SALEM (OR) - Saturday, 12/17/22 - You had to have a pretty strong pedigree to advance out of the second night of the 2022 Capitol City Classic presented by Northwestern Mutual opening round and onto the tournament's championship quarterfinals.
In fact, the only teams to survive were three out of state powers in John Paul II (TX), Modesto Christian (CA), and St. John Bosco (CA), and two defending Oregon state champions in Cascade (4A) and Wilsonville (5A).
John Paul II ran away from Gresham early and held on for a thrilling 99-93 victory over the Gophers. The Cardinals showed great balance with all five starters scoring in double figures, with senior guard Ofri Kauf leading the way with 26 points. Gresham was led by Esyah Pippa-White who made 18 of 20 free throws en route to 38 points and Scotty Riddle who chipped in 20.
Cascade defeated Central for the second time this year, 78-57, led by a combined 36 points from the Horne twins (20 from Spencer, 16 from Samuel).
Modesto Christian (CA) got 26 points from Jalen Brown in their impressive 77-40 win over Canby.
Junior wing Kallen Gutridge scored 13 points in the 4th quarter and wound up with a game high 21 points as Wilsonville pulled away from Silverton in the second half to win 51-42 in a rematch of the 2022 OSAA 5A State Championship game.
Early, Coach Jordan Graneto's Sprague team stood toe-to-toe with undefeated St. John Bosco and traded punches. Then the third quarter happened, when Bosco unleashed full-court pressure and won that period by a 33-7 score. The young Braves (10-0) were led by junior wing Jack Turner (22 points), sophomore post Kade Bonam (19) and five-star 6'6 sophomore point guard Elzie Harrington (10 and 7 assists).
Combined with Friday's first round results, Saturday's outcomes produced a set of quarterfinals that is nothing shy of epic in nature and intrigue, headlined perhaps by the matchup of Oregon's pre-season 6A #1 (West Linn) and #2 (Beaverton) teams.
Tickets will be available at the gate.
Championship Quarterfinals:
8:30 - Cascade Cougars v St John Bosco (CA)
7:00 - Beaverton Beavers v West Linn Lions
5:30 - Wilsonville Wildcats v West Salem Titans
4:00 - John Paul II Cardinals (TX) v Modesto Christian Crusaders (CA)
Consolation Quarterfinals:
2:30 - Sprague Olympians v Central Panthers
1:00 - Regis Rams v Silverton Foxes
11:30am - South Salem Saxons v Sherwood Bowment
10:00am - Canby Cougars v Gresham Gophers
