No. 1 Summit does just enough to get by Mountain View, will face Woodburn in 5A boys semifinal
McMINNVILLE, OREGON — Championship teams find ways to win on days without their best stuff.
Top-seeded Summit is hoping to become a championship team, and the Storm took a big step toward that goal by grinding through an uneven offensive performance in Wednesday’s Class 5A boys basketball state tournament opener against No. 9 Mountain View.
Trailing by nine in the opening period, Summit used an 18-2 second-quarter run to seize control at Linfield University’s Ted Wilson Gymnasium. The Storm then held on late with some help from role player Jakob Hansen to squeak out a 50-48 quarterfinal win.
“Each game is going to have its own little DNA,” said Summit head coach Jon Frazier, who has guided the Storm to back-to-back state runner-up finishes. “There were moments where we got things moving and went on a nice little run, but at state tournaments, it’s survive and advance. You just have to find a way to do it, and I was proud of our guys for finding a way to win in different ways.”
After falling to Summit (22-4) three times in Intermountain Conference play, Mountain View (16-11) opened the game with a new triangle-and-two defense aimed at slowing down star wing Pearson Carmichael. The scheme switch worked as the Cougars led 13-4 late in the opening quarter and 15-8 heading to the second.
Summit found a solution and outscored Mountain View 18-2 in the period until Mason Chambers converted a four-point buzzer-beater to make it 26-21 at halftime.
“It took us a little time to figure out the triangle-and-two,” said Carmichael, a 6-foot-7 Boise State signee. “And once we did, we went on a roll.”
The Storm held a comfortable 42-28 advantage with under a minute to play in the third, but Mountain View refused to go quietly. The Cougars pulled within five on a basket by Kole Hendricks and cut it to 48-45 with 29 seconds to play when Brady Kennedy converted a layup.
Hansen, who buried two 3-pointers in the fourth, made two late free throws that clinched the win. Chambers knocked down a scramble three with one second left, and Summit successfully ran out the clock to punch its ticket to the semifinals.
“I sat most of the third quarter but I stayed ready, stayed locked in,” Hansen said. “I knew my chance would come, and I just wanted to do whatever I could to help the team win.”
Hansen scored all eight of Summit’s fourth-quarter points. He finished 2 for 2 from 3-point range while the rest of the team combined to go 0 for 9.
“One of the things we talked about in the locker room afterward is that wasn’t a lucky moment,” Frazier said. “That was the result of years and years of hard work and preparation, competing like crazy in practice and being ready for the moment when it comes.
“That was something we obviously needed tonight. We needed someone else to step up and hit a big shot with the way Mountain View was guarding us.”
Carmichael paced Summit with 10 points, seven rebounds, six steals and two assists. Mac Bledsoe and Collin Moore added 10 points apiece, and Paxon Kettering had four points, seven rebounds and six assists in his return from a hand/wrist injury.
Quincy Townsend led the Cougars with 12 points, six assists and three steals.
“I thought our defensive effort was outstanding,” Frazier said. “Collin once again did an amazing job on Quincy, keeping him in check. I thought our defensive intensity is really what led to that win.”
The Storm are looking to finally break through at the state tournament after consecutive second-place finishes.
Two years ago, Summit started 27-0 before losing to Tualatin in the 6A final. Wilsonville defeated the Storm in last year’s 5A title game.
“Each year is its own journey,” Frazier said. “This team is totally unique from last year, and certainly unique from two years ago. For me, what we always talk about as a program is we’re competing against the vision of how good we can be. It’s not a matter of chasing trophies or records or any of that kind of stuff; it’s about how good can we be and how close are we to getting there?”
But a first-place trophy is still the ultimate goal, and Carmichael believes this is the team that will get over the hump and secure the program’s first state title.
“It would mean a lot for the city of Bend and our school,” Carmichael said. “We’ve been there twice, and our city and school deserve a state championship. Coach Frazier has been coaching for the last 15 years, and he deserves a plaque in his office. We’re doing this for him and the city of Bend.”
The Storm advance to take on No. 4 Woodburn, which stunned No. 5 West Albany, 54-52, in the other early quarterfinal.
Woodburn had two steals in the final 15 seconds to complete a dramatic comeback against its Mid-Willamette Conference rival. Liam Slattum had the first steal and converted two free throws to make it a one-point game, and Dylon Renteria recorded the second that resulted in a Cruz Veliz and-one with nine seconds to play.
Veliz put up 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists for MWC champion Woodburn.
Brysen Kachel led West Albany with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kachel left the game late with a right knee injury and did not return.
Summit and Woodburn will face off at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
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Photos by Leon Neuschwander
Photo by Leon Neuschwander
Photo by Leon Neuschwander
