Wilsonville boys basketball seeking 5A title after setting state record for consecutive home wins

By Shane Hoffmann | Photos by GM Artman 

Jack Roche knew it had been a while since he and his Wilsonville Wildcats teammates had lost on their home court, but none of them realized just how long.

The wins just kept piling up. 

In fact, Roche, a 2019 Wilsonville High School graduate and member of the varsity basketball team, and his teammates never lost at home during his four-year stint with the program — whether they realized it in the moment or not. 

“I think the coaching staff knew, but they never said anything,” Roche said. “They wouldn’t want to put that pressure on the team, and my dad would probably refer to it as 'rat poison,' a la Nick Saban.” 

And what those Wildcats players certainly couldn’t have known was how long that streak would continue even after their departure. 

Wilsonville set a record for consecutive home wins for any boys basketball program at any classification in state history, according to “Cutting Down the Nets” by Tom Rohlffs, the Oregon high school basketball record book. 

After a 59-52 loss to Parkrose, which boasted multiple future Division I players, on Jan. 27, 2015, the Wildcats rattled off 97 consecutive home wins — a vast streak which only recently came to an end on Jan. 26 in a 34-29 loss to Canby without Kyle Counts, one of Wilsonville’s key starters. 

Wilsonville surpassed Klamath Union’s 68 consecutive wins and the school’s previous record of 58 (2008-12) en route to the mark. Wilsonville also owns the boys basketball state record for consecutive league games won with 77. 

"Our kids deserve a ton of credit for answering the bell so well for so long over the course of that eight-year streak,” head coach Chris Roche said. “It's remarkable, really, and the kids competed so well versus all kinds of opponents.” 

Jack Roche added: “As a high school kid, I didn’t really fathom how special the stuff we were achieving was. It’s been very cool to see the tradition and strength of the program be carried on.” 

Coach Roche applauded the defensive effort over the years as a leading reason for the streak and Wilsonville’s success, calling it a “stabilizing” force that could make up for poor shooting nights.

But make no mistake, whether certain staffers or players were aware of the streak, the team never operated around the goal of continuing it. 

"We don't play for streaks,” the coach said. “They might say something about our program, maybe, but those types of things do not define us. We are defined by our competitiveness today, by how hard we play, and how well we get along and play together and by the experiences we share.”

Jack Roche said one thing his father repeatedly preaches to each new Wildcats team is that every season is a new journey, that Wilsonville isn’t entitled to anything because of previous success — that, if anything, it’s nothing more than a potential target on the Wildcats’ back. 

That certainly was his approach this season. Now, Chris Roche is curious to see how these Wildcats (19-4, 12-2 Northwest Oregon Conference) will respond. Despite the streak's conclusion, they’ve catapulted themselves to No. 2 in the OSAA rankings and a consensus Class 5A title contender. 

“What we do with that experience will be what matters most to this team, this year,” he said. “That home winning streak was nice and fun, but teams lose at home all the time. … 

“We're on to the next game, the next challenge, and hopefully going to do our best to be successful with what we face today, tomorrow."