6A Playoffs Second Round Predictions: “A” and “B” Quadrants

<p>The first round of the OSAA 6A post-season took place on Wednesday night and while many games were competitive, for the most part the bracket was "chalk". In every game except for one (Oregon City’s win at North Medford), the higher seed won on their home floor. Will this be the case in round two on Saturday night? Here’s our predictions for those games, starting with the "A" and "B" quadrants.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><strong>#16 Summit at #1 Jesuit</strong></h4> <p>Both Summit and Jesuit come into the second round playing well, with each only having one loss within their last 10 games. The Storm have gotten things done offensively behind their senior star [player_tooltip player_id="841389" first="Jacob" last="Tompkins"] and the supporting cast has really stepped things up the past few games. Jesuit has had the team concept all year long, hanging their hat on their defense led by Metro League MVP [player_tooltip player_id="625653" first="Matthew" last="Levis"]. The Crusaders have seen and conquered practically every top level foe since the LSI and it’s hard to see Summit showing anything they haven’t seen before. Head coach Gene Potter rarely misses the state tournamet (hasn’t since 2009) and with the game at the Knight Center, Jesuit should advance.</p> <p><strong>Jed Prediction: Jesuit</strong></p> <p>Jesuit’s defensive minded group and unselfish ways will challenge the Summit group. Storm will be led by the scoring duo of [player_tooltip player_id="841389" first="Jacob" last="Tompkins"] and Julian Mora, but will it be enough.</p> <p><strong>Albert Prediction: Jesuit</strong></p> <p>Expect Metro League player-of-the-year <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="625653" first="Matthew" last="Levis"] </strong>to make a big difference defensively guarding Summit’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="841389" first="Jacob" last="Tompkins"].</strong> The Crusaders should win big to advance to the Chiles Center yet again.</p> <p><strong>Jackson Prediction: Jesuit</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><strong>#9 West Linn at #8 Mountainside</strong></h4> <p>Mountainside and West Linn certainly bring some contrasts to the table - the Mavericks are the hot-shot new school and are only in their second year of existence. West Linn on the other hand has a decorated hoops history the past decade. Head coach Dustin Hewitt’s Mavericks will present some problems for the Lions with their size, depth, and overall athleticism, not to mention their nothing-to-lose mentality. On the other hand, head coach Eric Viuhkola has at his disposal one of the most offensively explosive backcourts in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="841386" first="Micah" last="Garrett"] and freshman sensation [player_tooltip player_id="861091" first="Jackson" last="Shelstad"]. One thing seems to be certain - there will be plenty of points scored in The Stables on Saturday night and our call is that the Mavericks prevail in an entertaining thriller.</p> <p><strong>Jed Prediction: Mountainside</strong></p> <p>Although the Lions are forced to play on the road, they are battle tested, having played some tough games in the Les Schwab Invitational. Look for freshman sensation [player_tooltip player_id="861091" first="Jackson" last="Shelstad"] to rise up to the occasion and [player_tooltip player_id="841386" first="Micah" last="Garrett"] certainly will have some tricks up his sleeve.</p> <p><strong>Albert Prediction: West Linn</strong></p> <p>The dynamic backcourt of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="861091" first="Jackson" last="Shelstad"] </strong>and <strong>Micah Garett </strong>will just be too much for the Mustangs, who will come just short of their second ever playoff win.</p> <p><strong>Jackson Prediction: West Linn</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><strong>#12 Tigard at #5 Central Catholic</strong></h4> <p>Tigard didn’t go into the post-season playing particularly well but stuck it out and really rode the back of star wing [player_tooltip player_id="606254" first="Drew" last="Carter"] to get past David Douglas in the first round. Central Catholic on the other hand pretty much went into cruise control against Canby. Head coach David Blue’s Rams have bounced back big from their Valentine’s Day loss to Clackamas and are playing at a high level, even without the services of recent Eastern Washington commit [player_tooltip player_id="535851" first="Isaiah" last="Amato"]. Tigard should put up a good fight - head coach Shawn Alderman’s teams always do in the post-season - but overall Central Catholic has more athleticism, depth, and experience to come away with a win.</p> <p><strong>Jed Prediction: Central Catholic</strong></p> <p>Most likely will be the closest Second Round game of the bunch. [player_tooltip player_id="606254" first="Drew" last="Carter"] looks to headline the show for the Tigers, however [player_tooltip player_id="855925" first="Darius" last="Gakwasi"] and [player_tooltip player_id="857346" first="Luke" last="Johnson"] make quite the tandem and will progress onwards.</p> <p><strong>Albert Prediction: Central Catholic</strong></p> <p>The Rams depth will overwhelm <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="606254" first="Drew" last="Carter"] </strong>and force Tigard to look elsewhere offensively. CC in a close one.</p> <p><strong>Jackson Prediction: Central Catholic</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><strong>#13 Grant at #4 Clackamas</strong></h4> <p>Since losing to Barlow in early February, the Cavs have been playing lights out basketball. With star forward [player_tooltip player_id="606247" first="Ben" last="Gregg"] leading the way, head coach Cam Mitchell’s team has been clicking on offense and clamping down on the defensive end and have really not been tested - including their first round win over Mountain View. Grant will provide a challenge and the Generals have also played well, winning their last five games, all double-digit victories. The Generals are banged up though and it doesn’t seem as if they match up well against Gregg. Head coach Robert Key may be successful in limiting his former AAU standout but unless the Generals can really get things going from distance, it seems that Clackamas has the edge.</p> <p><strong>Jed Prediction: Clackamas</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="625625" first="Erik" last="Fraser"] and company have overachieved this season, keeping it close with Jefferson twice in the PIL and winning quite a few games this season. However, [player_tooltip player_id="606247" first="Ben" last="Gregg"] will continue his offensive genius and lead the Cavs past the Generals.</p> <p><strong>Albert Prediction: Clackamas</strong></p> <p>The Generals simply don’t have anyone to stop the inside presence of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="606247" first="Ben" last="Gregg"]</strong>, who will put up some monster numbers in a statement win for the Cavs.</p> <p><strong>Jackson Prediction: Clackamas</strong></p>