Cascade Christian 56 Westside 51
Game of the day, without a doubt. With all due respect to Nyssa-Sutherlin, this game had the on-court talent and an intriguing coaching matchup, with David Henry–Cascade Christian alumni and former player and assistant coach for the Challengers–matching up against his mentor, Brian Morse. Westside had their hot streaks, had moments where it looked like the uber-talented squad from Tigard would take over, but the more experienced and more deliberate Challengers continuously responded. Sophomore phenom Austin Maurer had 23 points and 11 rebounds, while the lone Challenger senior Cody Reece had 18 points and 8 assists. Cascade Christian will play in the championship game tomorrow night at 5:45 p.m. against De La Salle, attempting to win their first state title since 2009–and avenge their two consecutive losses in the final game. Westside will play Dayton in the 3rd-place game at 12:30 p.m.
De La Salle 56 Dayton 40
Dayton did about everything they could, but they were at a serious disadvantage from the start. De La Salle was taller, more athletic, and more versatile. Despite all that, the Pirates played solid and physical defense and shot well enough to stay in it. De La Salle simply had more in the tank down the stretch, and they pulled away late. De La Salle will play in the championship game against Cascade Christian at 5:45 p.m., attempting to win their first title since 2019. Dayton will play against Westside in the 3rd place game at 12:30pm.
Burns 43 Oregon Episcopal 26
It was back and forth for most of the contest, but Burns turned it on in the second half, and the Aardvarks had no counter. Burns’ perimeter defense proved to be too much for OES, who, outside of Cayton Smith, had no consistent offense in either half. Kylah Kaino had 19 for Burns. The Hilanders will face league rival Nyssa in the tournament finale tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m., attempting to win their first state title since 2009. OES will play Sutherlin in the 3rd-place game at 2:15 p.m.
Nyssa 48 Sutherlin 44
There were serious concerns coming into this one about how well Nyssa would handle Sutherlin’s pressure, how they’d react to long Wicks 3-pointers, and how they’d fare against their more experienced–though youthful–opponent. They killed it. They were not in control the whole game, but they had their way for the most part. Gracie Johnson had a very quiet 20 points, filling the stat sheet with putbacks and blocks. Nyssa will play for their first state championship since 2007 tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. in the tournament finale, facing the #4-seeded—and league rival—Burns Hilanders. Sutherlin will play Oregon Episcopal in the 3rd-place game at 2:15 p.m.
Leave a Reply