Tualatin boys basketball head coach Bubba Lemon said it himself: The next game after losing in a tournament is the hardest one to coach.
So after falling to Central Catholic in the quarterfinals on Saturday, getting up for a consolation game in the middle of the day was tough.
And the 6A No. 4 Timberwolves looked the part against 5A No. 1 Parkrose on Monday during the Les Schwab Invitational at Viking Pavilion on the campus of Portland State University.
However, with a good talk at halftime and a commitment to the gameplan, Tualatin (7-3) was able to climb back and eventually take over the lead and keep the Broncos at bay for a 65-55 victory.
“Coming out here, not playing for a championship is tough,” Tualatin junior Pat Vialva Jr. said. “We started out flat, didn’t have the energy to come out and play. At halftime, we had a good talk and we played for each other at the end of the day.”
Parkrose (6-2) was getting everything it wanted in the first quarter with sophomore Jayden Hall, a transfer from Shadow Ridge High School in Las Vegas, getting a couple buckets inside. Then it was freshman Victor Norris hitting a couple jumpers and junior Keone Gates, a transfer from Grant, knocking down a corner three.
After the first frame it was 19-9 Broncos, and it didn’t get much better going into halftime for Tualatin down 28-21.
“When you lose that game that says you don’t have a chance anymore, that next game is probably one of the hardest games I’ve ever had to coach,” Lemon said. “They did a good job responding.”
The turnaround started thanks to senior Takeo McCrae catching fire from the field. He hit a couple mid-range shots before draining a 3-pointer, followed by another putback bucket that all of a sudden put Tualatin up 37-32 with 2:36 left in the third.
Defensively, the Timberwolves locked in as well as the Broncos open lanes were now closed with sophomore Lincoln Keeney doing a good job patrolling the paint.
“(McCrae) exploded, he started it for us,” Vialva said. “He got us rolling. As he showed us he wanted it bad, we got back in and kept working, getting rebounds, boxing out and everything like that. Again, playing as a team.”
McCrae is originally from the Portland area but moved to Arizona and played at Millennium High School before returning back home for his senior season.
Despite being away, McCrae has fit right in and been an important voice for a Tualatin squad that has a handful of returning talent already.
“(McCrae) has been unreal for us, he’s got a good head on his shoulders,” Lemon said. “He’s been a vocal leader for sure on the team and it’s a good piece that we missed.”
McCrae wasn’t alone though as Vialva picked up the pace in the second quarter and extended that into the third when he hit four free throws and another jumper to get up to 15 points heading into the fourth. Tualatin now led 48-39.
Vialva opened the fourth with another 3-pointer and McCrae had an early bucket to keep the second-half onslaught going.
Senior Jemai Lake was a steady scoring presence all afternoon, meanwhile junior Carter Lemon, nephew of head coach Bubba Lemon, provided his normal defensive pressure.
The guard trio of Lake, Carter Lemon and Vialva is one that no team will be able to contain for a full 32 minutes.
“It’s fun to watch them play, they have a good time together,” Bubba Lemon said. “Three talented guards, two who might be the best in the state and Carter is working with them every day and he’s getting better every day.
“You’re talking about the most selfless guards you’ve ever seen. They look for each other all the time and that’s why they’re successful.”
Parkrose was never able to make a real run at it as its normal rotation started to get in foul trouble and was struggling shooting the ball.
Tualatin hit its free throws down the stretch and eventually snagged the 65-55 win. Vialva led all scorers with 20 points while Lake had 15 and McCrae had 13.
Senior Varryk Hardges led the Broncos with 12 points and senior Adrian “Fuzzy” Montague chipped in 10 points.
“The bond is huge, it’s tight,” Vialva said of Tualatin’s chemistry. “We have lunch with each other at school, we’re always with each other and we never have a dull moment with each other. … It’s going to take us a long way if we keep staying together and being good together.”
Tualatin will be in the fifth place game against Rainier Beach (WA) after the Vikings blew through Barlow on Monday.
Rainier Beach boasts the nation’s No. 1 recruit in Tyran Stokes, as well as the son of former NBA star Jamal Crawford in freshman JJ Crawford.
It’s a tough matchup, but Tualatin has played nothing but tough games after playing in the Capitol City Classic last week along with one-off games against Southridge, Centennial and Jefferson.
“There’s not any one that they’re scared of,” Bubba Lemon said of what the nonleague slate has taught the team. “I think the guys realize if we all buy in – that’s what all this stuff does, it helps us buy in.
“Who cares if you lose one game early, two games early, it’s what you’re doing at the end of the year that really matters.”
More day four highlights
Jesuit 56, Gresham 48: Joe Stimpson stayed hot for the Crusaders by pouring in 18 more points. Ryan Barone went with him knocking down four 3-pointers and scoring 14 points. Gresham had Kareem Artharee go for 14 points and nine rebounds, and Ter’Rae Foster scored 11.
Canby 75, Roosevelt 47: The Cougars controlled this one going into halftime and through the final 16 minutes thanks in large part to dominance from Jaxon Lawson. The guard finished with a triple-double of 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Cooper Cousin was the leading scorer with 15 while Carter Lawson added 14 points. Jayden Metcalf led the Roughriders with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Pace (GA) 80, Grant 53: The Knights pulled away in the fourth after holding only a seven-point advantage going into the final frame. Pace outscored Grant 26-6 in the fourth. Brielen Craft couldn’t be slowed down as he poured in 27 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Knights. Grant was led by sophomore Jacob Harper-Grant and his 18 points.
Westview 62, Nelson 59: The Wildcats hung on in the fourth to pick up a win over the Hawks. Ian Bautista was electric from outside with six made 3-pointers, leading to a game-high 22 points. Dayton Jenkins had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Westview and Dash Nicely added 17 points and nine rebounds. Nelson was led by Jaydon Schregardus and Ashton Cantwell who scored 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Rainier Beach 89, Barlow 60: After getting upset by Southridge last night, the Vikings took out their frustrations on the Bruins in the big win. National top recruit Tyran Stokes scored 26 points and his teammate Sam Babbs added 25. Maddox Young led the Bruins with 18 points.
Columbus (FL) 74, Central Catholic 67: The Rams gave the tournament favorites everything they could handle, but the Explorers were able to escape with the win thanks to 27 points from Caleb Gaskins. Isaac Bongen led the Rams with 20 points while Robbie Long III had 15 points, and Zamir "Bam" Paschal had 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Sierra Canyon (CA) 75, Southridge 50: Brandon McCoy led the Trailblazers by the Skyhawks with 17 points to end the upset-minded Southridge run. Drew Groenig had 14 points and Brooks Fortune added 12.
Final day schedule
Grant vs. Clackamas, noon (consolation)
Parkrose vs. Barlow, 1:30 p.m. (winner’s bracket consolation)
Oregon City vs. Pace (GA), 4 p.m. (consolation championship)
Tualatin vs. Rainier Beach (WA), 5:30 p.m. (fifth place)
Central Catholic vs. Southridge, 7 p.m. (third place)
Columbus (FL) vs. Sierra Canyon (CA), 8:45 p.m. (championship)
austinw@osaa.org
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