Solid effort from Lowenbach in the event finals, especially considering the defenses collapsed on him in the post and he routinely faced double teams and help coming at him from all angles. He converted a number of soft shots in the lane but also stepped out and knocked down a catch-and-shoot three, finishing with 11 points. As expected, he led the team with 9 rebounds as well.

1ST Team

The 6’10 Lowenbach lead the Cowboys to a historic season. They made a move up in classification & came up a defensive stop short of winning a state title. Carrying a heavy load was the versatile big man, who was near the top in the state in scoring, rebounding, & blocked shots. He is currently working through his college options, having recently picked up an offer from D1 Idaho State.

Another unanimous pick for first team all-tournament, Lowenbach would have had a case for MVP honors even though the Cowboys lost in the title game. The 6-foot-9 post was simply dominant in all phases of the game as he averaged 25.3 points while leading all participants in rebounds (16.0) and blocks (4.3). He gave it his all with his 30 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the title game against Parkrose, a game that will be recognized as one of the best individual performances in 5A title game history. Lowenbach is the state’s top unsigned senior and he recently picked up a Division I offer from Idaho State, who came to watch him play at Linfield.

There may have been no one more dominant in the semifinals than Lowenbach, who posted 26 points and 19 rebounds, with 11 of those boards coming on the offensive end. There wasn’t much Summit could to keep the 6-foot-9 post off the offensive glass which helped lead to more offensive opportunities for the Cowboys. Defensively he erased 4 shots as well as Crook County won the rubber match between the two IMC teams and advanced to the finals.

Lowenbach posted a stat-line that we’ve come to expect this season with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocked shots. Whether the senior big man positioned himself at the top of the key where he capably found guys cutting to the basket or got down low for scores, he was completely dominant in all phases of the game. In attendance watching him play included coaches from Western Oregon and Idaho State.

When teams move up a classification, there is usually an adjustment period to playing against bigger schools & tougher competition. That hasn’t been the case for the Cowboys who made the jump to 5A this year, won a league title, & secured the overall #1 seed in the state playoffs. The man driving that success all year has been the 6’9 Lowenbach, a unicorn of an offensive player for his size. He scored 24 points to knock off Lebanon & set up a quarterfinal match up with Crater who knocked off Wilsonville to punch their ticket to Linfield.

“Baby Jokic” has been regionally known in Central Oregon for quite some time but this spring and summer, the word was out. Playing with  Boss Basketball  on the AAU scene and with Crook County in June, he routinely piled up scoring and rebounding numbers while showing off his diverse big man skills against top competition which helped him earn a scholarship offer from WOU and all sorts of recruiting interest. It’s hard to believe at this point last year his ranking was over #50. (JT)