It appeared as if Portland Christian's state championship window might have closed last year after it lost to Western Christian in the 2A boys basketball final for the second year in a row.
The Royals graduated their top scorers and rebounders in 6-foot-10 Colby Getting and 6-5 Joseph Diesel – 2A second-team picks who have moved on to college careers at Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) and Ozark Christian (Mo.), respectively – leaving them with a gaping hole in the middle.
But behind a crew of experienced guards and promising new big men, Portland Christian has reinvented itself and kept on winning. The Royals, No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 2A coaches poll, improved to 11-0 with a 78-36 home win over Clatskanie in a Northwest League game Friday night.
“We were anxious to see what we were going to look like, losing our big guys,” coach Erik Lyslo said. “We're a little bit faster, little bit more up-tempo. We're not scoring the same as we did last year, but we're defending better, covering more space. We're more versatile on the perimeter.”
Lyslo said he expected some growing pains early in the season, especially considering the team's schedule, but the veterans and promising younger players have meshed seamlessly.
“We've been a little surprised, but at the same time, with the experience we have, I'm not surprised, because they know how to win,” he said.
Portland Christian brought back three starters in 6-0 junior point guard Keylon Kittleson, a 2A second-team selection last season, and 6-0 senior guards Ethan Larner and Josiah Skidmore-Harris. They are joined in the starting lineup by 6-4 junior post Hudson Calhoun and 6-5 junior wing Zane Ozier, a transfer from 5A Parkrose.
The Royals are winning with a balanced attack. They have four players averaging in double figures with Kittleson (15 points, eight assists), Ozier (14 points, seven rebounds), Skidmore-Harris (13 points) and Larner (12 points).
The expectation of winning – the team went 55-4 in the last two seasons, going unbeaten in the Northwest League – has carried over.
“The culture these guys have created at PC is really special,” Lyslo said. “The mixture of the new kids coming through now, how they've sort of taught them how we do things, has been pretty special.”
Kittleson has been a driving force. In a 52-46 win over 3A No. 2 Westside Christian at McArthur Court on Dec. 13, he took over late, finishing with 24 points.
“He's just kind of picking and choosing when he needs to be the scorer for us, the alpha, the No. 1 guy,” Lyslo said. “Otherwise, he's doing a great job of distributing and getting us into our offense. That's the part of his game that has matured.”
Calhoun and Ozier are proving capable in the frontcourt. The team continues to adjust to their strengths.
“They've filled in well,” Lyslo said. “Zane gives us kind of a different element than Joseph or Colby gave us, just with his athleticism. There's a lot of untapped potential there. You're not going to replace Colby, but Hudson's done a fantastic job on the glass and defending, communicating on defense.”
Senior guards Graham Calhoun, who scored 25 points in a 97-30 win over Faith Bible/Life Christian on Tuesday, and Cole Larson provide valuable minutes off the bench.
Portland Christian is outscoring opponents by 27.1 points per game, its closest wins by six points over Westside Christian and 3A Banks and by 10 points over 3A Oregon Episcopal. The Royals were tied with Oregon Episcopal after three quarters before taking command. They trailed Banks 10-0 but recovered and pulled away late.
Portland Christian has dominated the Northwest League in recent seasons, but Lyslo believes the gap over the other teams has shrunk this season. No. 7 Knappa, the league runner-up last year, has the size and guards to make a run at the Royals.
“We lost a lot and other teams didn't,” Lyslo said. “They're all better this year.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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