No. 3 Oregon City got a leg up in 6A Three Rivers League boys basketball by gutting out a 66-64 win at No. 4 Tualatin on Tuesday night.
Junior wing Alarion Scott broke a tie by scoring on a drive with 6.5 seconds left, and the Pioneers (13-1) turned back the Timberwolves (9-5) on their final possession to prevail in the league opener for both teams.
Oregon City is gunning for its first league title since 2010, and knocking off Tualatin – which has won at least a share of the Three Rivers crown the last two seasons – was a good place to start.
“You don't win a league championship in one night, and you don't lose it in one night, but it's a great step forward,” Oregon City coach Aaron Newkirk said. “They got that chip on their shoulder. They want to prove to people that we're a good team and a contender in our league.”
All five Oregon City starters scored in double figures, led by junior wing Eli Hopkins, with 17 points. Scott scored 14 points and seniors Madden Sendek, Alijah Scott and Connor Lemmon each added 10 points.
“We have really good balance,” Newkirk said. “I think that's one thing that teams are finding out is you can't just take one or two players away.”
The Pioneers survived a 34-point game by Tualatin junior guard Pat Vialva Jr., who made six three-pointers. Senior Jemai Lake, the other half of the Timberwolves' explosive backcourt duo, contributed 15 points.
“When you play those two guards, you can't get discouraged,” Newkirk said. “They're going to make shots, and they're going to make tough shots. Just make sure that the shots they take are contested.”
Oregon City scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to lead 56-51, but Vialva answered with five consecutive points to draw his team even, and the teams traded baskets down the stretch.
After Lake converted a three-point play to make it 62-62, Alarion Scott scored off a feed from Hopkins to put the Pioneers up 64-62 with 51 seconds left. Lake answered with a layup to tie with 39 seconds to go, setting the stage for the winning basket.
As the shot clock ticked down, Alarion Scott drove into the key, made a spin move and scored off the glass for a 66-64 lead with 6.5 seconds on the clock.
“We were running our motion offense,” Newkirk said. “The hardest thing for other teams to defend is when you just run your motion offense and just read and react to what they give you. The whole second half, I don't think I called a single play.”
On the Timberwolves' last possession, sophomore Lincoln Keeney caught in inbound pass near the free-throw line, drove around Hopkins and missed a leaning five-foot bank shot, contested by Sendek.
Grant takes PIL lead
Grant's promising young team claimed sole possession of first place in the 6A Portland Interscholastic League with a 92-84 home win over Benson on Tuesday.
The Generals (7-4, 4-0) hit 12 three-pointers and went 20 of 21 on free throws to hand the Astros (8-4, 3-1) their first league loss. Benson is tied with Roosevelt (4-7, 3-1) in second place.
It was the fifth consecutive win for Grant, which starts four sophomores and one freshman. The Generals beat Roosevelt 80-72 in the PIL Showcase on Saturday.
Jamarea Sanders, a 6-5 sophomore guard, led Grant against Benson with 34 points, hitting five three-pointers. He scored 20 points in the second half.
Sophomore guards Malik Mason (6-6) and Jacob Harper-Grant (6-5) added 22 and 20 points, respectively, for the Generals. Freshman Kendall Hopkins-McGlothen led Benson with 30 points.
NCCS sophomore erupts for 48
North Clackamas Christian's Brandon Lee, a 6-1 sophomore guard, set two school records by making 13 three-pointers and scoring 48 points as the Saints won 72-41 at St. Stephens in a 1A Valley 10 League game Saturday.
The 13 three-pointers is tied for No. 2 all-time in the state behind Western Christian's Gavin Hall, who made 14 against Chemawa last season. Lowell's Brenson Parks also made 13 three-pointers in a game in 1997.
The 48-point game ties Lee for the 1A sophomore state record with Monument's Emory Moore (1965).
Lee started the game hot, hitting 6 of 7 from three-point range in an 18-point first quarter. He had 25 points at halftime and 34 points after three quarters.
Lee is averaging 24.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.9 steals per game this season.
“He started for me last year as a point guard and was undersized,” NCCS coach Grant Nelson said. “He has grown a lot and is still growing and learning how to use his size and jumping ability. His ability to shoot deep three as well as to blow by and finish at the rim makes him tough to guard.”
Notes: No. 1 Valley Catholic stands on top of the 3A Lewis & Clark League after beating No. 2 Westside Christian 69-50 at home on Jan. 8. Hank Lomber and Garrett Frank each scored 15 points for the Valiants (13-1, 4-0) against the reigning 3A champion Eagles (11-3, 3-1). Westside Christian led 15-14 after one quarter but Valley Catholic outscored the Eagles 40-17 in the middle two quarters. … Tillamook senior Griffyn Boomer, a 4A first-team receiver in football, set a school record by scoring 50 points in an 87-85 home win over The Dalles on Saturday. Boomer made eight three-pointers, including five in a 19-point second quarter. He is averaging 17.6 points per game. …
No. 4 Molalla topped No. 2 Newport 68-59 at home in a 4A nonleague game Tuesday, ending the Cubs' eight-game winning streak. Kurt Pederson scored 15 points to lead Molalla, which also got 11 points apiece from Camdyn Morey and Grant Brusseau. … Enterprise's Kason Mitchell, a 6-7 senior, recorded 21 points, 13 rebounds and 11 blocked shots to lead his team past visiting Weston-McEwen 67-33 in a 2A Blue Mountain Conference game Jan. 9. … Freshman guard Nico Wolahan has been a bright spot for 3A Catlin Gabel (3-12). In three losses last week, he scored 55 points and led the Eagles in assists and steals.
jerryu@osaa.org
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