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GAME OF THE WEEKGrant wins state title for first time since 198808:21 PM PDT on Wednesday, March 19, 2008EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Michael Moser had 20 points and 13 rebounds as No. 8 Grant toppled No. 1 Oregon City 63-56 late Saturday night to claim the OSAA Class 6A boys basketball title at McArthur Court. Michael James added 17 points and Paul McCoy had 13 for the Generals, who staved off the Pioneers' late rally.
Brad Tinsley scored a game-high 30 points and Sammy Schafer added 21 for Oregon City, which snapped an 18-game winning streak for Oregon City (28-2). The Pioneers, appearing in their first title game since 1945, were ranked No. 1 all season and hadn't lost to an Oregon team. That is, until Grant came along. The Generals (22-6) didn't trail after the first quarter and led by as many as nine points midway through the fourth. Oregon City stormed back behind their two star players, Tinsley and Schafer, who brought the Pioneers within one at 57-56 with 1:02 left. But McCoy shut down Tinsley and Grant hit all four of its free throws in the final minute. James grabbed a long defensive rebound and sprinted all alone to the other end, capping the game with an emphatic dunk. Grant students mobbed the court in celebration of the school's first state championship since 1988. McCoy opened the final quarter with a steal off Tinsley, and Moser's layup pushed the Grant lead to 50-42. Moser added another layup before McCoy took control, driving the middle of the lane, scoring a layup and absorbing a foul by Tinsley. McCoy sank the free throw to give Grant its largest lead of the game at 55-46 with 3:31 remaining. Oregon City didn't go down quietly. After a timeout, Tinsley swished a 3-pointer and Schafer converted a traditional three-point play, sparking a 10-2 Oregon City run. Schafer added two free throws and Tinsley tipped in a Schafer miss as the Pioneers pulled wihin 57-56 with 1:02 to go. Oregon City wouldn't score again. McCoy's defense forced Tinsley into a long 3-point attempt, which fell off the mark with 20 seconds left. Tinsley had the best numbers in the anticipated matchup against McCoy, but McCoy left the court with the trophy. Teammates on a summer-league team since sixth grade, Tinsley and McCoy both signed with Pepperdine last year. But they were granted releases from their commitments to the school after Pepperdine's coach resigned in January. Tinsley is now being widely recruited by major Division I programs. McCoy is being persued by some 20 schools. Washington State recently offered a scholarship. The first half featured four ties and seven lead changes. James had a steal at midcourt and a fast-break dunk to give the Generals a 26-20 with 4:50 left in the half. Two minutes later, Grant took its largest lead of the half at 32-25 when reserve guard Michael Fendall swished a wide-open 3-pointer. But Oregon City ended the half on a 8-2 run, trailing 34-33 at the break. Tinsley had 16 points and Schafer had 12 at halftime for the Pioneers, who were 11-for-16 on free-throw attempts in the first half. Tinsley spun around McCoy in the post and scored a layup to bring Oregon City within one at 38-37 midway through the third quarter. In a flurry of action, James answered by banking in a 3-pointer, and Moser added a layup to give the Generals a 43-37 lead. In the same sequence, Tinsley hit banked in a jump shot as he was fouled. He missed the ensuing free throw, but teammate Josh Hardin grabbed the rebound and passed back to Tinsley, who sank a 3-pointer to cap a five-point possession and bring Oregon City within 43-42 with 3:17 left in the third. Moser scored the final five points of the quarter to give Grant a 48-42 lead entering the fourth. |
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