Corvallis makes it back-to-back state titles
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EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Repeat was the theme of the night at Matthew Knight Arena.
Two hours after the Springfield girls basketball team wrapped up its second straight state championship, the Corvallis boys did the same, beating Milwaukie 63-51 to claim back-to-back OSAA Class 5A basketball titles.
Henry Parker and Jake Ehlers each scored 19 points for Corvallis (24-4) in a game that lacked the drama of the Spartans' double-overtime victory against Benson in the final last season.
Michone Hopkins scored 19 points to lead the Mustangs (20-9), who were playing in their first championship game since winning the title in 1954.
Parker scored 10 points in the first half to lead the Spartans to a 29-19 lead at the break.
Corvallis was up just 16-13 two minutes into the second quarter but went on an 11-0 run to take a 27-13 advantage with 2:44 to play.
Parker and Joey Spiegelberg hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to spark the run.
Milwaukie, which had eight turnovers in the first half and 15 overall, responded with six straight points to cut its deficit to single digits, 27-19, before Ehlers ended the half with a pair of free throws to make it a 10-point game.
Being down at halftime was nothing new for the Mustangs, who trailed both Mountain View and Wilsonville in the first two games of the tournament before coming back in the second half.
It appeared they might have a little more rally magic left in them on Saturday.
Down 34-21 early in the third, Milwaukie scored 11 straight to pull within a basket, 34-32, with 5:05 left in the quarter.
But Corvallis stayed composed and went into the fourth on a 12-4 run and holding a 46-36 advantage.
The Spartans then scored the first five points of the fourth to extend their lead to 51-36.
Milwaukie had one last surge, scoring eight straight late in the fourth to make it 55-47 with 2:15 to play, but the Spartans held them off at the free-throw line, making 5-of-6 attempts in the final 2:04.
