Oak Hill overpowers Jesuit for Les Schwab title

HILLSBORO, Ore. – Fans in Oregon are hungry for an in-state program to win the annual Les Schwab Invitational.

So hungry that the crowd Friday night at Liberty High School took sides with Jesuit (Portland) – the Darth Vader of Oregon boys basketball – in its championship matchup with storied Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.).

No matter, the Warriors brushed aside a gutsy effort by Jesuit, 57-50, to win the Les Schwab Invitational for the fifth time in six appearances dating back to 1997. It was also Oak Hill's second major tournament title in nine days after winning the Chick-fil-A Classic in South Carolina.

"It's been grueling," Oak Hill Academy head coach Steve Smith said of the holiday schedule. "There have been a couple of games where I didn't think we played as well as we should. They're a little bit tired.

"We are practicing every day and playing just about every day. We felt like we had to keep them sharp. We have a week off now, they can take a break."

The Warriors earned it by improving to 25-0 this season and 7-0 in tournament play since Dec. 22, fending off a new-look Jesuit team that actually won the scoring battle over the final three quarters after falling behind by 10 in the opening eight minutes.

Future Georgetown Hoya guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera notched a game-high 23 points for Oak Hill. Tournament MVP Tyler Lewis was the only other Warrior in double figures with 10.

Jesuit (9-1) was led by a 14-point effort from Rick Maddock. The Crusaders, who have won five state titles under current head coach Gene Potter, kept Oak Hill's athletic advantage in check for the most part and stayed within striking distance throughout. It was the Virginia school's lowest scoring output of the season.

"We're not the Globetrotters," Smith said. "They come out and expect us to put on a show every night. We're a high school basketball team. We didn't play as well on the offensive end as I would have liked."

Oak Hill Academy tore through the first three rounds of the tournament with 40, 28 and 37-point wins. In addition to their home state of Virginia, South Carolina and Oregon, the Warriors have played games in Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee this season. Trips to Massachusetts and West Virginia are ahead.

Smith's team will take over the No. 1 spot in MaxPreps.com's Academy Top 10 on Tuesday after previous No. 1 Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) fell on Thursday night at the Mike Miller Classic in South Dakota.

Lake Oswego beats Yates with late bucket

Colin Caslick of Lake Oswego (Ore.) hit a runner from the right wing with 7.2 seconds left to help the Lakers knock off 2010 national champion Yates (Houston, Texas) for fourth place.

Yates, spurred by 30 points from senior wing Clyde Santee, led much of the game. After falling behind briefly 50-48 midway through the third quarter, the Lions rallied to take an eight-point lead into the final stanza.

Yates (17-5) arrived in Hillsboro on a roll, coming off back-to-back tournament victories in its home state at the South Padre Invitational and Houston ISD Invitational.

Without top player and University of Oregon commitment Daymeon Dotson, who is expected back from a sprained knee next week, the Lions were knocked out of championship contention by Westview (Portland) in the quarterfinals and head back to Texas on a losing note.

Friday's standouts

Tyler Lewis, Oak Hill Academy: The North Carolina State signee didn't have a huge night statistically but kept the Warriors grinding against a tough Jesuit defense. He earned tournament MVP honors and averaged 20.5 points and 4.5 assists over the first two rounds of the event.

"He's done a great job just being a facilitator," Smith said of Lewis. "He also can score and has made some big baskets for us. He does a great job with our team and keeping these guys happy and keeping the egos in check."

Calvin Hermanson, Lake Oswego: After looking a bit bothered by Yates' pressure early, Hermanson settled in and thrived in the chaotic pace of the game. A 6-5 junior wing, Hermanson poured in 35 points against Yates to go along six rebounds and a pair of assists. He connected on 14 of 20 field goals – including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.

Landen Lucas, Westview (Portland, Ore.): The 6-9 Kansas signee has come a long way. He is in the best shape of his high school career and more active than ever because of it. His feel for the game seems to have improved as well. Lucas posted 19 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in a 58-52 win over Central Catholic (Portland) in front of ESPNU cameras to help his Wildcats capture third place.

LSI notes

* Riverside Academy (Reserve, La.) scratched out a 60-54 win over Lincoln (Portland) to finish 2-2 in Hillsboro. While that has to be considered a bit of a disappointment for the nationally-ranked Rebels, weary legs played a part. Riverside was playing its eighth game in 15 days after also going 2-2 and reaching the semifinals of last week's City of Palms Classic in Florida. Head coach Tim Byrd's squad got key minutes from two freshmen and a pair of eighth graders – including 6-8 prospect to watch Khalea Turner – against Lincoln.

* Without a senior on the roster, an 0-4 Les Schwab Invitational showing for Jefferson (Portland) isn't a huge surprise. The Democrats three-peated as Class 5A state champs from 2008 to 2010 with Kentucky's Terrence Jones on the roster and should be in the hunt for a state crown again soon with talented young players like Victor Sanders (6-3, Jr., G) and Kameron Chatman (6-5, So., G/F). Freshman Kadeem Strickland – the son of head coach Pat Strickland – saw most of the minutes Friday at the point guard position.