COOS BAY — Four boys basketball teams crammed an entire tournament’s worth of drama into two semifinal games Friday afternoon at the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 3A state championships at Marshfield High School.
By the time the final buzzer sounded — twice in the second game — tournament newcomer Riverside and mainstay Valley Catholic were looking forward to the championship game Saturday evening.
Riverside held off a big comeback by Banks, the Cinderella story of the playoffs, to win 63-59 in the first semifinal.
Then Valley Catholic took advantage of a second chance provided by Cascade Christian to win 56-54 in overtime in the second game. The Pirates and Valiants meet at 5:45 p.m. Saturday in the championship game. Banks and Cascade Christian play for third place at 12:30 p.m.
Here’s how the wild afternoon played out:
RIVERSIDE 63, BANKS 59: Jesus Pena has played an integral part in Riverside’s boys basketball team climbing from the bottom of the heap up the ranks of 3A basketball in Oregon. On Friday, the senior hit one of the biggest shots in school history.
With his team’s best player on the bench with five fouls and all of the momentum riding with Banks, Pena hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:19 to go in the game and the Pirates held on to beat the Braves to advance to the championship game for the first time in school history.
“It feels good,” Pena said. “It’s something we haven’t done in years.”
It’s something Riverside hadn’t done ever before Friday. The team hasn’t even been in the tournament since 2007, when the Pirates finished third.
Riverside entered the tournament as one of the favorites, especially after Banks knocked out defending champion Westside Christian in the playoff round, and was in control throughout the first half against the Braves.
The Pirates even had a 16-point lead three minutes into the third quarter after a 3-pointer by Cougar Philippi.
But Banks responded with seven points in a row and then, in the span of 36 seconds, Riverside’s new career scoring leader Cooper Cemore, Philippi and senior Colby Crowell all picked up their fourth fouls and all had to go to the bench for the rest of the quarter.
Banks took advantage of the stars being off the court, even if the Braves didn’t take advantage of the free throw chances, missing five of six.
Banks standout freshman Ryder Powell hit a 3-pointer and then beat the buzzer with another basket to cut the Riverside lead to 45-41 with eight minutes to go.
Banks pulled within two early in the fourth before Pena hit a 3-pointer and then Cemore scored as a whistle blew for a possible three-point play. But the foul was against Cemore and his day was done.
Banks pulled even on a three-point play by Jaic Lamb and again on a basket by Lamb after Pena had scored for Riverside.
When Powell hit a twisting layup the Braves had the lead and the momentum as their crowd roared its approval.
Philippi tied the game with a pair of free throws and then Pena hit his momentum building 3, pushing Riverside back in front with 3:15 to go.
Lamb scored again for Banks but Philippi hit his own big 3 and the Pirates made enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
When Pena was a freshman and Cole Ashby was in his first season as Riverside’s head coach, the Pirates won just two games.
The Pirates made the playoffs the past two years and finally broke through to reach the tournament this year. Ashby was thrilled to see Pena hit such a big shot.
“He is clutch,” Ashby said. “He had a really good game. He’s a great leader.”
Pena said the three was huge for his club.
“I felt the pressure on us,” he said. “The whole team had to step it up. When I hit that 3, the pressure went out of us, gave us the momentum back.”
While the 3-pointer gave the Pirates the lead, the key to the strong finish was the team’s nature.
“The boys stayed level-headed the whole game,” he said. “They battled their hearts out.”
And they kept their composure in crunch time.
“Our kids are relentless,” Ashby said. “They stay together. They love each other.”
Cemore finished with 25 points, but they all came in the first half. Pena scored 18, with five 3-pointers, and Philippi had eight. Crowell grabbed nine rebounds.
Powell had 28 points and Lamb 12 points and eight rebounds for Banks, which starts three freshmen and was trying to reach the championship game after having to win two road playoff games as the No. 17 seed just to get into the tournament. Nate Lyda added 11 points.
“It was a tale of two halves,” Banks coach Patrick Marlia said. “The first half we played individual basketball (and Riverside built its lead). The second half we played team basketball. We shared the ball.”
Banks has a bright future. In addition to Powell, Jalen Janecek and Mason King are freshmen. Lyda and Fisher King, the other two starters, and Lamb all are juniors.
“It sucks losing,” Marlia said. “Getting here and winning yesterday (is huge).”
So is how the team played in the second half.
“I told them in the locker room we could have lost by 35 points,” he said. “We battled back.”
And the Braves are guaranteed a trophy.
