Oregon (OSAA) high school boys basketball state tournaments: Players to watch in 6A, 5A, 4A

Who are some of the top players to watch this week at the OSAA boys basketball state tournaments?

Can Central Catholic senior Isaac Carr lead his team to back-to-back OSAA Class 6A boys basketball state titles? / Naji Saker

The OSAA boys basketball state tournaments take place this week with the 6A being contested at the Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus, the 5A at Linfield University in McMinnville and the 4A at Forest Grove High School.

Here's a look at some of the top players from each of the teams that will battle for blue trophies this week.

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Class 4A

Barett Blodgett, Seaside, senior 

The first-team all-Cowapa League selection leads a balanced attack, scoring 13 points per game.

Bryce Lowenbach, Crook County, junior

Lowenbach improved from a second-team all-Tri-Valley Conference selection to the conference player of the year while leading the Cowboys to a third consecutive TVC title, averaging 16.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.

Drew Butler, Scappoose, junior

Butler led the team in rebounding, grabbing 7.5 per game while averaging 5.3 points and making the all-Cowapa League first team.

Eli Long, Baker, junior

The sharpshooting guard, who averaged 14 points per game, made seven 3-pointers and scored a game-high 23 points in the Bulldogs’ Round of 16 victory over The Dalles.

Evan Barham, Scappoose, senior

Barham was the team’s top 3-point threat, shooting 37.9% from deep and averaging 9.8 points. He received first-team all-Cowapa League recognition.

Mazama forward Gabe Nanni / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gabe Nanni, Mazama, senior

Nanni made a team-high 61 3-pointers during the season (shooting 32.9%) and averaged 14.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals.

Isaiah Jones, Baker, senior

The reigning state player of the year averaged 18 points and five rebounds for the defending champion Bulldogs to help them return to the state tournament.

Jace Jonas, Crook County, junior

Jonas joined player of the year Bryce Lowenbach on the all-Tri-Valley Conference first team, entering the tournament averaging 15.2 points, four rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals.

Jordan Westerholm, Seaside, senior

Westerholm, a first-team all-Cowapa League selection, is the son of Seagulls coach Bill Westerholm (384-273), who plans to retire after 27 seasons and state titles in 2017-18.

Kai Hunt, Mazama, senior

Hunt made five 3-pointers and scored 30 points in Mazama’s 77-67 take-down of third-seeded Marist Catholic in the Round of 16 that clinched the Vikings’ first quarterfinal berth since 2018. He leads the team in scoring (16.7 points per game) while averaging nearly six assists.

Kaiden Ford, Cascade, senior

Ford was a first-team all-Oregon West Conference selection for the Cougars, who entered the tournament on a 13-game win streak. 

Keller Vinyard, Marshfield, sophomore

Vinyard was the third Pirate to make the all-Sky Em first team. He grabbed seven rebounds per game to help the team win its first league title since 2022. 

Cascade guard Landon Knox / Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Landon Knox, Cascade, senior

The first-team all-state selection a year ago won Oregon West Conference player of the year honors for the second consecutive season.

Luke Jackson, Marshfield, senior

Jackson was a unanimous first-team all-Sky Em League selection after averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game.

Martin Ortega, Phoenix, senior 

Ortega, who averaged 13.5 points and 5.7 assists, scored a team-high 18 points in the Pirates’ Round of 16 victory over Newport — their first postseason win in the past 13 years.

Quinton Olson, Scappoose, senior

Olson was better known for his two-way prowess on the gridiron, but he earned Cowapa League player of the year this winter, averaging 13.5 points (shooting 34.1% from 3-point range), 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals. 

Rasean Jones, Baker, junior

Jones missed the final four games of the football season with a separated shoulder but recovered in time for the start of basketball season, averaging 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the defending champion Bulldogs.

Ryan Hayden, Mazama, senior

Hayden provides an inside presence for the Vikings, shooting 50.1% (all from inside the 3-point arc) and averaging 7.8 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds.

