Cascade Christian, Valley Catholic, Banks, and Riverside have advanced to the semifinals of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 3A boys basketball championships. The quarterfinal games took place Thursday at North Bend High School.
All three schools—Cascade Christian, Valley Catholic, and Banks—are set to move up to 4A next season. They will compete in Friday’s semifinals alongside Riverside, a newcomer to the tournament. The semifinal matchups are scheduled for Marshfield High School: Riverside faces Banks at 1:30 p.m., while Cascade Christian plays Valley Catholic at 3:15 p.m. Consolation games will be held earlier in the day.
Cascade Christian defeated Creswell 56-37 with a strong defensive performance. Coach Brian Morse emphasized the team’s focus on defense, stating, “Defense, defense defense. Defense wins championships.” He added, “It’s hard to ask the kids to play 32 minutes of perfect basketball. But they played really tough.” Morse also noted his satisfaction with the team’s physicality during the game: “The physicality was really, really good.”
Cascade Christian led throughout most of the game and pulled away in the third quarter by outscoring Creswell 22-5. Andy Alvarez contributed 14 points for Cascade Christian and commented on their first-half defense: “We played a really good first half defensively. Our offense was a little slow. We picked it up in the second half.” Ace Arnold led Creswell with 16 points.
Alvarez expressed his satisfaction about returning to the semifinals after missing out last year: “Overall, it was a good game,” he said. “We love playing Creswell. We played them during the season and in the summer. It’s always a good game.” Coach Morse remarked on their current momentum: “We’re playing our best basketball at the right time,” he said. “I love this time of year.”
Valley Catholic won against Blanchet Catholic 90-71 behind strong outside shooting and transition play. Coach Bryan Fraser highlighted their offensive approach: “‘When we make shots, it’s always a good thing,” Fraser said. “When we get out in transition it’s a good thing.” Hank Lomber scored 34 points for Valley Catholic, matching previous records for most points by an individual in a 3A tournament game since reclassification.
Despite Blanchet Catholic shooting well from both inside and beyond the arc, turnovers and rebounding favored Valley Catholic. Fraser acknowledged concerns about defense heading into their matchup with Cascade Christian: “We’ve got to tighten up the defense against Cascade Christian,” he said. “They are a good team.” He added regarding his own squad: “We aren’t done yet.”
Banks continued its playoff run by defeating St. Mary’s of Medford 72-68 after holding off several comeback attempts from their opponent. Ryder Powell led Banks with 27 points while Fisher King added 26 points and collected 12 rebounds.
Riverside secured its place in the semifinals by beating Pleasant Hill 61-57 after building an early lead and maintaining it despite late pressure from Pleasant Hill.
The four teams will compete Friday for spots in Saturday’s championship final.
