Lake Oswego 58, West Linn 47 (OT): 10 Best

<p>Until they're knocked off their perch, Lake Oswego is defending Three Rivers League champions. So while on paper they may not have looked like the favorite going into Wednesday night's game against West Linn, the Lakers had home court and were set on defending it. Using their trademark defensive mentality, Lake Oswego stifled West Linn by holding them to a season low in points and the Lakers used some offense of their own to pull out an exciting 58-47 win and capture first place in this year's TRL standings.</p> <p>For the first three quarters, it looked as if West Linn had things under control. But a late run in the fourth quarter by the Lakers tied the score and then Lake Oswego held the Lions scoreless in overtime, scoring all 11 points in capturing the hard-fought victory. Four Lakers scored in double figures as they collectively held West Linn to .333 shooting from the field.</p> <p>"I'm just really proud of the kids and how they've persevered through a really challenging first half of the year," said Lake Oswego head coach Marshall Cho. "Our league is tough and we're going to have to go on the road four of our six final games, so that will be a challenge."</p> <p><strong>MVP - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jack-chlumak/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jack-chlumak/">Jack Chlumak</a></a> (2020 Lake Oswego) and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/trace-salton/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/trace-salton/">Trace Salton</a></a> (2021 Lake Oswego)</strong></p> <p>We originally named Salton the MVP right after the game but after looking at the stats and game log, we decided co-MVP honors for him and Chlumak were in order. While neither guy shot the ball particularly well (Salton was 3-for-13, Chlumak 6-for-15) both came up with buckets at critical times at the end of regulation and in overtime as Lake Oswego pulled off the win. Chlumak finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds while Salton had 14 points and 9 boards.</p> <p><strong>Play of the game - Chlumak Coast to Coast</strong></p> <p>After the second of two free throws missed with under a minute to play, Chlumak got the ball and took it strong to the glass, converting a layup that completed a 10-1 run and tying the game to send it to overtime at 47-all.</p> <p><strong>Best offensive performance - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/micah-garrett/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/micah-garrett/">Micah Garrett</a></a> (2020 West Linn)</strong></p> <p>Garrett had things going offensively especially in the first half. The 6-foot-3 senior was taking the ball to the hole strong but was also sharp with his jumpshot, knocking down a couple of threes. While things tailed off a bit in the second half and overtime, on the night he ended up with 17 points on a respectable 7-for-16 shooting.</p> <p><strong>Best defensive performance - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/sam-abere/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/sam-abere/">Sam Abere</a></a> (2020 Lake Oswego)</strong></p> <p>Abere covered <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-shelstad/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-shelstad/">Jackson Shelstad</a></a> for much of the game and did a good job of making the freshman sensation have to work for his shots. So while Shelstad was able to get some open looks, he wasn't able to knock them down, finishing 5-for-21 from the field - with Abere's physical defense on him no doubt making a difference.</p> <p><strong>Best guy off the bench – <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/joe-juhala/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/joe-juhala/">Joe Juhala</a></a> (2020 West Linn)</strong></p> <p>Juhala didn't get a ton of minutes off of the bench but he made the most out of them. The 6-foot-7 senior hit the glass hard in the first half and converted a couple of buckets.</p> <p><strong>Best intangibles – Marcus Lee (2022 Lake Oswego)</strong></p> <p>Truth be told, nobody likely had any clue who Lee was before this game as the 5-foot-8 guard was playing on the JV squad. But once the sophomore was called upon in the fourth quarter, he immediately grabbed a rebound, knocked down an open three, just barely missed another deep attempt, and then made a key steal in his just over five minutes played as Lake Oswego made a run from nine points down to tie the game.</p> <p><strong>Best under-the-radar performance – Parker Durbin (2020 West Linn)</strong></p> <p>The stat sheet will show that Durbin didn't score but his play was critical throughout the game as he did one thing extremely well - bang the boards. His work in the trenches, especially on the offensive glass, was what helped West Linn get second and third chances to score. He ended up with a team-high ten rebounds.</p> <p><strong>Best underclassman - <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-shelstad/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jackson-shelstad/">Jackson Shelstad</a></a> (2023 West Linn)</strong></p> <p>Overall it was a rough night at the office for Shelstad as we've obviously seen him have some better games this season.  But during a stretch in the third quarter, the freshman guard showed a bit of why some feel he's one of the best players in the TRL.  With the game tied at 30 in the third quarter, he knocked down a three and scored nine of West Linn's next 11 points to help propel them to an eight-point margin at the end of the period.</p> <p><strong>Best coaching move: The insertion of Lee</strong></p> <p>Down by nine points in the fourth quarter, what does head coach Marshall Cho do but go to an untested sophomore that was just recently called up from the JV squad? Well, Marcus Lee entering the lineup could have been the turning point in the entire game. He certainly gave the squad an emotional lift and if his second three had fallen, the roof would have come down.  West Linn only scored a single point the entire game after Lee saw action.</p> <p><strong>Best aspect of the environment: Raising Awareness</strong></p> <p>The game - dubbed the LTP Legends Game - helped raise funds for two local kids in the community who have been battling cancer. Both coaching staffs wore special shirts for Team Ellie and Team Brock and a halftime ceremony was held to honor the young people. It was a special night for a special cause.</p>