‘It’s championship or nothing.’ West Linn gets Central Catholic’s best shot, but Lions survive and advance, move 2 wins from ultimate prize

“It’s going to be a dogfight, and we love dogfights.”

Dan Brood | Mar 9, 2023

By Dan Brood | Photos by Taylor Balkom

No pressure.

No nervousness.

No worries.

But only a championship will do.

The top-seeded, highly heralded West Linn boys basketball team, in its bid to cap its season with a state title, knows it has a target on its back, and that it’s going to get everyone’s best shot.

The Lions certainly seemed to get Central Catholic’s best shot, and they survived to keep their championship quest alive, rallying and then holding on to notch a 49-45 win over the Rams in a Class 6A state tournament quarterfinal Thursday at the University of Portland’s Chiles Center.

“We knew that they were going to bring their best,” West Linn senior forward Mark Hamper said. “We knew that they had players over there, and it was going to be a physical, defensive-minded game. A lot of credit to them. They came out with a lot of power and a lot of fight in them. But we just fought to the end and, luckily, we came out on top.”

“It was a little rough at the start, but we pulled through,” West Linn senior guard Sam Leavitt said. “We had a good second half, defensively. That’s really what it came down to. We figured out what we needed to do.”

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With the win, its 14th in a row, West Linn, ranked No. 17 nationally by SBLive/Sports Illustrated, improved to 27-1. But maybe more important to the Lions, it puts them two wins from claiming a Class 6A state championship.

“It’s championship or nothing,” Leavitt said. “The (Les Schwab Invitational) and (Capitol City Classic), those were fun to win, but this is the goal, trying to get that ring.”

“This is the biggest thing for us,” Hamper said. “If we don’t come out on top, then it’s all kind of been for nothing. So, this means everything to us. We just want to end the season on top.”

Meanwhile, every opponent West Linn faces will likely be fired up to stop the Lions from reaching that goal. But that’s OK with the West Linn squad.

“We like to have that target on our back,” Hamper said with a smile. “We want to come out and prove that we’re the best every day. With that mindset comes that target on our back, so we have to be ready for everyone’s best. Today we were. But a lot of credit to them.”

“It’s not just the teams, but it’s all the fans,” Leavitt said. “Everyone in the gym wants to see an upset. We know we have a target on our backs. I know that definitely fires me up.”

Fired up, yes. Nervous, feeling the pressure? Not so much.

“I don’t think there’s any nervousness or pressure, with all the experience we have in big games,” Hamper said. “The Les Schwab games, the Capitol City Classic, the battles we’ve had with Tualatin, those games are always fully packed. We’ve been in games like this before and we just have to keep our cool during it all.”

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No. 9-seeded Central Catholic, the No. 3 team out of the Mt. Hood Conference, moved to 15-12.

Despite likely being considered an overwhelming underdog, Central Catholic came out seemingly brimming with confidence to start the game.

“Our attitude was that we were expecting to win that game,” said Central Catholic sophomore Isaac Carr, who paced the Rams with 16 points. “That’s how we were going into it. I thought we definitely had it, but a few little mistakes really cost us.”

Central Catholic, behind a couple of 3-point baskets by Carr, jumped out to a 10-6 lead with 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter. West Linn, getting a 3-point basket by junior Nick DiGiulio, off a pass from senior Jackson Shelstad, and two free throws by senior Adrian Mosley, rallied to take an 11-10 lead at the end of the period.

Central Catholic came storming back in the second quarter. Carr connected on two more 3-pointers in the period, while also assisting on a 3-pointer by senior Gray Thompson, helping the Rams claim a 23-21 halftime advantage.

“My teammates were able to find me when I was open, and I was able to make the shots,” Carr said of his four first-half 3-pointers.

Central Catholic opened the scoring in the third quarter with a basket on a 13-foot jumper by junior Marley Zeller, giving the Rams a 25-21 lead.

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But that’s when West Linn, with Shelstad and Mosley leading the charge, came battling back.

Shelstad sank a 3-pointer and converted a 3-point play on his way to scoring nine points in the period. Mosley added eight points in a span of 3:20, helping the Lions take a 38-37 lead to the fourth quarter.

West Linn opened the final period on a 7-2 run — with Mosley scoring all seven of the team’s points — to build a 45-39 advantage with 2:24 remaining.

Central Catholic, getting baskets on jumpers by Carr and junior Tony Angelo, trimmed the deficit to 45-43 with 1:05 to play. But the Lions, behind free throws by Mosley and Shelstad in the final 35 seconds, were able to close out the 49-45 win.

“I think Adrian having a big second half,” Hamper said of the key to the turnaround. “We just all rallied behind him, and his heart. Sam Leavitt was getting a lot of loose balls. It was just a lot of heart and a lot of fight in that second half.”

Leavitt did seem to be after every loose ball, or up-for-grabs rebound, in the decisive second half.

“I didn’t want to go home,” Leavitt said. “I’m not No. 1 on offense for scoring, so I was just trying to do everything I could to help us win the game.”

Shelstad scored 17 points. He had five rebounds and two assists. Mosley tallied a game-high 21 points, getting 17 of those in the second half.

“Oh my gosh, yes. He was a big, big reason why we won,” Leavitt said of Mosley.

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DiGiulio added six points for West Linn. Hamper had six rebounds and three points, and Leavitt totaled six rebounds, three blocks and two points.

Most important, the Lions got to celebrate a hard-fought victory and take another step toward a possible state championship.

“It was just like, ‘Alright, let’s go.’ It’s going to be a dogfight, and we love dogfights,” Hamper said. “We were ready for it.”

West Linn will face Lincoln in a semifinal game Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Carr went 4 for 5 from 3-point range in scoring his team-high 16 points for Central Catholic. He had five rebounds and an assist.

“I thought we played really well,” he said. “We really stuck to our game plan. We all played hard.”

Ultra-quick freshman Zamir Paschal added 10 points for the Rams, including eight in the second half. Zeller had eight points and seven rebounds. Thompson had five points and five rebounds.

For the young Central Catholic squad, with just two seniors on the roster, the battle with West Linn could be a learning experience that will pay off in the future.

“This was a lot of fun, playing in a close game like that against a team that no one thinks you’re going to beat,” Carr said. “We learned that those little things can make a big difference. Just one offensive rebound, one turnover, can change the game.”

The Rams will face Gresham in a fourth-place semifinal Friday at 9 a.m.

“We’re looking to win the rest of our games, for sure,” Carr said.