After falling to Southridge in the final few minutes a week earlier, the Central Catholic (4-3) boys basketball team wasn’t going to watch another lead slip through the cracks.
Up against No. 4 Tualatin (6-3) In the quarterfinals of the Les Schwab Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 27 inside Viking Pavilion on the campus of Portland State University, the No. 3 Rams were able to close out the game and pick up the 59-53 win.
Seniors Robbie Long III and Jalen Nicholson led the way scoring, meanwhile fellow senior Zamir “Bam” Paschal scored six of his eight points in the fourth to help close it.
Tualatin senior Jemai Lake and junior Pat Vialva Jr. did everything they could to bring the Timberwolves back, getting within a point as late as 51-50 with 1:40 to go.
Instead of falling short though, Central Catholic got the buckets it needed to win what has become a fun matchup between the two schools over the years.
“Closing out quarters, closing out the game much better,” Central Catholic head coach David Blue said of what he liked the most from the matchup. “You gotta play in close games against tough teams like this to be able to figure that out. … There’s growth from last week to this week and I’m really proud of the boys.”
Tualatin threw the first punch courtesy of senior Takeo McCrae after he drained two 3-pointers in the first quarter, pushing the Timberwolves ahead 9-0 at the start.
Nicholson hit a couple shots inside and Rams junior Isaac Bongen came off the bench to hit a three that stopped the bleeding, leaving CC down 16-11 after one.
In the second, senior Donovan Miller hit a three and two more mid-range jumpers to help the Rams take the lead 25-23 at the break.
Miller, usually known for his 3-point shot, said he’s working more on the mid-range and attacking the glass with his lanky frame to help expand his game.
“Southridge came out and in a way out battled us, but we learned from our mistakes,” Miller said. “We just came back and Blue emphasized the need for consistency and to cherish every moment. Me and my teammates out there are trying to cherish everything and staying together.”
Vialva started to heat up in the third with six points alone in the frame, but that’s when the Rams turned to their quarterback on the court in Long who helped settle the Rams down.
Long made plays on defense to keep Tualatin from getting on any kind of run, and on offense he drove inside for some tough layups and two free throws to score six points in the third.
“(Long) is so big for us,” Blue said. “(Long) stepped up and calmed everything, took that leadership role, got us into our stuff. And not just on the offensive end, but on the defensive end. He was taking on the challenge of keeping people in front of him with a tough assignment.”
That tough assignment was Lake, who really started to turn on the jets in the fourth with his Twolves down 42-37 entering the frame.
When it wasn’t Lake driving inside, he was dishing it to Vialva who drained two triples in the fourth. Lake scored seven himself as well, including a three-point play that cut the deficit down to one midway through the fourth.
However, Long was steady with a bucket inside and Paschal started to let loose after dealing with foul trouble all night, scoring two clutch buckets at the rim in the closing moments to keep Tualatin at bay.
“(Long) and (Paschal), they both helped us out a lot in that win right now,” Miller said. “Just playing with a bunch of pace on the court and helped close it out.”
Long finished with a team-high 16 points along with three assists and three steals. Nicholson had 15 points and Miller had 10, meanwhile Paschal finished with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.
“He stayed with it,” Blue said of Paschal. “Being able to play in foul trouble the whole game … but then impacting other ways, he led us in rebounds with nine tonight. Still played without defending and he’s a threat just being out on the court.”
Lake finished with a game-high 17 points while Vialva had 12 all in the second half. McCrae had 11 points as Tualatin suffered its third loss of the season.
Both sides get a day off before continuing play on Monday, Dec. 29. Tualatin will draw the loser between Columbus (FL) and Parkrose at 3:30 p.m. and Central Catholic gets the winner of that matchup in the semifinals at 6:45 p.m. Monday.
The win gives the Rams their third consecutive year of making the LSI semifinals. They fell to the eventual champion both times in the same Columbus team in 2023 and then Gonzaga (DC) last year.
No matter who the Rams see next though, the goal remains the same.
“We’re always coming in to win it,” Miller said. “We’re going to be the Central Catholic we know and work hard.”
More highlights from day two
Westview 68, Gresham 58: After falling to Roosevelt in round one, the Wildcats bounced back with a win over the Gophers who were opening their tournament due to the odd 18-team bracket and Rainier Beach (WA) receiving a bye. Dayton Jenkins led the Wildcats with 17 points while Ian Bautista and Justin Cheng each had 14.
Clackamas 86, Roosevelt 64: The Cavaliers picked up the consolation win over the Roughriders thanks to 56 combined points between Max Martinov, Justin Larsen and RJ Barhoum.
Oregon City 46, Jesuit 39: The Pioneers won a rock fight over the Crusaders thanks in part to 17 big points from Alijah Scott. Eli Hopkins got important buckets when needed as well, finishing with 14 for the afternoon.
Pace (GA) 58, Canby 43: The Knights got their first LSI win by taking out the Cougars. Hayden Clay led with 21 points.
Columbus (FL) 75, Grant 45: The young Generals did their best to compete with the 2023 LSI champion Explorers, but the size and speed was too much. Caleb Gaskins had 20 points for Columbus, but Grant sophomore Jacob Harper-Grant also had 20 in an impressive performance.
Sierra Canyon (CA) 79, Barlow 51: The Trailblazers cruised again behind 26 points from Brandon McCoy.
Day three schedule
Game 15: TBD, noon (consolation)
Game 16: TBD, 1:30 p.m. (consolation)
Game 17: Grant vs. Nelson, 3 p.m. (consolation bracket)
Game 18: TBD, 5 p.m. (consolation)
Game 19: Rainier Beach (WA) vs. Southridge, 6:45 p.m. (quarterfinals)
Game 20: Columbus (FL) vs. Parkrose, 8:15 p.m. (quarterfinals)
austinw@osaa.org
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