at 37-37 and Kilfoil made another for a 40-37 lead. Kilfoil's three-pointer with one second left in the third quarter put the Crusaders up 45-40.
Bongen added two more three-pointers in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 58-49 with 2:15 left. Jesuit sealed its ninth consecutive win by scoring its last 11 points on free throws.
Kilfoil finished with three three-pointers and 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Bongen shot 4 of 5 from three-point range and scored 16 points. The Crusaders shot 9 of 19 from behind the arc, giving them 32 three-pointers in three postseason games.
Nicholson had 17 points and six rebounds and senior guard Isaac Carr added 13 points for Central Catholic.
Jesuit will play in the semifinals for the first time since winning the 2019 title Friday when it meets Metro League rival Westview. Jesuit and Westview have played three times this season, with the Wildcats winning the first two and Jesuit taking the third game.
No. 7 Westview 66, No. 2 Tualatin 56: The Wildcats (22-5) earned their first semifinal berth in 14 years by dispatching the Timberwolves (21-6).
Senior James Kefgen scored 21 points to lead Westview. Kai Russell, a 5-8 senior guard, made four three-pointers and finished with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists. Senior forward James Grady added 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Russell hit three three-pointers in the first half as the Wildcats built a 20-10 lead. Tualatin went on a 10-1 run to start the second half, pulling ahead 31-29 on a three-pointer by 6-7 senior post Javier Diaz.
Westview responded by scoring the next 10 points, getting back-to-back three-pointers from Kefgen to lead 39-31. Tualatin answered with the next seven points to move within 39-38 on a layup by junior guard Jemai Lake.
Russell ended the third quarter with a three-pointer for a 42-38 lead. He made a free throw to push the edge to 45-38 early in the fourth quarter, and Tualatin got no closer than five points the rest of the way.
Lake scored 19 of his team-high 25 points in the second half for Tualatin. Sophomore guard Pat Vialva Jr. had 12 points and Diaz added nine points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Tualatin, the champion in 2022 and 2023, made its fourth consecutive semifinal appearance.
jerryu@osaa.org
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