Oregon City at Central Catholic: 5 Takeaways
Two of the top teams in the 6A Mt. Hood Conference met Friday night as the Central Catholic Rams hosted the Oregon City Pioneers. No one had a bigger night than Isaac Amaral-Artharee’s, who finished with 34 points. His offense, paired with Central Catholic’s intense full and half court pressure, gave the Rams a 56-48 victory over Oregon City and their top player, Teron Bradford. Here is what stood out:
(Pictured: Teron Bradford (left) and Isaac Amaral-Artharee are two of the top players in the Mt. Hood Conference)
Isaac Amaral-Artharee might be the Mt. Hood Conference player of the year frontrunner
Before the season began, there was no clear Mt. Hood Conference favorite and with Amaral-Artharee leading a young Rams team to a 3-0 start in league play, he might be the favorite. On Friday night, he shot 11 0f 11 from the line and added 9 rebounds and 2 steals. “He can make shots, he can make free throws and he’s starting to learn how to be a leader,” coach David Blue said. If the Rams keep winning, look for him to land some individual post-season hardware.
Who is Darius Gakwasi?
Gakwasi looked like probably the third best player on the court Friday night. Pretty good, right? Better than pretty good when you consider that he is a freshman. Composed and athletic, Gakwasi does not play like a 9th grader. Coach David Blue said Gakwasi had an off night and yet he finished second on the Rams in scoring (9 points on 7 of 8 shooting from the line) and added three steals. He also made good decisions in the middle of the Pioneers’ zone and passed the ball well.
Teron Bradford is terrific
Outside of Sprague’s Teagan Quitoriano, Bradford might be the best football/basketball player in the state. A standout wide receiver (and everything else) on the gridiron, he excels as a point guard. On Friday, he did just about everything. He finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. “We were trying to throw double teams at him, get the ball out of his hands, make him feel uncomfortable, and that’s what did tonight,” Central Catholic guard DeRay Seamster said. “He still had a hell of a game, though.” He didn’t have much help, but was impressive nevertheless.
Sophomores on display
Should Central Catholic win the Mt. Hood?
Clackamas was my preseason favorite to win the league and, although they have several losses, they’re probably still the team to beat. But Central Catholic could give them a challenge. When they play, the Rams will boast the best player on the court in Amaral-Artharee, but he’ll need some help, especially down low. Donald Hunter, a senior, is Central Catholic’s best big and he rebounded well Friday, but missed a few bunny lay-ups. He’ll need to clean that up for the Rams to reach their potential.
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