Marshfield guard Steel Carpenter, left / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Steel Carpenter, Marshfield, senior

The Sky Em League player of the year led the Pirates in scoring at 19 points per game (he became the 14th Pirate over 1,000 career points), and he set the tone for 4A’s leading defense (43.3 points allowed per game) as the league’s defensive player of the year.

Tobias Akpan, Phoenix, senior

Akpan sustained a severe ankle injury last year that required the insertion of seven pins, but he returned this season to lead the Pirates to their first state tournament appearance since 2012, averaging 18.9 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 55% from the field.

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Class 5A

Cole Hammack, Wilsonville, senior

The star point guard transferred eight miles north from North Marion (where he was a first-team 4A all-state selection a year ago) to join a Wildcats team vying for a ninth consecutive appearance in a state final. He earned NWOC co-player of the year honors, averaging 20 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds.

Wilsonville post Emmitt Fee / Leon Neuschwander

Emmitt Fee, Wilsonville, senior

Fee was the Wildcats’ primary presence down low, with the 6-foot-6 post averaging 8.5 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds in making the all-NWOC second team.

Gavin Aguilar, West Albany, senior

Aguilar led the Bulldogs in scoring at 17.7 points per game, including a career-high 41 in their Round of 16 win against Churchill, and the first-team all-Mid-Willamette Conference pick leads the team in rebounding (5.8), assists (4.5) and steals (3) per game. 

Jack Bents, Caldera, senior 

Bents scored 20 points in the Wolfpack’s come-from-behind win over Crater to secure their first trip to the state tournament in the program’s fourth season — the highlight of the season for the 37% 3-point shooter who averaged 11.6 points and earned second-team all-Intermountain Conference honors.

Jack Brauckmiller, Canby, sophomore

The 6-foot-6 post is the Cougars’ main inside weapon, averaging 10.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.4 steals.

Jaxon Lawson, Canby, junior

Lawson led the Cougars in scoring all season, averaging 19.1 points with a career-high 36 in their Round of 16 win at Intermountain Conference co-champion Redmond that earned the program its first quarterfinal berth since 2007 and fourth state appearance all-time. The NWOC co-player of the year also averaged 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals.

Lucas Ikjaer, Crescent Valley, senior

The second-team all-Mid-Willamette Conference selection was the Raiders’ second-leading scorer at 11.3 points per game. He led the team in assists with 50.

Thurston wing Lucas LaBounty / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lucas Labounty, Thurston, junior

The Midwestern League player of the year led the Colts in scoring at 17 points per game, including a game-high 19 and the go-ahead 3-pointer late in their come-from-behind win over Centennial that sent them to the state tournament for the first time since 2019.

Michael Ratcliffe Jr., Wilsonville, freshman

The 6-foot-8 ninth-grader announced himself as the next big thing to come through the Wildcats program, averaging 8.6 points and 6.5 rebounds playing alongside all-NWOC post Emmitt Fee.

Miles Macomber, Caldera, senior

Macomber led the Wolfpack in 3-point shooting, hitting on 33.9% of his treys while averaging 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals. He made the all-Intermountain Conference first team.

Nathan Stiffler, Thurston, senior

Stiffler, who is one 3-pointer from becoming the program’s all-time leader in 3s, made the all-Midwestern League first team.

Noah Blair, Thurston, senior

Blair broke the school record for career steals, earning Midwestern League defensive player of the year honors. 

Owen Hopkins, West Albany, senior

Hopkins made an all-Mid-Willamette Conference team for a third time, receiving honorable mention as the Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer (12.2 points per game) while averaging 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists. 

Ridghen Khyungra, La Salle Prep, sophomore

The first-team all-NWOC selection led the Falcons in scoring at 23.4 points per game, including 16 in their Round of 16 victory over Woodburn that secured their spot at Linfield.

Rowan Blossey, Summit, senior

Blossey was an honorable mention all-Intermountain Conference pick this season, averaging 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and a team-high 2.8 assists.

