Summit's boys basketball team tuned up for its first-ever appearance in the Les Schwab Invitational by going on the road for a 79-60 win over Grant on Tuesday night.
Boise State-bound senior forward Pearson Carmichael scored a school-record 42 points as the Storm (4-1), ranked No. 2 in the OSAAtoday 5A coaches poll, defeated the 6A Generals (3-3).
The 6-foot-7 Carmichael, the reigning 5A player of the year, shot 17 of 31 from the field, including 7 of 13 from three-point range. He also had 14 rebounds and committed one turnover.
“He was amazing,” Summit coach Jon Frazier said. “We kept the ball moving and we kept finding him. He was getting good, clean looks, and he was making everything. It was like an avalanche.”
When Grant ran Carmichael off the three-point line, he dribbled into mid-range jumpers. When the Generals put two guards on him, he posted them up and scored inside.
“He had all three levels going,” Frazier said.
Carmichael is averaging 25.8 points and 11.4 rebounds and is shooting 47.5 percent from the field, including 35.7 percent on three-pointers (15 of 42). Last season, he averaged 23 points and nine rebounds.
Carmichael, senior guard Collin Moore (14.4 points) and senior forward Mac Bledsoe (11.3 points) return as starters from last season, when Summit finished 21-6 and was the 5A runner-up. With high expectations, Frazier said the Storm “is competing against the vision of how good we can be,” and the Grant game offered longer glimpses of it.
“They play unselfishly,” Frazier said. “The parts of this team all fit and complement each other really well. The sky's the limit in terms of what they can accomplish.”
Summit will get a good test next week when it plays in the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational at Liberty High School. The Storm will face 6A co-No. 3 Southridge (6-0) in a first-round game Dec. 26.
“I'm excited to be up there,” Frazier said. “It'll be a good experience for our team. It's a big honor for us to be up there.”
Summit's only setback so far is a 54-48 home loss to 6A No. 5 Roosevelt (5-1), a game in which the Storm missed their first 14 three-point attempts and had 21 turnovers. Summit rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to take the lead in the third quarter, but couldn't hold off the Roughriders.
“There were a lot of times in that game where we were kind of shooting ourselves in the foot,” Frazier said. “It would've been easy to get frustrated and give in. I think the guys learned a lot about their mental toughness and makeup. It was a really good growth moment for our team.”
Moore, a fourth-year varsity player, is showing his leadership. He scored 25 points in a season-opening win at Canby. He was the catalyst for a fourth-quarter surge as Summit came back from down five points to win at 6A Sheldon 49-46. And he played excellent defense against Roosevelt senior guard Terrence Hill Jr., who scored 13 points, well off his 22.3 average.
“I think Collin's as good as anybody in the state in terms of a perimeter defender,” Frazier said of Moore, a 5A second-team pick last season. “He's the ultimate teammate. … He doesn't get scared by anything.”
Summit's two new starters are standout football players. Charlie Crowell, a 6-6 senior post, has committed to Arizona as a tight end. Paxon Kettering, a 6-3 senior wing who played receiver and safety, plans to walk on at Duke.
Crowell and Kettering have bolstered an already physical lineup. Summit showed its toughness on the boards against Grant, collecting 16 offensive rebounds.
“At times I've got to remind them just how big and strong and physical they are,” Frazier said.
Summit came within one win of its first state title the last two seasons. The Storm lost to Tualatin 66-49 in the 6A final in 2022 and fell to Wilsonville 43-36 in the 5A final last season.
“That's obviously something that pushes them,” Frazier said. “Having that experience the last couple years has made that a realistic expectation, a realistic goal. We want to be playing for a state championship this March, and we're going to be mentally and physically ready for when that time comes.”
Bulldogs surprise No. 1
No. 5 Woodburn took down No. 1 Wilsonville 57-47 in consolation play at the Capitol City Classic on Tuesday at Willamette University, avenging a quarterfinal loss to the Wildcats in the 5A tournament last season.
The Bulldogs (3-3) dominated Wilsonville (5-2), leading 30-19 at half, 49-30 after three quarters and by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter.
Junior guard Cruz Veliz led the way for Woodburn with 25 points and three steals. Brody Hawley, a 6-4 senior, made four three-pointers and finished with 16 points and six rebounds. The Bulldogs forced 18 turnovers, committing 10.
Wilsonville senior guard Kallen Gutridge had a team-high 22 points, five rebounds and four assists, making 6 of 12 from three-point range. Kyle Counts added 13 points.
In tournament play, Woodburn defeated West Salem 58-41 on Friday and lost to Northwood (N.C.) 70-38 on Monday. Wilsonville beat Century 62-49 on Saturday and fell to 6A co-No. 3 Tualatin 60-45 on Monday.
The 16-team tournament concludes Wednesday. Northwood and St. Joseph (Calif.) were scheduled to meet in the final.
Cordle on roll
The play of junior guard Colin Cordle has helped 5A No. 8 South Albany get off to a 4-1 start.
The 5-11 Cordle led the way as the RedHawks posted three road victories last week. He had 24 points and five assists at Crescent Valley, 27 points, five steals and three assists at Sweet Home, and 25 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds at Hood River Valley.
Through five games, Cordle is averaging 22.8 points, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals, shooting 55 percent from the field.
Notes: Roosevelt will meet Eastside Catholic (Wash.) in the final of the 16-team Hardwood Invite at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Parkrose High School. The Roughriders advanced by beating Oregon City 71-61, Camas (Wash.) 82-70 and Smoky Hill (Colo.) 64-58. … McDaniel ended a 51-game losing streak with a 58-45 win at Reynolds on Tuesday. Junior Asson Gelly led the Mountain Lions (1-8) with 16 points. … Southridge got a driving layup from junior Alonzo Hoff with eight seconds left to win 65-64 at Cleveland on Monday and improve to 6-0. … Eagle Point senior guard Peyton Pierce has reached 30 points three times this season. He had 33 points and four steals in a 49-38 win over Klamath Union on Dec. 15.
jerryu@osaa.org
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