Blue Bracket Championship Recap and Top Performers

Jed Tai June 25, 2021 @ 03:43 PM

In one of the most competitive games of the season, Jefferson fought off a late charge from Clackamas to capture the title. After some back-and-forth, the Demos started to build a double digit lead and it appeared that they might win the game going away. But the senior-led Cavaliers, behind the hot shooting of Ryan Lewis Ryan Lewis 6'4" | SG Clackamas | 2021 State OR , clawed their way back and were within one within the game’s final minutes. Lamar Washington Lamar Washington 6'4" | CG AZ Compass Prep | 2022 State #128 Nation AZ had the answers every time though, making key play after key play at the end to secure the win.

"I’m glad our guys came out here and got the job done against a well-coached Clackamas team that fought their way back and battled until the end," said Jefferson head coach Pat Strickland. "We needed Lamar (Washington) to step up and he did in a big way. He put us on his shoulders and he did what superstars do."

Top performers

Lamar Washington Lamar Washington 6'4" | CG AZ Compass Prep | 2022 State #128 Nation AZ (2022 Jefferson)

If there were any doubts to Washington’s candidacy for 6A Player of the Year, they were put to rest against Clackamas. The 6-foot-4 guard simply took charge and for a stretch between the end of the first half and the beginning of the second, he couldn’t miss. Washington found the range on his three-ball for a couple of bombs and was strong getting to the cup. He had a key assist to teammate Sanborne Melson Sanborne Melson 5'10" | CG Jefferson | 2023 State OR late and nailed all six clutch free throws down the stretch. Washington finished with 32 points and 9 rebounds.

Marquis Cook Marquis Cook 6'6" | SF AZ Compass Prep | 2023 State #6 Nation AZ (2023 Jefferson)

Cook’s raw statistics weren’t mind-blowing - 7 points and 8 rebounds - but there was no question his presence was felt on the floor. While he wasn’t being aggressive on the offensive end, the 6-foot-7 swingman hit the boards and was an intimidator on defense. Some of the attention given to him ended up allowing Coach Strickland to use him as a "decoy" of sorts, to open up opportunities for others.

Sanborne Melson Sanborne Melson 5'10" | CG Jefferson | 2023 State OR (2023 Jefferson)

Melson stepped up with perhaps the best performance of his career. An early made three set the tone for him as it amped up his confidence with his offensive game. There were a couple of missed chippies late but on the night he ended up with a season-high 13 points while grabbing six rebounds, helping provide some of the offense that normally comes from teammate Cook.

Ryan Lewis Ryan Lewis 6'4" | SG Clackamas | 2021 State OR (2021 Clackamas)

The recent Clackamas CC commit was absolutely lights out for the Cavs, especially in the second half where he simply couldn’t miss from beyond the arc. Coming off of screens on the catch-and-shoot, Lewis was absolutely money from three-point range and ended up hitting six threes on the night. As usual, Lewis was tough on the boards as well.

KJ Horsley KJ Horsley 5'10" | PG Clackamas | 2021 State OR (2021 Clackamas)

Horsley set the tone early with a number of buckets including a three-pointer, which is notable because the senior normally didn’t take a lot of threes this season. His drives to the hoop kept Jefferson off balance and he did a great job handling the ball. Horsley, who finished with 15 points, is headed to Oregon to be a regular student on full academic scholarship.