Ryder Grieb, Summit, senior

Grieb shot 52% from the field and averaged 12.8 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds in earning all-Intermountain Conference honorable mention.

Truman Brasfield, Crescent Valley, senior

Brasfield transferred from crosstown Corvallis over the summer and had an immediate impact on his new team, leading the Raiders in scoring (12 points per game), rebounding (eight) and steals (1.5) in making the all-Mid-Willamette Conference first team.

West Albany forward Tyson Walker / Leon Neuschwander

Tyson Walker, West Albany, junior

Walker shot 57.3% from the field and averaged 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in making the all-Mid-Willamette Conference first team.

Will Manfredi, Summit, senior

Manfredi made a team-high 55 3-pointers, shooting 34% from distance, and averaged a team-high 15.1 points in making the all-Intermountain Conference first team and helping the defending champion Storm win 12 of their last 14 to return to the tournament.

William Jenson, Caldera, senior

Jenson was a first-team all-Interrmountain Conference selection for the Wolfpack, leading the team in scoring (17.2 points per game), rebounding (10) and blocked shots (1.2) while shooting 58.9% from the field.

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Class 6A

Alonzo Hoff, Southridge, senior 

Hoff’s family has a legacy of success — father Mustapha played at Oregon State in the early 1990s, and older sisters Natalie and Maya played on state title-winning girls teams in 2017-18. He made the all-Metro League first team this season, averaging 13.5 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Southridge post Alonzo Hoff / Dan Brood

Anthony Best, Sprague, senior

Best’s go-ahead basket in the final minute of the Olympians’ come-from-behind win over Oregon City in the Round of 16 clinched their first quarterfinal appearance. He was a first-team all-Central Valley Conference pick, averaging 13.5 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Braxton Long, Sprague, senior

The Central Valley Conference co-player of the year was the Olympians’ facilitator, averaging 6.2 assists and leading the team in steals (2.6) and blocked shots (1.4) while averaging 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds.

Brayden Barron, Barlow, senior

Bruins coach Tom Johnson called Barron “one of the most improved players our program has ever had” — high praise indeed from the long-time coach about the Portland State commit and Mt. Hood Conference defensive player of the year who averages 14.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. 

Duce Paschal, Central Catholic, senior

Paschal is bound for Weber State after making the all-Mt. Hood Conference first team for the Rams this season, averaging 15 points and shooting 55% from the field to go with six rebounds and 2.8 steals.

Elijah Thompson, Southridge, sophomore

The second-team all-Metro League selection led the league in assists, averaging 5.1 per game to go with 13.2 points, four rebounds and 2.5 steals, and he had a double-double with 16 points and 12 assists in the Skyhawks’ second-round win over West Salem.

Isaac Bongen, Jesuit, sophomore

Bongen shot 36% from beyond the 3-point arc and averaged 12.1 points in making the all-Metro League third team.

Isaac Carr, Central Catholic, senior

The Wake Forest signee and Mt. Hood Conference player of the year is a leading contender for 6A player of the year honors, averaging 19 points as a near-50/40/90 shooter (50.2% from the field, 41% from 3-point range, 87% from the free throw line) to go with five rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Barlow guard Jalen Atkins / Taylor Balkom

Jalen Atkins, Barlow, senior

In most seasons, Atkins would have won Mt. Hood Conference player of the year honors. The Eastern Arizona commit and four-time all-MHC first-team selection averaged 21 points, 7.5 assists and four rebounds, scoring a career-high 43 in the Bruins’ second-round win over Clackamas.

Jalen Snook, West Linn, senior

The Lions boast a balanced attack, with four players scoring in double figures — none more than Snook, a first-team all-Three Rivers League selection who averaged 16.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals.

James Kefgen, Westview, senior

Kefgen led the Wildcats in scoring at 16.2 points per game and grabbed 5.5 rebounds in making the all-Metro League first team.

Jarod Stanley, Sprague, senior

Stanley shared Central Valley Conference player of the year honors with teammate Braxton Long while leading the Olympians in scoring (20.8 points per game), averaging 3.7 rebounds and handing out 2.4 assists per game.

