Thurston senior wing Lucas LaBounty is averaging 24.4 points and shooting 41.7 percent on three-pointers. (Photo by Pat Edmison)

The offseason was not kind to Thurston's boys basketball team.

The Colts lost three rotation players from a Midwestern League title team due to season-ending surgeries – seniors Matt Newell (knee), Brock Johnson (knee) and Grady Saunders (rotator cuff) -- complicating their effort to replace four starters.

“It was kind of a rough stretch there,” coach Blaine Liberatore said.

Despite the setbacks, Thurston is thriving. The Colts (10-4, 3-0), No. 6 in the OSAAtoday 5A coaches poll, are riding a seven-game winning streak, punctuated by convincing road victories over No. 3 North Eugene and No. 7 Crater in pivotal league games last week.

'We weathered the storm,” Liberatore said. “If there's a story of our season right now, it's been guys stepping into those opportunities and taking advantage of them.”

The one constant has been the play of 6-foot-5 senior wing Lucas LaBounty, a 5A second-team pick last season. He is leading Thurston in points (24.4), rebounds (6.5) and assists (3.2) and is shooting 51.5 percent from the field, including 41.7 percent on three-pointers, and 88.3 percent from the free-throw line.

“He's playing at a really high level right now,” Liberatore said of LaBounty, the lone returning starter. “He's just upped his game. He's increased his post presence and post game. He's scoring in the post and in transition.”

Sophomores Treyson Hill and Leofatu Filipe are having breakout seasons. Hill, a 6-5 wing, is averaging 13.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Filipe, a 6-5 post, is putting up 12.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. They are part of a deep and talented sophomore class that has been playing together since the third grade under Colts assistant coach Doug Piquette.

“They're getting to the point where they're not playing like sophomores anymore,” Liberatore said. “It took a little while for us to get there.”

Filipe, a second-team all-state defensive end in football, is the son of former University of Oregon defensive lineman Victor Filipe. He is a physical presence inside and a threat on the perimeter.

“He can do it all. He's a tough match,” Liberatore said. “He does a really good job using his body, and he can take you outside and take you off the bounce. He's made a huge difference for us. He's definitely something different than we've had in years past.”

The other starters are senior point guard Logan Piquette (6-0) and junior guard Ridge Lindsay (6-1). Sophomore guard Brody Corgain and 6-7 senior post Rylan Sharp are key contributors off the bench.

Three of the Colts' losses were by three points to 6A Sheldon, 5A No. 5 West Albany and 5A Central. The other was a 79-58 defeat to 6A No. 4 Tualatin in the Capitol City Classic in December.

Thurston is outscoring foes by 24.4 points per game during its seven-game winning streak. The run started after a 58-55 loss to Central, a team the Colts defeated 62-41 at home in their season opener.

“That was a little bit of a wake-up call,” Liberatore said.

Thurston rebounded with four consecutive wins over 6A teams. The Colts beat West Linn 64-46 in their final game at the Capitol City Classic, then won the Abby's Holiday Classic in Medford by dropping North Medford 74-65, Grants Pass 62-27 and South Medford 60-44.

The road trip to Medford brought the team closer together, according to Liberatore.

“For sure, that was a turning point for us, not only on the floor, but off the floor,” he said.

The Colts won at North Eugene 65-47 on Jan. 13 behind LaBounty (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Hill (20 points). Three days later, they won at Crater 68-45 as LaBounty poured in 29 points and Hill racked up a school-record 12 assists to go with 10 points and five rebounds.

The Colts, who lost in the state quarterfinals last year, are surging with confidence.

“I think finally we're hitting that stride,” Liberatore said. “Now we have to fight the mindset that we've arrived. We haven't played our best basketball yet, not even by miles.”

Sladek sparks West Salem

The return of 6-6 senior forward Diggs Sladek helped propel West Salem to a key 66-60 win at McNary in a 6A Central Valley Conference game Friday.

Sladek, sidelined since suffering a torn ACL and meniscus in the third game of last season, came off the bench in the middle of the first quarter and contributed 11 points for the Titans (6-7, 2-0), who handed the Celtics (9-3, 2-1) their first conference loss. Sladek made two free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

“It was fun,” Sladek said. “I haven’t done it in a while, and it felt good to finally get out there.

“We definitely needed this one, but we've got a lot more work to do. We've got to clean up some things. We've got to run our offense a little bit better and take care of the ball more.”

The teams were tied 36-36 at half before West Salem opened an 11- point lead early in the fourth quarter. McNary rallied to within one possession late, but the Titans put the game away with free throws. Sophomore guard Jonah Munns led West Salem with 14 points.

-- Jeremy McDonald contributed to this report

No. 1 Scappoose falls

Unranked Astoria took down 4A No. 1 Scappoose 43-37 on Friday to take sole possession of first place in the Cowapa League.

The host Fishermen trailed 24-23 at half but took control by outscoring the Indians 11-4 in the third quarter. Senior Mulu Starr-Hallow and junior Cooper Jones led Astoria (10-4, 3-0) with 16 and 11 points, respectively, each making two three-pointers. Senior Trever Olsen scored 14 points for Scappoose (11-3, 2-1).

The Fishermen made 15 of 24 free throws, including 7 of 10 in the fourth quarter. The Indians were 6 of 10 from the line.

Molalla edges Marshfield

Molalla made the clutch plays down the stretch to emerge with a 70-68 win at Marshfield on Friday in a nonleague game between teams tied for No. 4 in the OSAAtoday 4A coaches poll.

Seniors Kurt Pederson and Jaxson Johnson scored 18 points to lead the Indians (14-1), who handed the Pirates (7-6) their fourth loss in five games.

The game was tied with 12 seconds left when Molalla senior Grant Brusseau came up with a steal and layup, also drawing a foul, to put the Indians ahead 70-68 with 6.8 seconds remaining.

Brusseau missed the ensuing free throw, and the Pirates rebounded, but they were unable to get up a final shot against Molalla's pressure defense.

Notes: No. 8 St. Mary's (11-2) dealt Lakeview (12-1) its first loss of the season, winning 59-41 at home in a 3A Southern Oregon Conference game Jan. 13. Taj Zimmerman scored 21 points for St. Mary's, sitting out the fourth quarter after his team had opened a 44-27 lead. … With first place at stake in the 3A Eastern Oregon League, No. 3 Riverside won at Umatilla 74-65 on Jan. 15. Cooper Cemore and Jesus Pena scored 27 and 16 points, respectively, for Riverside (12-3, 3-0). David Garcia had 29 points and nine rebounds for Umatilla (11-5, 2-1). … No. 2 Union (14-1, 3-0) stands alone in first place in the 1A Old Oregon League after a 48-44 win at Powder Valley (10-4, 2-1) on Friday. Joey McGraw had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Bobcats, who extended their winning streak to 13.