“We’re going to work really hard to get third place,” Marlia said. “We need to have short memories (about the semifinals).”
Marlia also gave credit to Riverside.
“They hit big shots,” he said. “They earned it.”
Riverside has the championship game to look forward to.
“The kids worked their butts off all year for this moment,” Ashby said. “I’m proud of them.”
VALLEY CATHOLIC 56, CASCADE CHRISTIAN 54: In the second semifinal, the Valiants needed help to get to overtime. Once they got there, they felt they were in their element.
“We’ve been in three overtimes this playoffs,” Valley Catholic junior Garrett Frank said. “We’re used to it.”
The road to overtime was wild.
Valley Catholic led most of the first three quarters, including by nine points in the first and 10 in the second before Cascade Christian’s Brady Kleker cut the advantage to 27-22 at halftime.
Valley Catholic still led 42-38 heading to the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Challengers went in front on a 3-pointer by Hudson Gotzman and Valley Catholic answered with a hoop by Elijah Schaal. Andy Alvarez had two free throws for Cascade Christian and Frank scored inside for Valley Catholic and Michael Mehta added a hoop at the rim.
Gotzman hit a free throw to pull the Challengers within two, but Kleker missed two others that could have pulled his team closer. Alvarez scored to tie the game with just over 2 minutes to go. And after a turnover by Valley Catholic, Jake Holden scored inside and Cascade Christian was back in front.
Frank hit two free throws with 56 seconds to go to tie the game again and Alvarez scored again to put the Challengers in front again with 48 seconds to go.
But the free throw woes continued.
After a Valley Catholic turnover the Challengers missed two that could have extended the lead. And after Hank Lomber tied the game with a runner in the lane with 18 seconds to go, Cascade Christian star Deryk Farmer was fouled on a drive to the hoop with less than a second on the clock.
Both Farmer’s free throws fell off the rim and the game was headed to overtime.
“Like the great Bill Schonely said, you’ve got to make your free throws,” Cascade Christian coach Brian Morse lamented, referring to the famed voice of the Portland Trailblazers.
Between the fourth quarter and overtime, Cascade Christian missed 11 free throws. Throw in the numbers from the first half and the Challengers finished 14-for-29 from the line. By contrast, Valley Catholic made 10 of 12 free throws.
“We had it,” Morse said. “We worked so hard to get back into it and we let them off the hook.”
Valley Catholic took advantage.
“We talked about it’s a whole new ball game,” Frank said. “We’ve been in this situation before.”
In overtime, Cascade Christian scored first on a free throw by Alvarez, but he missed the other and the Challengers missed two more before the biggest shot of the extra session, a 3-pointer from the wing by Mehta that put the Valiants ahead for good.
“My teammates trust me to make 3s,” Mehta said. “My teammates were relying on me.”
From their experience, the Valiants knew taking an early lead in OT was huge.
“Punch first,” Valley Catholic coach Bryan Fraser said. “We’ve got to be able to punch first and we did.”
Cascade Christian pulled within one on a free throw by Alvarez and then the teams traded empty possessions, be they turnovers or missed shots, until the Challengers had to foul as the seconds wore down. Having only two fouls in the fourth quarter and first three minutes of overtime, it took three fouls before they finally sent Mehta to the line with 19 seconds to go.
The senior missed the first free throw but made the second and the Valiants led 56-54.
“I would have liked to make both,” Mehta said. But making one meant Valley Catholic couldn’t lose on anything other than a 3-pointer.
So they set their defense to keep the Challengers from getting up a 3, accepting a second overtime if it came to that.
When Cascade Christian’s pass to the corner to try to set up a winning 3 at the buzzer fell out of bounds, the game was decided and Valley Catholic was celebrating.
“I’m so grateful,” Mehta said. “It’s been my goal to get to the championship all my life, and not just to do it but to do it with my team. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
Frank finished with 24 points and Mehta scored 14 for the Valiants. Gotzman had 14, Alvraez 12 and Farmer 11 for the Challengers.
Valley Catholic was in the semifinals last year, too, and lost to Pleasant Hill. Two years ago, it was the Challengers who handed the Valiants their lone loss in the tournament, also in the semifinals.
This time, Valley Catholic will be playing on Saturday night.
“It’s a really cool feeling,” Frank said. “I’m really excited.”
Cascade Christian, meanwhile, will have to try to bounce back from the gut-wrenching loss. Morse said his message to them for motivation will be simple.
“What are you guys going to be remembered for?” he said.
