Senior posts Wihtol, Akpan combine for 54 points to lead No. 7 Phoenix to consolation semifinal win over Scappoose

Phoenix faced a short turnaround to keep its state trophy hopes alive, but the Pirates were not going to be denied Friday morning in Forest Grove during consolation play at the Class 4A boys basketball state tournament.

Senior posts Lucas Wihtol and Tobias Akpan combined to outscore 11th-seeded Scappoose in their outright during the elimination contest, with No. 7 Phoenix closing strong for a 71-52 victory.

After losing 64-41 to No. 2 Marshfield in the final tournament game played late Thursday night, the Pirates answered the early call with 28 points, five rebounds and five assists from Wihtol and 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists from Akpan.

“That’s kind of been the M.O. of our group all year,” said Phoenix head coach Troy McNichols. “We’ve been smashed in the mouth before, and we knew that this was going to be no different and that we had to get right back up. Our goal coming up here is to place — you always want to walk away with some hardware — and I thought we did a pretty good job responding.”

“It took us a little while to wake up, but I was pretty pleased with the effort,” he added.

It was a two-point game with 4 ½ minutes to go in the third quarter when Phoenix senior Martin Ortega pulled up for a jumper in the paint that kickstarted a 7-0 run to put the Pirates (18-8) in good position.

Akpan, who went 10-for-15 from the field, set up the 6-foot-6 Wihtol for a three-point play and found him again moments later for an inside basket to make it 41-32 with 3:36 on the clock.

Phoenix built its lead to 13 points after Ortega recorded a steal and set up Akpan for a transition basket, but the play also was a costly one for the Pirates after players collided under the basket with 22 seconds on the clock. Ortega had to be helped off the court, finishing with nine points, two steals and three rebounds.

“A 2-on-1 became a 3-on-1 and there was just an unfortunate collision underneath the basket after Martin had passed it,” said McNichols. “I think he might have stepped on one of our players and ended up rolling his ankle pretty bad. There’s no way he’s playing (Saturday), that’s for sure. It’s just one of those freak things that happens.”

Even without its primary ballhandler and game-closer, Phoenix didn’t miss a beat in the final frame after Wihtol knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 11 of his points in the fourth quarter. Wihtol finished 9-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range.

“Lucas played great,” said McNichols. “He was pretty steady throughout the whole game establishing the post, and then he was able to drift out and put a couple 3s up. It was just really, really nice to see him play so well. I was very proud of him.”

Brayden Decker added five rebounds and three assists, and Sidney McQueen contributed four assists for Phoenix, which will match up at 10:45 a.m. Saturday in the fourth-place final against No. 4 Crook County.

The Cowboys (20-7) scored a 55-34 win over No. 8 Seaside in the other consolation semifinal.

Making its first state tournament appearance since 2012, Phoenix has locked up its first state trophy since placing second that season.

“I think that we match up pretty well with them,” said McNichols in looking ahead. “They’ve got a little bit of size, and their big kid in the middle (6-4 center Bryce Lowenbach) is a load and a very good rebounder. Some people consider him to be one of the better posts in 4A, so I know we’ve got our work cut out for us. But, you know what, we’re here to place, so let’s put it together one more time.”

SCAPPOOSE (52): Miller 6, Greenan-Biggs 3, Butler 8, Barham 9, Olson 24, Maak 2, Smith 0, Lennox 0, Olsen 0, Kessi 0, Holm 0. Totals: 20-57 6-9 52.

PHOENIX (71): Decker 2, Pyeatt 6, Ortega 9, Akpan 26, Wihtol 28, Phillips 0, McQueen 0, Dobbins 0, Petrone 0, Roman 0. Totals: 27-44 13-17 71.

Scappoose 14 11 15 12 — 52

Phoenix 14 16 21 20 — 71

3-point goals — Scappoose 6-31 (Olson 3, Barham 2, Greenan-Biggs 1), Phoenix 4-11 (Wihtol 3, Ortega 1). Fouled out — Butler.

Reach sports editor Kris Henry at khenry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035