Capitol City Classic – Monday Top Performers (Quarterfinals)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Capitol City Classic took place this past week and in the end, the West Linn Lions were left standing as the champions - the second straight year an in-state team has captured the title. We had the opportunity to drop by for a full day's worth of action on Monday - here are some of the top performers we saw in the quarterfinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='861091' first='Jackson' last='Shelstad'] (2023 West Linn)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the Beaverton defense really honed in on keeping him in check, Shelstad's overall numbers weren't as high as they have been so far this season. Still, the 6-foot Oregon signee shined despite all the attention, finishing around the rim off his quick forays to the basket and also knocking down a couple of deep threes. At the end of the day, 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, but most importantly the win in hand for the state's top player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='861078' first='Adrian' last='Mosley'] (2023 West Linn)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quiet first half for Mosley against Beaverton, but things changed in a hurry for him after the halftime break. Instead of settling for jumpers, the senior all-around guard started going to some of his old-school moves, attacking the basket off the dribble or backing down his defender down in the post. His two-handed slam on the baseline after receiving the pass from Shelstad was a shot of adrenaline for the Lions as they won going away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1201007' first='Brady' last='Rice'] (2023 Beaverton)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been so refreshing to see a healthy Rice play this season - at this point last year, it was clear his back was hampering him. Able to play freely, the senior guard was outstanding early against West Linn, driving to the hoop with ease and then using footwork and fakes to get buckets around the hoop. He also looked sharp with his jumper and drained two threes. A team-high 21 points on the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1096112' first='Jimmy' last='Lathen'] (2023 West Salem)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Until Trenton Ferguson is able to get on the court, Lathen will be West Salem's main guy in the lane and he was tough in that area throughout against Wilsonville. The senior forward used his physique and toughness to create space to efficiently find ways to put the biscuit in the basket. He ended the night with 16 points on 8-for-13 field goal shooting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1256625' first='Maxim' last='Wu'] (2023 Wilsonville)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a bit of an off-shooting night for teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1110842' first='Kallen' last='Gutridge'], so Wu helped picked up the slack. The 6-foot point guard has really improved with his consistency with his outside shooting this season - in particular, the three - and his confidence was evident early. He also set up teammates for scores and did the usual hard work on defense. 16 points and 5 assists on the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1110843' first='Kyle' last='Counts'] (2024 Wilsonville)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As he continues to get back fully from injury, Counts remains one of the top inside-outside threats at the 5A level. Against West Salem, he got scores inside but also faced the basket, hitting jumpers or creating off of the dribble to get into the lane. He hit the boards hard as well, finishing with 9 rebounds to go along with his team-high 19 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1382423' first='Chase' last='Nelson'] (2023 Central)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With his size and ability to really move, Nelson is a matchup nightmare for most opponents. The 6-foot-5 senior was able to get into the lane for scores and definitely controlled the boards. But where Nelson really excelled in Central's win over Sprague was with his passing, but in the interior and kicking out to shooters. We had him tallying 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists in a near triple-double performance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->