He hopes it’s being the team that won third place, not the one that lost in the semifinals and again the next day.
Consolation Semifinals
PLEASANT HILL 74, ST. MARY’S 53: After playing in the state championship game last year, losing in the quarterfinals was heartbreaking for Pleasant Hill.
But the Billies rebounded from the loss, pulling away from St. Mary’s on Friday morning. Pleasant Hill will face rival Creswell in the fourth-place game at 9 a.m. Saturday at Marshfield High School.
“The breakfast club is all about energy and who wants it more,” Pleasant Hill coach Luke Jackson said. “You’ve got to play for pride and for each other. I’m so proud of these kids for digging in and gutting out that win.”
Jackson added that senior Landen Melvin, a returning starter from last year’s team, “didn’t want to lose.”
All Melvin did was shoot 15-for-19 from the floor and score the most points in a game in the 3A tournament since OSAA went to six classifications in 2007 with 37. For good measure, he added 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals.
The baskets included a momentum-building fast-break dunk in the first half set up by a great pass from teammate Jacob Neely that hit him in stride going to the basket.
Melvin said he was driven by playing for his teammates.
“Nobody wants to come down and lose two games (in a row),” he said.
Melvin beat the third-quarter buzzer with a rebound hoop to give the Billies a 50-44 lead. After a 3-pointer by Cooper Anderson of St. Mary’s to start the fourth, Pleasant Hill ran off a 17-0 run to pull away. That included a layin and a dunk by Melvin and then, in the backbreaking stretch, consecutive 3-pointers by Luke Melvin, Cole Jackson and Landen Melvin.
Landen Melvin said the important stretch was in the third quarter.
“We knew we had to bring it,” he said. “We set the tone in the third quarter. It was the defensive mentality.”
Early in the game, both teams were soaring on offense.
Pleasant Hill shot a blistering 64 percent from the floor in the first quarter, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range while building a 21-16 lead and the Crusaders also were over 50 percent.
Pleasant Hill cooled off in the second quarter, including missing all six of its attempts from long range, and the St. Mary’s took advantage. Tai Zimmerman’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Crusaders a 35-32 halftime edge.
For the game, Pleasant Hill shot 50 percent from the floor and made eight of 24 3-pointers. St. Mary’s actually shot better from long range, hitting 9-for-22 from behind the arc, but worse overall (40 percent).
Neely had four of Pleasant Hill’s 3-pointers and scored 14 points. Five different Billies hit at least one ball from long range.
“We’re tough to beat when we are hitting shots,” Luke Jackson said. “Yesterday we laid an egg. I am so proud of these kids for digging in and gutting out a win.”
Isaiah McFarlane had a trio of 3-pointers and 14 points to lead St. Mary’s. Tai Zimmerman added nine points and he and AJ Zimmerman each hit a pair from long range.
CRESWELL 72, BLANCHET CATHOLIC 57: The Bulldogs used a fantastic first half to build a big lead and kept the Cavaliers at bay the rest of the way to advance to Saturday’s fourth-place game against Pleasant Hill.
The Bulldogs shot a blistering 66 percent from the floor (16-for-24) including 6-for-8 from 3-point range in the first half and led 44-27 at the break. Creswell had assists on 14 of 16 first-half hoops. Creswell also forced Blanchet Catholic into 14 first-half turnovers.
“It was a significant improvement from an execution standpoint from yesterday,” Creswell coach Jesse Thomas said, referring to Thursday’s loss to Cascade Christian in the quarterfinals. “The energy was good, but we just weren’t making shots.
“Ace (Arnold) hit the first basket today and from there, we were going.”
Arnold had 19 points in the first half and 23 for the game to lead the Bulldogs and the rest of the team followed suit.
“Our kids play hard,” Thomas said. “They feed a lot off the success on offense for energy. The first half, the energy was there.”
Creswell’s coach also said he was pleased with the contributions he got from many players, especially with the Bulldogs in some foul trouble in the first half. Reserves Tanner Frieze and Emerson Velarde combined for 17 points and shot a combined 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Luke Bailey had 15 points and point guard Landon Vaughn had seven assists.
Adam Barnett had 23 points and James Barnett 17 for Blanchet Catholic. Sam Mosar added 11.
While the season ended for the Cavaliers, the Bulldogs were looking forward to Saturday’s game with their rivals.
“We made it to Day 3,” Thomas said. “That was the goal going into the season — get back here and play on Saturday.”
dorklefin2003@yahoo.com
Subscribe
