Les Schwab Invitational Day 1: Top Performers (First Session)

<p>The 23rd annual Les Schwab Invitational kicked off on Wednesday and fans were treated to eight full games full of talent, intrigue, and competitiveness.</p> <p>Here's a look at the First Session on Wednesday, the first four games.</p> <p><strong>Lake Oswego 67, Southridge 45</strong></p> <p>Lake Oswego used stifling defense and controlled the backboards to build a big lead and cruise to a 67-45 win over Southridge. Junior guard <strong>Sam Abere</strong> in particular did a lockdown defensive job on Southridge star guard <strong>Brock Henry</strong>, who was really limited in the first half. The Lakers were led by senior guard <strong>Josh Angle</strong> with 19 points while point guard <strong>Wayne McKinney</strong> added 11 points and six assists. Henry finished the game with 18 points and nine rebounds.</p> <p><strong>Central Catholic 75, Grant 65</strong></p> <p>Central Catholic rushed out to an early lead and while Grant eventually made a comeback, the Rams got some huge contributions from <strong>Sataievior Ayilola</strong> with 20 points and nine rebounds to pull the upset win over the defending 6A champions. Sophomore <strong>Darius Gakwasi</strong> did most of his 17-point damage in the first half while junior <strong>Isaiah Amato</strong> did most of his 17-point damage in the second half. Senior guard <strong>Aaron Deloney</strong> did his best to keep the Generals in the game and ended up with 30 points.</p> <p><strong>West Linn 68, Skyview 67</strong></p> <p>The closest game of the day, West Linn and Skyview fought to almost a draw before the Lions held on at the end for the victory on an <strong>Oreon Courtney</strong> layup in the closing seconds. Skyview, led by <strong>Alex Schumacher</strong> and his 24 points, really shot well from three-point range and the Storm actually held the lead going into the fourth. But West Linn got solid performances from juniors <strong>Bryson Crockett</strong> (21 points) and <strong>Micah Garrett</strong> (18 points) and a double-double from senior Courtney (15 points/10 rebounds) to earn the 'W'.</p> <p><strong>Jesuit 63, Barlow 59</strong></p> <p>In a battle between two top ten 6A teams, Jesuit used a balance offensive attack and some clutch shooting to surpass Barlow. The Crusaders ran their motion offense to open up shooters for nine threes, while limiting the Bruins from beyond the arc on defense. <strong>Matthew Levis</strong> led the way for Jesuit with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Barlow's talented junior duo of <strong>Jesse White</strong> and <strong>Evan Inglesby</strong> scored 22 and 16 points a piece.</p> <p>Here are the top performers from those games:</p> <p><strong>Sam Abere (2020 Lake Oswego)</strong> - The 6-foot-2 junior was named Three Rivers League Defensive Player of the Year last season and he was for good reason - he's a lockdown defender. He stuck with Southridge guard Brock Henry all night when he was in the game, often forcing him to settle for long range jumpers. Abere got some of his own offense as well, scoring eight points of his own, while grabbing four boards and dishing out two assists.</p> <p><strong>Wayne McKinney (2021 Lake Oswego)</strong> - McKinney was extremely strong and athletic at the point, taking the ball strong to the hole. He didn't necessarily shoot a high percentage, but the 5-foot-10 sophomore hit some pull-ups as well as a three to demonstrate his range. At the end of the day, he tallied 11 points, six rebounds, and six assists.</p> <p><strong>Isaiah Amato (2020 Central Catholic)</strong> - The junior guard was about as active as we've seen him on both ends of the floor. Defensively, he played the passing lanes well, nabbing five steals which led to numerous fast break buckets. Offensively, he was sharp with his passing (eight assists) as well as his own shot, showing that he's worked on his range knocking down a couple of threes on his way to 17 points.</p> <p><strong>Sataivior Ayilola (2020 Central Catholic)</strong> - We've said this many, many time before - when Ayilola is motivated he can be one of the most dominant forces in the state. Perhaps it was because he was playing against many guys he grew up with at Grant, but the 6-foot-7 academic junior was simply unstoppable around the basket and on the glass. Defensively he was a presence as well with three blocks.</p> <p><strong>Aaron Deloney (2019 Grant)</strong> - The Vermont signee started off a little slowly but boy did he heat up in a hurry when Grant started making a comeback. The 6-foot guard can simply score in bunches, whether it's catching fire from three point range or converting whirlish drives to the basket with his body flying all over the place. There aren't many games that Deloney will be coming out of and he played all 32 minutes for Grant.</p> <p><strong>Alex Schumacher (2019 Skyview)</strong> - The 6-foot-2 senior flashed off a complete offensive game as he not only hit shots from long range, but scored also on a number of pull-ups and strong drives to the basket. 'Schu' didn't shoot necessarily a high percentage (9-for-24 overall, 4-for-12 from three) but seemed to get buckets whenever the Storm really needed them in the second half.</p> <p><strong>Oreon Courtney (2019 West Linn)</strong> - Courtney is such a unique player in the state of Oregon because of his ultra-athleticism for his size (6-foot-3) and his high octane motor that seemingly never stops. Sure, he's a tweener who doesn't really seem to have a defined position on the basketball floor. But at the same time, he seamlessly fits in the lineup and you don't have to run a single play for him and he makes an impact on the game. He finished the game with 15 points, ten rebounds, and three steals.</p> <p><strong>Matthew Levis (2020 Jesuit)</strong> - Levis is a bundle of energy on the basketball floor as he is constantly in motion on both ends. The 6-foot junior is simply of those players that makes things happen when he has the ball, and on offense for the Crusaders, he hit threes (4-for-7), drove to the basket, dished off four assists, and even hit the offensive boards. With teammates Aiden Williams a bit off on his shooting, Levis' ability to knock down shots was key in the victory.</p> <p><strong>Evan Inglesby (2020 Barlow)</strong> - White, as usual was the team's leading scorer, but Inglesby may have been the top performer. The 6-foot-3 junior was efficient with his offense, shooting 7-for-11 from the field, while also contributing on the boards (4 rebounds) and on defense (2 steals).</p>