It was a good night for Oregon high school basketball, as schools from the Beaver state knocked off two of the four out-of-state powers who were showcased on Wednesday at the Capitol City Classic.
The second day of the opening round of the 16-team tourney kicked off with a matchup of the Dutchtown Bulldogs (Hampton, GA) against the Dallas Dragons. The Bulldogs full-court pressure controlled the game from start to finish, as 6'7 wing Cameron Bryant led the way with 12 points and point guard Victor Dunn chipped in 10. Bryant did most of his damage early, and he was rested most of the game as Dutchtown looks to navigate the four games they will be playing in Salem in four days.
Next up was Centennial (Corona, CA), ranked 14th nationally, taking on the LaSalle Falcons. The Huskies looked every bit the part of a tournament favorite as they raced out to a 43-9 halftime advantage and never looked back. The final score was 68-26, with 6'5 four-star wing Jaylen Clark leading a balanced Huskies attack with 15 points.
Right about then is when Oregon schools flipped the script. In the 7:00pm game, the young Sprague Olympians upended the Higley Knights (Gilbert, AZ). Sprague was led by Mason Lomax, who poured in 24 points, and Kobe Withers who added 19. 6'8 junior post Jason Harris, a 5-star recruit, scored 19 points, which led the Knights.
The nightcap featured Mt. View of Bend taking on Liberty (Issaquah, WA). The Cougars of Mt. View pulled away in the end and won 75-63 , be
hind the triple threat of Chase McClain (26 points), Austin Fields-Wieselmann (20), and Grant Jordan (18).
Centennial (photo, to Right), ranked 14th nationally, looked every bit the part of tourney favorite on Wednesday.
Quarterfinals Thursday is Hope Orthopedics Day at the CCC, and the lineup of games and activities is set:
8:30am: LaSalle Falcons vs. Corvallis Spartans
10:00am: Cleveland Warriors vs. Higley Knights (AZ)
11:30am: North Salem Vikings vs. Liberty Patriots (WA)
2:00pm: UC-Santa Barbara Banana Slugs @ Willamette Bearcats
(D3 Game - Free Admission for all CCC teams and fans)
4:30pm: Centennial Huskies (CA) vs. Roosevelt Roughriders
6:00pm: Tigard Tigers vs. Sprague Olympians
7:30pm: Lincoln Cardinals vs. Mt. View Cougars
8:30pm: Dallas Dragons vs. Crook County Cowboys (Henkle Gymnasium)
9:00pm: Dutchtown Bulldogs (GA) vs. Wilsonville Wildcats