‘Second place in the state isn’t bad.’ Summit comes up just short in bid for 6A title, but Storm leave no doubt about one thing: The kids from Central Oregon can compete with anyone
By Alex Tam | Photos by Ken Waz
PORTLAND — As the final 20 seconds ticked down of the OSAA Class 6A boys basketball state championship game, reality started to settle in for Summit.
The emotions came flooding out for the Storm players on the court. Several crouched down while pulling their jerseys over their heads. There were a lot of hugs and tears while seeing Tualatin celebrate its 66-49 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center.
For Summit High School of Bend, while it was the end of its journey, it was a run that will never be forgotten.
“Obviously, it’s sad we lost, but you just try to look on the bright side,” Summit senior Julian Mora said. “We didn’t lose until the last day of the season. There’s always that, and second place in the state isn’t bad.
“Props to Tualatin — they’re really good and they outplayed us. But I couldn’t be more proud of our team and the coaches.”
Looking back, there was a lot for Summit to remember:
● A 27-game win streak to reach the state title game.
● An overall win streak of 36 games dating to the COVID-shortened spring season.
● A span of 294 days it took for another school to beat them.
● And reaching the first boys basketball state championship game since the school’s construction was finished in 2001.
Senior Caden Harris said while there were a lot of mixed emotions for the seniors’ final game, he wants his teammates to remember what made this season so special.
“We can’t hang our heads on the loss right now,” Harris said. “I think right now, the best thing for us is to enjoy the moment. Nobody thought we’d come out here and do what we did right now.”
The Storm found themselves playing catchup for most of the game. After Mora’s basket with 2:57 left in the first quarter gave Summit a 9-8 lead, Tualatin answered just seconds later and built a 17-9 lead entering the second.
Summit never led again, while seeing the Timberwolves push their lead to 10 in the first half.
The Storm, who averaged 70.8 points per game entering the contest, shot an uncharacteristic 31.8 percent from the field in the first half (7 of 22) and only 40 percent from the free throw line (4 of 10).
“We were just doing a little too much,” said Harris, who scored a team-high 15 points. “We were going too fast in the first half. That moreso affected us. We came out in the second half differently. If we would’ve gotten rid of all the nerves in the first half, it would’ve been a totally different game.”
Summit coach Jon Frazier credited Tualatin’s defense for limiting his team to its second-lowest point total of the season.
“Against a team of that caliber, you've got to have three things go your way,” Frazier said. “You've got to go on a run, you’ve got to make some shots, and you certainly have to make some free throws.
“We had our moments to close that gap. … Anytime we made any kind of push, it seemed like they had some kind of answer.”
Summit came close to closing the gap several times in the second half.
Harris’ breakaway jam in the third quarter cut Tualatin’s lead to 33-30 with 5:28 left. After the Timberwolves pushed their lead back to 11, Summit made one more comeback attempt to close to within six points at 54-48 with 2:30 to go, but the Storm couldn’t get over the hump.
The furthest Summit had previously gone was the Class 5A semifinals in 2016, when it placed fifth. This is the fourth trophy in boys basketball for the Storm, which includes sixth-place finishes in 2017 and 2010.
This marks the final season for Summit at the Class 6A level before it moves down to 5A next season.
For Mora, he hopes it was a chance to prove to the state the quality of basketball played in Bend after hearing the doubters.
“I think people started to notice,” said Mora, who had 10 points. “We just played in the state title game, so if people don’t think we can play in Central Oregon — well, we got hoopers. I think it’s time to wake up and the future is bright. We can hear the hate from Bend, definitely — that we couldn’t play and we’re just soft kids from Bend. So, I hope we proved that we’re not.”
Frazier said he doesn’t take much stock in the difference between the 6A and 5A level, as “each year is its own journey.”
“You take your kids and hope they realize their potential,” Frazier said. “Sometimes you get talented kids and you end up in a place like this. Sometimes you do your best to put them in the best possible position to be successful.
“For us, next year being at 5A, there’ll be brand-new challenges and some great teams we’ll have to face. I knew years ago this group had a chance to do something special, and they certainly realized that.”
The one common theme expressed by the Storm players and coaches that made this season so special was the feeling of family on and off the court.
Frazier said it wasn’t the victories the coaching staff will remember. It’s the relationships they’ve built that’ll last forever.
“Like we told them in our locker room, all of us coaches said, ‘You’ve got a bunch of uncles now that’ll be there for you guys for years to come,’” Frazier said. “Having you guys over for barbecues and going out to coffee; we want to adopt these kids as our own and treat them like family.”
Mora said it didn’t feel like a team, but “more like brotherhood.”
“Even all the parents are close, all the kids are so close and coaches’ kids,” Mora said. “It just all felt like one. You play basketball together and you have a lot of fun.”
The memorable run to the title game included an unforgettable buzzer-beating putback by Mora to beat Roosevelt 65-64 in the quarterfinals. The Storm then used their hot outside shooting with 12 three-pointers to beat Mountainside 73-61 in the semifinals.
Summit will graduate eight seniors: Mora, Harris, Carson Cox, Truman Teuber, Ben Woodward, Sam Renner, Shane Arnold and Matt Caylor. Returners include sophomores Collin Moore and Pearson Carmichael, and juniors Hogan Carmichael, Ben Strang and Ethan Hall.
“It’s hard to put into words how much I care about those kids,” Frazier said. “Ultimately, what I told them is the legacy they left. They laid the groundwork and the road map for future kids in our program to truly see the effort it takes to be great.”
