St. Joseph (Calif.) tops Northwood (N.C.) in championship showdown between boys basketball powers at Capitol City Classic in Oregon

“It means a lot for us to come out here to this big tournament and to win it”

SALEM, Ore. – Two powerhouse teams. 

One from North Carolina, the other from California. 

Two unblemished win-loss records.

A lot of determination and so much talent on each squad.

Something had to give — someone had to take. 

And the St. Joseph boys basketball team took it all.

The Knights, from Santa Maria, Calif., behind an ultra-fast start, a strong finish and some spectacular play between, fought off Northwood, from Pittsboro, N.C., to claim victory, 64-38, in the showdown championship game of the 16-team Capitol City Classic, played Wednesday, Dec. 20, at Willamette University.

“It means a lot for us to come out here to this big tournament and to win it,” said St. Joseph sophomore guard Julius Price, who led all scorers in the title contest with 27 points. “It’s amazing.”

“This has been an amazing experience coming here and getting the ‘dub,’ playing against some of the best competition,” said St. Joseph junior forward Tounde Yessoufou, who added 25 points. “Playing together with my teammates and winning, that’s what it’s all about.” 

With the victory, St. Joseph, which bested nationally ranked Lincoln Park, Pa., 74-60 in the semifinals, improved to 10-0. 

“This was really fun,” Yessoufou said. “It’s really fun when you’re winning, especially when you beat the nationally ranked teams. It’s really awesome.”

“We came out here and played against some of the top teams in the country, and to beat those teams means a lot,” Price said.

Northwood, which fought off two-time defending Oregon Class 6A state champion Tualatin to get a 73-64 win in the semifinals, moved to 6-1.

But, as with St. Joseph, the Chargers were all smiles after the championship contest.

“It means a lot just to come out here to Oregon,” said Northwood senior guard Drake Powell, a North Carolina commit. “We got the opportunity to bond with each other and play against really tough teams. We found leaders in this group, and we gained some maturity as well.” 

“It was a great learning experience,” Chargers senior point guard Fred Whitaker said. “I think it will help with our mental toughness and getting stronger.” 

St. Joseph, with Price leading the way, showed its determination from the start of the title tilt.

Price, a super-quick guard, scored the first five points. With the score 5-4, he sank a 16-foot jumper, dished to Yessoufou for a dunk, buried a 3-pointer from the top of the circle and scored on a drive to the basket, increasing the Knights’ lead to 14-4 with 1 minute and 10 seconds left in the opening period.

“I just tried to come out and be aggressive, and it worked this game,” Price said. “We got off to a good start, and we kept that lead the whole game.”

A steal and dunk by Yessoufou gave St. Joseph a 16-4 advantage at the end of the period.

Northwood tried to fight back at the start of the second quarter. A free throw by junior Beau Harvey and a 3-pointer by senior Griffin Hobbs made it 16-8 with 7:18 before halftime.

It appeared things might get even better for the Chargers when Yessoufou went to the bench after picking up his third foul, his second on a charging call, with 6:24 remaining in the quarter.

But St. Joseph had other ideas.

“We just tried to stay as composed as possible,” Price said. “We know how big of a player he is for us. We just had to stay composed until he could come back in.”

With that in mind, the Knights got a follow-up basket by sophomore center Abdul Bare, a 3-pointer from senior Ramon Cota off an assist from Price and a basket on a baseline jumper by freshman Malcolm Price, leading to a 25-16 St. Joseph halftime advantage. 

The Knights’ biggest cheerleader when Yessoufou was on the bench was Yessoufou himself.

“Even when I got my three fouls, I know I have to keep cheering for my teammates and keep the rhythm going because even though I had just four points, I just want to win,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s winning, man.”

Yessoufou, after his unexpected second-quarter rest, came out ablaze to start the third quarter — and that might be an understatement.

The athletic, 6-foot-5 Yessoufou scored 16 points in the period. That scoring spree included a thunderous two-handed dunk off a perfect alley-oop pass from Cota and a baseline drive that resulted in a spectacular wrap-around reverse layup.

“We know what he can do,” Julius Price said of Yessoufou.

Powell had a pretty good third quarter of his own, sinking a 3-pointer and scoring seven points in the period. Northwood sophomore Chad Graves added two baskets in the period for the Chargers, who trailed 45-31 going to the fourth quarter. 

“Our coach (Matt Brown), he helps us battle through adversity,” Powell said. “When those raindrops hit, it’s important for us to stay together and keep communicating.”

But on this night, St. Joseph wasn’t going to be denied. 

Julius Price bookended his fast start with a solid finish, sinking a 3-pointer and scoring nine points in the fourth quarter. Yessoufou connected on a long 3-pointer and assisted on a dunk by Bare as the Knights closed out the 64-38 win — igniting their victory celebration.

“It felt great, being undefeated going into Christmas break and winning this type of tournament,” Julius Price said soon after St. Joseph was awarded the Johnny Leonard trophy. “It’s amazing.”

“We finished our business,” Yessoufou said with a smile. “That’s the reason we came here.”

Julius Price started and finished strong in getting his game-high 27 points, scoring 21 points in the first and fourth quarters. He seemed to cause havoc throughout the game, whether it be pulling up for a shot, driving hard to the hoop or driving and kicking the ball out to a teammate.

“I was just trying to be as aggressive as possible and get to the basket because that’s going to open up other options for me and for my teammates,” he said.

Yessoufou, despite his foul troubles, had six rebounds, two blocks, two steals and three dunks to go with his 25 points. 

“We knew that they were going to run their stuff and that they’ve got some great players coming out here from North Carolina, but we just stuck to our plan,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Also for the Knights, Cota scored six points, Bare had four, and Malcolm Price added two. 

St. Joseph made 27 of 53 shots from the field, with eight 3-pointers, and 2 of 5 free throw attempts. The Knights had 10 turnovers. 

Powell led Northwood with 19 points. He sank three 3-point baskets and had 10 rebounds.

Sophomore Cam Fowler scored six points for the Chargers. Whitaker had five, and Graves added four.

Northwood made 13 of 45 shots from the field, with four 3-pointers, and 9 of 11 free throw attempts. The Chargers had 13 turnovers. 

“This was fun. You can’t complain. It’s a great tournament and a great environment,” Whitaker said. “We just had to try to pull it through. They’re a good team, but we’re a good team, too. We just wanted to come in, win the game, and compete at a high level.” 

Photos by Leon Neuschwander 

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Photo by Leon Neuschwander

Photo by Leon Neuschwander, SBLive Sports