West Linn at Tigard: Five Takeaways
It was an exciting one at Tigard on Tuesday. The Tigers, aided by two technical foul calls in the final 40 seconds, surprised West Linn with a 65-63 victory. Tigard post Austin Dufort hit the game-winning basket with 1.5 seconds left to preserve the Tiger win. Both teams’ records now stand at 10-7 overall and 6-2 in the Three Rivers League. Here’s what stood out:
Tigard’s ceiling is high
The Tigers have had some lows this year. Like when they started 1-5 or lost to Lake Oswego by 22 points on Friday. But there is a common denominator there: Austin Dufort. He missed the beginning of the season with an injury and Friday’s game with the flu, but when he plays, Tigard is tough to top. He’s not a prolific scorer (11 points against West Linn), but he’s a reliable rebounder and can score, when needed meaning opposing bigs need to stay on him. When he’s off the floor, opposition can key in too closely on Stevie Schlabach and attack the rim on offense. If he stays healthy, they’ll be a tough out come playoff time. They won’t be favored to, but don’t be surprised if they wiggle their way into the Chiles Center.
West Linn has the pieces
This West Linn team is not as good as last year’s team, or the previous four state championship teams, but they have talent. They’re a more talented team than Tigard. It’s taking them some time, but if they are able to figure out how to play together, they can be a top-tier team in the state. On Tuesday, thee foul count didn’t go in their favor and a couple of technicals (one on coach Tyler Toney and one on senior Keishon Dawkins) hurt their chances at a win. Playing at their very best, their ceiling is even higher than Tigard’s.
Those pieces are…
For starters, Keishon Dawkins is a beast inside. He was called for three offensive charges and then a technical for elbowing Stevie Schlabach in the face, but was a force inside. Although Dufort is his height, he had a hard time stopping him one-on-one. Limited by foul trouble (he eventually fouled out), he finished with 13 points. Fellow lefty senior Jalen Thompson is also a key player. He showed that by scoring eight points in the third quarter. The 6-foot-3 guard is known for his shot—and for good reason, he’s one of the best spot-up shooters in 6A—but he’s also a great on-ball defender and he can create plays for others.
Drayton Caoile
Limited by foul trouble, Caoile scored 9 points and added three assists in fewer minutes than he would typically play. He was a perfect 5-of-5 from the stripe and effectively ran the Lions’ offense, at times. He clearly has a handle better than most high school point guards. He complements Dawkins and Thompson, as well as sophomores Micah Garrett and Bryson Crockett, well.
Tigard’s secondary players kept them in the game
It’s Schlabach (25 points) and Dufort who do the heavy lifting. And sometimes freshman Drew Carter, who had 14 points, including three first half three-pointers, plus three steals. But Tigard’s other contributors came up big. Junior Jake Bullard tallied three first-half assists and then hit two free throws late in the fourth quarter to give Tigard a 60-59 lead. Junior Jazz Ross came off the bench to provide quality minutes and then the game-winning assist.
Finally, Austin Dufort scored the go-ahead bucket on this pass from Jazz Ross with 1.5 seconds left. Schlabach with the hockey assist. #opreps pic.twitter.com/GtKQkc1zux
— Hayes Gardner (@HayesGardner) January 31, 2018
(For more prep hoops coverage, follow @HayesGardner on Twitter.)