CLACKAMAS – R.J. Barhoum has spent plenty of time at the Chiles Center over the years watching his sister, Sara, and all-American Jazzy Davidson play in the 6A tournament for girls basketball powerhouse Clackamas.
Friday night, in a game for the ages against Happy Valley neighborhood rival Nelson, the Cavaliers junior guard made sure that he will get his chance to play on the big stage.
With host Clackamas trailing Nelson by four points late in the second overtime, Barhoum scored the Cavaliers' last six points for a 74-72 win that puts them in the eight-team 6A tournament at the Chiles Center. The 6-foot-5 Barhoum finished with 26 points in a wild, back-to-forth game played at a fever pitch before a packed house.
“Two thousand people in here, standing room only, it's truly special to be a part of this,” said Barhoum who was lifted up by teammates and students in a frenzied celebration after the final buzzer.
No. 8 Clackamas (18-9) has earned its first state tournament berth since 2020. The Cavaliers will meet No. 17 Benson (21-6), which upset top-seeded Southridge in overtime Friday, in the quarterfinals at the Chiles Center on March 11 at 1:30 p.m..
“I've been watching Sara and Jazzy play there, and it's been a dream of mine, and we did it,” Barhoum said. “I've been Clackamas through and through, grew up down the road from the high school.”
The situation looked bleak for Clackamas in the second overtime when Nelson junior Jayden Schregardus made two free throws with 24.8 seconds left to give the ninth-seeded Hawks a 72-68 lead.
Barhoum rushed down the court and drew a foul on Schregardus while shooting a three-pointer with 20.5 seconds on the clock. Schregardus, the Hawks' leading scorer with 21 points, went to the bench with his fifth foul, and Barhoum calmly drained three free throws to make it 72-71.
The Cavaliers turned up the heat on the press, and Barhoum came up with a steal with 10 seconds left. From well behind the top of the three-point arc, he nailed a triple to put Clackamas up 74-72 with 5.3 seconds to go.
“I knew he was going to make it,” said Clackamas junior guard Max Martinov, who also had a big night with 13 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. “I believe in him. I knew it. That's my guy.”
Barhoum, who averages a team-high 19.2 points per game, didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. It was his fourth three-pointer of the game.
“I practice those shots, 30 feet, 40 feet,” he said. “Since I was a little kid it's been ingrained in my head to do that.”
Clackamas coach Ryan King marveled at Barhoum's clutch finish.
“He's just got a killer instinct,” King said. “He wants the ball and he wants the shot. He always has, since he was a freshman. He has ice in his veins.”
Nelson (19-8) had one last chance. The Hawks got the ball to junior guard Ashton Cantwell, but his deep three-point attempt was blocked by Cavaliers 6-4 senior Kyle Christensen as the clock expired.
The win ended Clackamas' seven-game losing streak against Nelson, a school that opened in 2021 to ease Clackamas' enrollment burden. The Cavaliers lost to the Hawks 62-61 and 74-65 in Mt. Hood Conference games this season.
“We haven't beaten Nelson since I was in the eighth grade,” Barhoum said. “It's been a long time. We're going to be celebrating tonight.”
As the Cavaliers cut down the nets to celebrate, King stepped outside to cool off and calm his nerves.
“I've been coaching almost 30 years, and I've never been involved in a game like that,” King said. “That was insane. The amount of shots those kids hit, I mean, are you kidding me? Over and over and over and over.
“Everything was on the line. Absolutely incredible. … If you don't enjoy this, this is as good as it gets. The game was off the chart.”
For a time, it appeared that Nelson had its own hero in Schregardus. With the Hawks trailing by three points in the final seconds of the first overtime, the 5-11 guard banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the score 64-64, leaving the Cavaliers stunned.
Nelson made the short trip up Sunnyside Road on Friday planning to secure its first-ever state tournament berth. The Hawks absorbed a blow in warm-ups, though, when star junior point guard Braylon Gaines injured his foot, the same one he broke in November that caused him to miss the first 19 games of the season.
Gaines, who averaged 19.7 points, 8.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds in seven games since his return, sat on the Nelson bench in street clothes during the game.
“He's our leader, and he's our best defender,” Nelson coach Daniel Blanks said. “It was a gut punch to have that happen.”
Schregardus, who made five three-pointers, led the Hawks in a spirited effort. Sophomore guard Carter Lockhart (15 points), Cantwell (14 points) and senior guard Chaz Katoanga (13 points) also had standout moments.
Barhoum and Martinov had the answers for Clackamas. The Cavaliers also got 16 points and three blocks from 6-6 senior Syrius Owens and 13 points from senior wing Justin Larsen (four three-pointers).
Owens, a transfer from Roosevelt, gives Clackamas some state-tournament experience. As a sophomore, he played on the Roughriders' 6A runner-up team.
“It means a lot to get back. It's unreal, to be honest,” Owens said. “I feel like we have a big chance. I feel like we can make something happen, prove a lot of people wrong.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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