Westview wing Jacob Grady / René Ferrán

Jason Grady, Westview, senior

Grady showed Wildcats fans what they were missing last season as he recovered from ankle surgery, averaging 13.4 points (shooting 35.2% from 3-point range), 6.1 rebounds and three assists and earning Metro League co-player of the year honors in leading the team to its first outright league championship.

Javier Diaz, Tualatin, senior

Diaz, a second-team all-Three Rivers League selection, has been among the state leaders in field goal percentage the past two seasons, shooting 63% this season while averaging 9.7 points and 8.6 rebounds.

Jemai Lake, Tualatin, junior

Lake still has two years before he can join older brother Josiah in the Division I ranks, but the first-team all-Three Rivers League guard (20.6 points, 4.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds) went over 1,000 career points in the team’s Round of 16 win over South Salem and “has established himself as a force on both ends of the court,” coach Bubba Lemon said.

Tualatin guard Jemai Lake / Dan Brood

Joe Stimpson, Jesuit, junior 

Stimpson missed most of the first half of the season, but over the Crusaders’ past 13 games, he averaged 8.3 points and 2.5 assists. He made the all-Metro League third team and helped them win eight in a row to clinch a state tournament berth.

Kai Russell, Westview, senior

The second-team all-Metro League point guard averages 8.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds for the Wildcats, who advanced to the state tournament for the first time since 2017.

Keenan Reckamp, Southridge, senior

Reckamp went over 1,000 career points in the Skyhawks’ regular-season finale — the fifth player in school history to do so — and was voted Metro League co-player of the year, averaging 18.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals.

Kevin Benson, West Linn, senior

The second-team all-Three Rivers League forward averaged 11.5 points while shooting 55.6% from the field, grabbing a team-high 7.9 rebounds and blocking 1.5 shots per game.

Lucas D’Haem, Westview, senior

The Metro League defensive player of the year also chips in on offense, averaging 6.4 points while shooting 40% from 3-point range. He averages 4.1 rebounds and two assists.

Barlow wing Mason Bierbrauer / Dan Brood

Mason Bierbrauer, Barlow, senior

The Bruins’ third all-Mt. Hood Conference first-team selection is a three-year starter who averaged 16.5 points and six rebounds this season.

Nolan Keeney, Tualatin, senior

The second-team all-Three Rivers League selection will play quarterback for BYU, but in the meantime, he provides a physical presence in the interior (10.1 points, 7.4 rebounds).

Pat Vialva Jr., Tualatin, sophomore

Vialva arrived from West Linn over the summer and seamlessly fit in alongside Jemai Lake in the Timberwolves backcourt, shooting 45% from 3-point range and averaging 17.4 points and 3.7 rebounds as a repeat first-team all-Three Rivers League selection.

Jesuit wing Patrick Kilfoil / Taylor Balkom

Patrick Kilfoil, Jesuit, senior

The Crusaders were a well-balanced attack this season, but Kilfoil (a Saint Martin’s commit) was the leader of the group, making the all-Metro League first team after averaging team highs in scoring (14.4 points) and assists (3.3) while grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game. 

Robbie Long, Central Catholic, junior

The second-team all-Mt. Hood Conference selection is coming off a standout season as the Rams’ first-year starting quarterback. On the basketball court, he filled the stat sheet with averages of nine points, five rebounds and a team-high five assists.

Central Catholic guard Robbie Long / Dan Brood

Ryan Fraser, Jesuit, senior 

The third-team all-Metro League selection (10.2 points per game) led the Crusaders in 3-point shooting, hitting at a 46% clip — including going 9 for 12 in playoff wins over Gresham and Nelson, scoring 17 points in each game.

Trey Price, West Linn, sophomore

Price filled the point guard void left when Pat Vialva transferred to Tualatin, earning first-team all-Three Rivers League honors after averaging 14.7 points (shooting 41.3% from 3-point range), 4.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

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