Wilsonville beats Churchill again, this time in 5A boys basketball semifinal; Wildcats get final date with Silverton, which knocks off top-seeded Redmond

By Bob Lundeberg | Photo by Leon Neuschwander  

Wilsonville’s reign of terror over fellow 5A power Churchill continued Friday afternoon at Gill Coliseum.

Playing for the seventh time since the beginning of the 2014-15 season, the third-seeded Wildcats leaned on their size and defensive prowess to take down No. 2 Churchill, 58-41, in a 5A state tournament semifinal. Wilsonville has won all seven of the battles, including a 67-58 victory in the 2019 state title game — their most recent meeting until Friday. 

“It’s great to play them,” Wildcats guard Maxim Wu said. Wilsonville and Churchill were also slated to meet in the 2020 semifinals before the remainder of the tournament was called off due to COVID-19. 

“Both teams compete super well and it always comes down to the wire.”

The Lancers (22-6) led by eight points in the second quarter before Wilsonville (26-2) stormed back at the end of the half. A 9-1 run to open the fourth quarter provided some extra cushion for the Wildcats, who will face No. 4 Silverton at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in the final. 

Wilsonville, the defending champion, is looking to win its fourth state tournament in five tries (2016-17, 2019). 

“This was one of our best efforts of the year for sure because Churchill is really talented, and (Samaje) Morgan is one of the best players in the state,” Wilsonville head coach Chris Roche said. “To be behind early and keep our composure and battle back and take control of it the way we did … I was proud of our team.”

Morgan, a senior point guard who went off for 38 points and 10 assists in the Lancers’ tournament-opening win over Eagle Point, was limited to 10 points and three assists. Wu acted as Morgan’s primary defender, and the junior had plenty of help from 6-foot-10 Logan Thebiay, 6-foot-7 Tristan Davis and others.

“He’s probably the best player I’ve ever guarded,” Wu said. “Just be in the right spots, know his tendencies and hone in on that.” 

Added Thebiay: “Samaje is a great player, much respect to him, but Maxim played really great defense. It was a team effort.”

Wu had a strong all-around game for Wilsonville with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists. Davis had 13 points and four assists while Enzo Chimienti added 13 points and three rebounds. Thebiay nearly had a double-double with nine points and 18 rebounds — a school record.

Ty Weiskind scored 13 points to lead the Lancers, who jumped out to an early 7-0 lead as Wilsonville started 0 of 2 with three turnovers. All three baskets were assisted, two by Morgan. 

The Wildcats clawed back in it by going inside, and a Thebiay buzzer-beating tip-in made it 12-9 after one quarter. The Lancers rebuilt their lead at the beginning of the second period, but a slick Wu underhanded putback gave Wilsonville a 21-20 halftime advantage.

Davis and Thebiay were a matchup problem in the paint all afternoon against Churchill’s guard-heavy lineup.

“Logan and Tristan, our twin towers, are phenomenal,” Wu said. “It was great games from both of them, and we knew we could pound them inside.”

Wilsonville slowly extended its lead after the break, going up 34-27 heading to the fourth on a Chimienti buzzer-beating turnaround jumper. A Chimienti and-one capped a 9-1 run to open the fourth, and Churchill pulled no closer than nine the rest of the way. 

“We really wanted to emphasize team basketball, just swinging it around,” Wu said of the team’s second-half offensive success. “The ball will find the open shot.”

In the earlier semifinal, No. 4 Silverton rode its smothering defense to a 50-36 victory over top-seeded Redmond.

The Panthers (21-6) turned it over 18 times and shot just 13 of 43 from the field and 3 of 17 from beyond the arc.

Neil Efimov had 20 points, three rebounds, two assists and four steals to lead the Foxes (23-5), who are back in the final for the first time since winning the 2015 state title. Austin Ratliff added 12 points, three rebounds and three blocks while Jordan McCarty had 10 points, six assists and two steals; McCarty and Ratliff are both headed to Air Force on football scholarships.

Big man Evan Otten shined for Redmond, compiling 13 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks. Intermountain Conference player of the year Garrett Osborne finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Churchill, a four-time state runner-up under head coach Kelly Bokn, will play Redmond for third place at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.