Jayden Fortier received a challenge from his coach — and the Tualatin junior delivered

“I don’t back down from anybody. I don’t fear anyone on the court.”

Author:
Dan Brood
Publish date:
Mar 14, 2023 10:15 PM EDT

By Dan Brood | Photos by Ken Waz

A challenge was made.

This wasn’t just any old challenge. It was a challenge to do something big. To do something absolutely crucial. It was a challenge to do something special — in the Class 6A boys basketball championship game.

Jayden Fortier took on that challenge.

The challenge for the Tualatin junior: Get 15 rebounds in the title contest, where the Timberwolves were taking on top-seeded West Linn.

Fortier took on that challenge with a football frame of mind.

By the end of the game, the physical 6-foot-5 post had powered his way to 15 rebounds, helping the Timberwolves notch a 60-47 win over the Lions on Saturday at the University of Portland’s Chiles Center, giving Tualatin its second consecutive state championship.

“Coming into the game, (Tualatin coach) Bubba (Lemon) challenged me,” Fortier said during Tualatin’s postgame celebration. “He said, ‘You need to get 15 rebounds and score.’ So, that was my goal coming in. I had eight rebounds at the half. I had to keep going, trying to match that in the second half, and we did it.”

They sure did, likely against the odds, as West Linn, which entered with a 28-1 record, had topped the Timberwolves in all three of the teams’ meetings earlier in the season.

“It feels great,” Fortier said. “Coming in, they beat us three times. But it’s hard to beat a team four times in the same season, so I’m glad we got this one.”

Fortier had a standout junior season at receiver for the Tualatin football team in the fall, helping the squad reach the semifinal round of the Class 6A state playoffs. He could be one of the top-recruited seniors in the state next season, and he seemed to take his football physicality to the basketball court in Saturday’s state title tilt.

“I think the crowd really helped with that, with their cheering,” Fortier said. “They were so loud. Playing into that really helped with my adrenaline. I kept pushing.”

Pushing and rebounding. With many of his rebounds, Fortier would jump high, reach to grab the ball, powering it away from everyone else — just like he did catching a fade pass from Tualatin quarterback Jack Wagner in the end zone last fall — and then let out a yell.

“He translates it from football. I mean, 15 rebounds for him, that’s big” said Wagner, who also stepped up for the Timberwolves in Saturday’s game. “He’s physical, and he did what he needed to do.”

He did it right from the start. In the first quarter, where Tualatin jumped out to a 12-1 lead, Fortier scored four points and pulled down three rebounds.

He also played stout defense throughout the contest, much of the night helping out in trying to trap West Linn standout Jackson Shelstad near midcourt.

“I don’t back down from anybody,” Fortier said. “I don’t fear anyone on the court. Obviously, Jackson is a great player. He can have 30, 40 points at any time, but I don’t back down from anybody.”

With seven points, eight rebounds and a block in the first half, Fortier helped the Timberwolves take a 30-16 lead to halftime.

But Fortier knew there was still plenty of work to do.

“Going into the third quarter, I knew what was going to happen,” he said. “We had to survive their third-quarter push, which we did, and we knocked down late free throws at the end of the game to win.”

Fortier had a key fourth-quarter basket, scoring on a physical drive to the hoop, giving Tualatin a 45-34 lead with 6 minutes and 43 seconds left.

Fittingly, Fortier had the final rebound of the contest, a defensive board with 13 seconds remaining, leading to a game-ending dunk by Tualatin junior Jaden Steppe, wrapping up the 60-47 victory.

“He was awesome,” Lemon said of Fortier. “I challenged him before the game. Rebounds win championships, and I told Jayden, ‘You’ve got to get me 15 rebounds today,’ and he ended with 15.”

Fortier got six of his game-high 15 rebounds on the offensive end. He ended up with nine points, on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, and a block.

While football might be the big thing in Fortier’s future, basketball is big to him as well.

“I used to be a hooper before, but football came around, and that’s where all the scholarships are at,” he said. “Obviously, I want to come out and compete at any level, especially against my guys (West Linn basketball and football standouts) Mark Hamper and Sam (Leavitt). They’re going to college for football, so it’s just a great feeling.”

For the tournament, Fortier had 34 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ three games. His 11.3 rebounds-per-game average led all players at the tournament.

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