‘Best player in the state.’ Jackson Shelstad leads West Linn past South Medford in 6A boys basketball quarterfinal; Lions earn another shot at No. 1 Tualatin

By Paul Valencia | Photos by Taylor Balkom 

Technically speaking, this was West Linn’s game from the very beginning.

Or even before the game started.

West Linn never trailed Wednesday at the Chiles Center, taking down South Medford 56-39 in a quarterfinal game of the 2022 OSAA/On Point Community Credit Union 6A Boys Basketball Tournament. 

“My first time playing in the state tournament,” said West Linn standout guard Jackson Shelstad, who scored 26 points in the victory. “I was supposed to play here freshman and sophomore year but it got canceled. This is a great feeling. Hopefully we can keep it going.” 

In an odd situation, Shelstad had two points without a second moving off the game clock. South Medford was assessed a pregame technical foul for dunking in warmups. 

“It was different. You never start a game shooting technical free throws, so it was a little weird,” Shelstad said. “But it was good on our part.”

The Lions were just getting started.

They would end up scoring the game’s first 11 points and led 13-1.

“Against a great team like that, it gave us confidence,” Shelstad said. “We know how good they are. We wanted to keep our foot on the pedal and just keep going.”

South Medford started 0 for 7 from the field, with four of those shots going in-and-out of the cylinder, including a dunk attempt.

The Panthers did respond, though. They made it a one-point game early in the second quarter. They pulled to within one or two points five more times.

Every time, though, the Lions had an answer. 

Zeke Viuhkola had two of the baskets that gave West Linn a bit more breathing room.

“We always talk about keeping our poise and mental toughness,” said Viuhkola, who finished with 16 points and six rebounds. “We know the other team is going to go on stretches when they go on runs. We just have to stay in it, keep playing our game, and we’ll take care of business.”

South Medford had a fast start to the second half, pulling to within a point again.

But again, the Lions did not blink. Blake Oltmans swished his first shot of the game — a 3-pointer — to push the advantage to four points.

One more basket followed for the Panthers.

Then it was the Shelstad show. He scored nine of his team’s final 11 points of the third quarter, pushing the West Linn advantage to 12.

Game over.

“We just ran into a buzzsaw, down 13-1. We weathered the storm … but you just can’t spot them that,” South Medford coach James Wightman said.

He described Shelstad as the best player in the state. And when the best player is a guard, Wightman said, and the best player’s team gets a lead, the best player can control the rest of the game. 

Wightman credited West Linn’s physical strength and said the Lions were the better team Wednesday.

At the same time, his Panthers are disappointed. They do not feel like they gave their best effort.

“We just didn't play smart. We started the game off with a T. That just shows the focus point right there,” Wightman said.

Boden Howell led South Medford with 16 points. He was the lone Panther in double figures.

West Linn held the Panthers to 17 points in the second half.

Shelstad said it is all about taking it personally on defense, to “guard our yard and not give them any easy ones.”

South Medford was held to 36 percent shooting.

Meanwhile, West Linn connected on 50 percent of its shots. Shelstad was 9 for 18 from the field. He also had six rebounds and three assists.

Next up for No. 5-seed West Linn (21-3) is another game with No. 1 Tualatin in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Tualatin beat West Linn by nine and two points in the regular season.

“It’s really hard to beat a team three times,” Viuhkola said. “We’re excited to have one more shot at them, to keep going, to make the ‘ship.”

“We’re super excited to have another shot,” Shelstad said. “They’re ranked No. 1 in the state. It will be a really good opportunity to prove everybody wrong.”

South Medford (23-3) will play Beaverton at 9 a.m. Thursday in the consolation round. The winner will play Saturday in the fourth-place game.