This time it took longer than expected.
OHA, No. 1 in USA TODAY's Super 25 rankings, nearly squandered a 27-point lead but held off plucky South Medford (Medford, Ore.) 99-90 in the Les Schwab Invitational championship game at Liberty High before 3,200.
"They (South Medford) never quit," OHA coach Steve Smith said. "They were well prepared as you can see."
Tournament MVP Brandon Jennings backed his national reputation scoring 24 points and adding 12 assists for OHA, which improved to 20-0.
En route to its fourth Schwab tournament title and first since 2004, OHA beat four Oregon opponents by an average of 28 points while pouring in 97 per game.
A couple of Duke recruits, South Medford's 6-8 Kyle Singler and OHA's 6-3 Nolan Smith, lit up the scoreboard scoring 39 and 30 points, respectively for their squads. Singler made 16-of-26 shots, while Smith drained five of six three-pointers. Both were all-tournament.
South Medford, No. 9 in the West Region, trailed 26-18 after one quarter and stuck with the top-ranked Warriors throughout the second, but Brandon Jennings' buzzer-beating 40-footer stretched the lead to 54-42.
South Medford reduced the deficit to 93-88 on Michael Harthun's basket with 39 seconds left, but Jennings canned four free throws in the final seconds to ice the title.
OHA took its largest lead of 27 points — 78-51 in the third quarter — before South Medford roared back with a 27-14 fourth quarter.
"We let them back in the game but played well enough in the final minute to win," Steve Smith said.
South Medford's rally was fueled by 64.5% field-goal shooting in the second half. Harthun added 30 points. South Medford will likely become Oregon's No. 1 Class 6A team when the rankings are next released.
"What experience to play a game on the highest level against America's No. 1 team," South Medford coach Dennis Murphy said of the contest which was aired on ESPNU.
Lake Oswego sits third
In the third-place game, Kevin Love recorded another double-double, 27 points and 13 rebounds, as Lake Oswego (Ore.) beat local-rivals Westview (Beaverton) 63-37. Love, who signed with UCLA, made 10 of 18 shots from the floor. Terrell Wallace had 10 points for Westview, which trailed 24-16 at the break.
In a game between Portland schools Jefferson topped Jesuit 69-67 to capture the consolation bracket. Jonathan Scott scored 19 points, nailing 7-of-8 shots for the winners.
Maryland power takes Texas event
In Houston, No. 18 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) won the prestigious Academy National Invitational National Division crown, upending No. 2 St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) 58-49. Austin Freeman (20 points) and Jeff Peterson (13) teamed for 33 points as DeMatha (7-1) used a 23-16 fourth quarter spurt to pull away. Guard Corey Fisher had 21 for St. Patrick.
No. 17 Norcross (Ga.) bagged third-place, defeating the No. 10 Kingwood (Texas) 50-47 behind Al-Farouq Aminu's 17 points. Norcross trailed 11-8 after one quarter, but went on a 17-7 for a 25-18 halftime edge.
Elsewhere, No. 15 Christ the King (Queens, N.Y.) beat Alief (Texas) Hastings 65-59 and Rice (Manhattan) stopped Rainier Beach (Seattle) 57-53.
In the eight-team Texas Division bracket involving Houston-area schools, Aldine jumped to a 15-4 lead en route to a 65-49 win over Klein Collins. Forward Gary Johnson continued his dominance contributing 24 points and 13 rebounds.
In other games, The Woodlands beat Westbury Christian 72-59 behind Gerald Shaw's 20 points. Yates topped Madison 57-56 and Jai Lucas had 13 points and four assists as Bellaire beat Strake Jesuit 49-42.
Ohio school No. 1 in Myrtle Beach
In Myrtle Beach, S.C., St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) erased a 15-point, second-half deficit to defeat St. John's (Washington, D.C.) 72-61 to win the 26th Beach Ball Classic.
With 15:14 left, the Ohio team trailed 39-24 but made a serious comeback to reverse a sloppy first half when it shot 33.3% from the floor. Junior Delvon Roe earned MVP honors scoring 19 points and grabbing six boards for St. Edward (9-0), which used a 36-7 run for a 60-46 lead with four minutes left. Indiana-bound guard Chris Wright had 31 points and seven rebounds for St. John's (10-2).
No. 11 Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville) took third, defeating Pennsbury (Fairless Hills, Pa.) 62-50. ACD (10-5) was led by Devon Lamb, who had 27 points, nine rebounds and six steals. Lavoy Allen topped Pennsbury with 14 points and four blocks.
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