Tualatin advanced to the championship game of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A boys basketball tournament after defeating Benson 72-47 in the semifinals at the Chiles Center on March 13.
The win puts Tualatin in its first final since back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, where they will face Central Catholic. The Timberwolves’ balanced performance demonstrated their depth beyond star guards Jemai Lake and Pat Vialva Jr., who contributed 17 and 10 points respectively. Junior wing Damian Olvera led with 18 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals, while junior guard Carter Lemon added 14 points, three rebounds, and three steals.
“We want to make sure that people know that it’s not like they’re going to run a triangle-and-two on us, and our game is shut down,” Tualatin coach Bubba Lemon said. “We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of great things. We’re just now hitting our full potential. We’re peaking at the right time.”
Lake is the only returning player from last year’s title team. “It’s a whole new team, and we’re hungry,” Carter Lemon said. “We want it bad. We’ve been talking about it forever, since the start. This is the goal, and now that we’re here, I’m excited for tomorrow. Jemai is a great leader, and he’s going to lead us. I feel confident in tomorrow.”
Benson entered with a 12-game winning streak but struggled after an early lead as Olvera sparked Tualatin’s comeback with key offensive rebounds and scoring runs. “I came in really confident,” Olvera said. “I knew I had to have a game because a lot of the focus is put on the guards… Before the game we were told, ‘Take your opportunities and take advantage of them.’ … I feel like that’s what I did today.”
Bubba Lemon praised both Olvera’s impact—“He was phenomenal”—and his nephew Carter Lemon’s defensive play: “He’s just impressing me… He’s having the best tournament he can have.” After trailing early, Tualatin took control by halftime and maintained momentum through the second half.
Freshman Kendall Hopkins-McGlothen led Benson with 16 points but noted how foul trouble for point guard Richad Hudson affected their offense: “It’s pretty tough out there.” Despite ending their season in defeat, Hopkins-McGlothen reflected positively: “We’ve learned a lot of how to fight through adversity.”
In the other semifinal, Central Catholic overcame Jesuit with senior Zamir Paschal scoring 19 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter for a come-from-behind victory.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s final against Central Catholic—a rematch from December—Tualatin carries a 14-game winning streak into what promises to be an intense championship matchup.
