For you, Coach! Barlow delivers Oregon 6A boys basketball title in beloved coach Tom Johnson’s final game

Johnson won his first state championship in his last game before retiring with 711 wins in 42 seasons at two schools

Barlow coach Tom Johnson and senior guard Jalen Atkins hug after the Bruins won the OSAA Class 6A boys basketball state championship Saturday night. / René Ferrrán

As a Jesuit player headed to the free throw line in the waning seconds of Saturday night's OSAA Class 6A boys basketball state championship game, a chant rained down from the fans behind the Barlow bench.

WIN FOR TJ!

WIN FOR TJ!

The Bruins student section then chimed in.

TJ! TJ! TJ!

TJ — Tom Johnson, the 39-year coach at the East Multnomah County school who announced his retirement at the end of the season — isn’t someone who wears his emotions on his sleeve.

But in this moment, even he cracked a smile.

Barlow coach Tom Johnson retires with 711 wins and a long-awaited state championship. / René Ferrán

Johnson had racked up 710 victories in 42 seasons — first at Lebanon, then for nearly four decades at Barlow. And in his final game, his Bruins delivered his first state championship, defeating Jesuit 61-55 at the University of Portland’s Chiles Center.

“It meant an awful lot,” Johnson said of the serenade. “The last couple days, the amount of texts and phone calls I’ve gotten — I got a real nice one from Ryan Crouser, who’s probably halfway around the world right now, and Jesse White sent me a really special one that says, go win it for not only them, but all the former Bruins as well.

“When I moved there nearly 40 years ago, I knew Barlow was a destination for me. I love the school. I love the community, and I certainly love the kids.”

Jesuit coach Gene Potter, who is good friends with Johnson, watched the celebration from afar.

“I mean, absolutely, super disappointed for my squad, but super happy for Tom,” said Potter, who is 7-3 all-time in state finals. “He’s a class act.”

Senior guard Jalen Atkins dreamed of this moment since fourth grade, hearing stories from his father, Josh, about what it was like to play for Johnson.

Barlow's Jalen Atkins scored 16 points. / René Ferrán

“Man, I mean, to experience it first-hand is something so much different than hearing stories,” Atkins said. “It’s just such a blessing, you know, this amazing group of guys, just the dedication we put in over the years, and the mentorship from TJ as we’ve been growing up — it means the world for me to be able to be a part of a team to win him a 'ship.”

Atkins, who was a big part of Barlow teams that reached the Chiles Center each of the past three seasons — placing fifth two years ago and fourth last season — was the focus of Jesuit’s defense, which opened opportunities for teammates such as seniors Brayden Barron, the Portland State signee who had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Blake Mills, who made four 3-pointers for all 12 of his points.

Atkins then closed the deal for the Bruins by making 6 of 8 free throws in the final 73 seconds, finishing with 16 points.

“I knew they were going to hone on me, so I just trusted my guys, and they didn’t disappoint,” Atkins said.

Barron even rose up to sink a 3-pointer from in front of the Bruins bench, part of a 13-2 run in which he scored seven points and the lead ballooned from one point to 12 — 44-32 with 7:22 to play.

Barlow's Brayden Barron had 17 points and nine rebounds. / René Ferrán

“We just wanted to get the job done,” Barron said. “You know, TJ really needed this. We all really needed this. We had some ups and downs in this game. It was close throughout, but in the end, we got it done, and we’re happy for him, and I’m happy for everybody.”

The Bruins (27-3) never trailed after the opening couple of minutes, but the Crusaders (19-11) stayed close despite shooting 5 of 26 from 3-point range — a far cry from the 20-of-41 performance they shot from distance (48.8%) in knocking off defending champion Central Catholic and Westview in their first two tournament games.

Senior Patrick Kilfoil, who will play at Saint Martin’s University, kept them in the game by attacking the basket despite the presence of the 6-foot-7 Barron, the Mt. Hood Conference defensive player of the year.

Jesuit's Patrick Kilfoil scored a game-high 24 points. / René Ferrán

Kilfoil finished with a game-high 24 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 2:45 remaining.

“I thought he was terrific,” Potter said of his senior guard. “He was great all year doing that, and we kind of had to turn him loose a little bit tonight. I don’t know what our 3-point percentage was, but I know it wasn’t what it was the first two games, and we’re a perimeter-oriented team.”

In the end, the night belonged to the Bruins — and their beloved coach.

“You know, I had some times where TJ took me into his home,” Atkins said, “and I would stay nights with him and he would just preach morals to me, preach everything outside of basketball, which just made our relationship that much more tighter. And I think you could see it on the court.”

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