13 lead changes, 10 ties, 2 overtimes, 1-point win for Barlow — Bruins headed to 6A boys semifinals after heavyweight bout with Mountainside

“I told them before the game what makes sports fun is the epic game when two teams are just going to give everything they’ve got and two teams were going to refuse to lose.”

Author:
Paul Valencia
Publish date:
Mar 10, 2023 5:08 AM EST

By Paul Valencia | Photos by Taylor Balkom

There are game-winning shots, and there are game-winning decisions.

On Thursday night, it was more a series of decisions that led to one epic celebration for the Barlow Bruins.

Jalen Atkins, struggling with his shot for the first three quarters, found his touch when it mattered most. But it wasn’t just his scoring. It was how he knew when to attack, when to pass, when to push, or when to show patience.

In a game that had 13 lead changes and 10 ties, in a game that went to not just one overtime period but two, every choice had a consequence.

Atkins scored 21 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and two OT periods, and the Bruins outlasted Mountainside 73-72 in the quarterfinals of the OSAA 6A boys basketball state tournament at the Chiles Center.

“It’s an experience I’m never going to forget,” said Atkins, a sophomore and the Mt. Hood Conference player of the year. “This season, we had a lot of those, which I think really helped us prepare, get ready, and to know what’s to come. Our guys came down and made the plays. We, as a team, we just battled. I’m just proud of our guys.”

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Brayden Boe put on a show for the Mavericks, as well, making 13 of 24 shots for a game-high 35 points. He added nine assists and eight rebounds.

“We haven’t seen a player like Boe all year,” longtime Barlow coach Tom Johnson said. “We had such a hard time containing him. He’s tough. We were very fortunate to win.”

It helped the Bruins to have the clutch gene on their squad.

“Jalen did what Jalen has done all year for us down the stretch,” Johnson said, noting Atkins has four game-winning shots in the final 10 seconds. “He’s one of the most clutch players I’ve ever coached. Ever. He carried us down the stretch offensively.”

But as Atkins said, this was a “we” thing for the Bruins. Atkins gave Barlow the lead for good at 70-69 with 2:36 to play in the second overtime. But it was Mason Bierbrauer with a clutch shot on a feed from Nate Forrar that made it a three-point lead with 46 seconds left. Bierbrauer added a free throw with 18 seconds remaining to push the cushion to three points again.

The Mavericks missed two 3-pointers and tipped in a two-point field goal with less than a second to go to account for the final score.

There would be no Mountainside Miracle to force a third overtime.

Mountainside erased a three-point deficit late in regulation on a free throw from Jaylin Ormond, followed by a jump ball that went the Mavericks’ way. Ormond then scored on a feed from Boe.

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The Mavericks then got a steal and missed an off-balance, try-to-beat-the-clock shot that led to the first overtime.

Barlow had another three-point lead late in the first overtime, but Mountainside’s Blake Thune buried a 3-pointer with 4 seconds on the clock.

The final four-minute period had a wild start, with Atkins scoring, followed by a 3-pointer from Mountainside’s Peyton Reyes. Forrar got an offensive rebound and putback for a Barlow lead. Then Boe scored his 34th point as the Mavericks regained the lead. Atkins got another basket to make it 70-69. Those four lead changes made it 13 lead changes for the game.

But there was no more magic for Mountainside.

“I think it’s natural to kind of have a little bit of that worry, but I’m ready for it,” Atkins said after Mountainside just kept rallying. “We’re all ready for it. We just had to take care of business.”

In the fourth quarter — which seemed like forever ago by the time this game ended — it was Barlow having to make the comeback. Mountainside had a six-point lead with 5 minutes to play before the Bruins went on a 10-0 run.

Jahvari Martino scored four points in that run. He finished with 16 points for the Bruins. Bierbrauer also scored 16 points for Barlow.

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For Mountainside, Ormond had a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Thune had 13 points.

“We made some mistakes, but that’s not what I’m going to remember out of this game,” Mountainside coach Dustin Hewitt said. “These guys were cramping up, bloody lips, gassed. I told them before the game what makes sports fun is the epic game when two teams are just going to give everything they’ve got and two teams were going to refuse to lose. Obviously in sports, someone is going to lose.

“Anyone who watched that game will say there were two teams that did anything they could to win that basketball game. I’m just really proud of my guys.”

Mountainside fell to 19-8 and will play in the fourth-place semifinals at 10:30 a.m. Friday against Beaverton.

Barlow (25-3) notched its 15th consecutive win and will play in the championship semifinals at 8:15 p.m. Friday against Tualatin.

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Martino, a senior, said he is thrilled to be in the final four in his final year of high school basketball.

He also appreciates how the Bruins got there.

“Heart pounding. Every possession counts. Every defensive possession counts,” he said of that thrilling finish. “No matter what, you have to be really, really, really perfect. There is no such thing as perfect, but you’ve got to try your best to be perfect. I was really worried, but luckily we had Jalen to come down and make the right plays.”