6A boys basketball state round one: Wells upset bid falls short, three local squads advance

BEAVERTON – No. 22 Ida B. Wells High School boys basketball was in position Tuesday, March 3 to possibly pull off the 6A state tournament round one upset over No. 11 Westview.

Down five at 44-39 with 3.5 minutes to go, the Guardians were closing the gap that first expanded in the second quarter for the Wildcats.

However, on a night where defense ruled the day for both sides, Wells wouldn’t score another point as Westview held on for the 51-39 win to advance to round two and play No. 6 Jesuit on Friday, March 6.

“Credit to Mike Wolf and Westview, they’re a well-coached team and a great program,” Wells head coach Max Trezise said. “Couldn’t be more proud of my guys. We’re really trying to turn things around and put Wells on the map and do it the right way. … They got so much better from the beginning of the year to the end.”

Wells started out strong behind senior guard Ahmad Surur who hit a couple early buckets around the rim to go up 4-3.

Sophomore Xavier Love-Shabazz had a huge block on defense that turned into a transition 3-pointer for Surur and forced an early Westview timeout with the Guardians up 11-3 and 3:28 left in the first.

Surur has been one of the more underrated players in the PIL during his time with the Guardians, and he’s certainly left an impact on the program as they made the playoffs for the first time since 2022 and finished in the top three of the PIL for the first time in over a decade.

“It’s hard to really quantify (Surur’s impact) because he’s someone who bought in and dedicated himself, he was the first one to say, ‘I want to put Wells on the map,” Trezise said. “He’s such an amazing kid, amazing family, and a skilled player. I really, really hope someone gives him a shot at the next level because he’s a coach's dream.”

Wells led 11-5 after the first, but some foul trouble forced starters to the bench and the Wildcats started to take advantage.

Senior Dayton Jenkins and Dashael Nicely were hitting from deep and inside as they combined for 21 points alone in the second frame, pushing Westview in front 29-19 at halftime.

Wells junior Blake Karman hit a couple 3-pointers in the third to cut the lead under 10, meanwhile junior Muhammed Carter started to come alive down low as well.

However, Carter picked up his fourth foul toward the end of the third and Westview was able to pump the lead back up to 10 at 39-29 entering the fourth.

Sophomore Sufyan Carter got the Wells rally hopes alive in the fourth when he hit a 3-pointer, then dove on the ground to secure a steal when Tresize called timeout to avoid any Wildcats causing a tie up on the ground.

That’s the way Carter has played defense all season, and he shut down most of the Westview guards all night.

“The sky is the limit for him and he’s so good defensively, it’s hard to get around him,” Trezise said. “You couldn’t ask for a more coachable kid. The future is very bright and the offense is there too, he can get to the rim, he can shut guys down on defense. He’s electric.”

Muhammed Carter came back into the game and scored a couple more buckets, and Karman stepped inside to hit a floater to bring the score within five at 44-39.

But the Westview defense was up for the challenge as well with Jenkins forcing turnovers up top all night as well as Nicely and senior Justin Cheng containing the Carters in the paint.

Jenkins finished with a game-high 21 points and seven rebounds while Nicely had 16 points and four rebounds.

Sufyan Carter had a team-high 10 points along with three steals and three rebounds. Surur, Karman and Muhammad Carter all had eight points each.

Wells ends the season with a 14-12 overall record and loses some more great seniors around Surur like Cam Shea, Max Spicer, Abdirazaq Ali, Ana Ali, Payton Harrison and Joah Kuehltahu.

But that 2026 class has helped put the Guardians back on a winning trajectory that the loss to Westview will only fuel come next season.

“They’re still hungry,” Trezise said. “Any coach is looking for guys who aren’t satisfied and really want to be winners, and you gotta learn how to win. They’re learning how to win and how hard you have to work on and off the court every day.

“The seniors paved the way and our youngsters want to win. They’re gonna wish we had practice, they’re not gonna want to take a day off.”

More local results

No. 10 Grant got the winning started for local teams with a 76-59 victory over No. 23 Beaverton after it was a six-point game early in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Jacob Harper-Grant led the Generals with 24 points while fellow sophomores Malik Mason and Jamarea Sanders had 17 and 15, respectively. Freshman Abraham Cogan chipped in 10 points.

Up next for Grant is a rematch with No. 7 Lake Oswego on the road Friday, March 6. The Lakers beat the Generals 78-73 during the annual MLK Invite on Jan. 19 at Benson High School.

Also getting a win from the PIL was No. 17 Benson with a 65-52 victory on the road over No. 16 Sheldon. The Astros finished No. 16 in the rankings, but due to the Irish winning their league, they were moved up to No. 16 and bumped Benson down to 17.

The long road trip didn’t matter as freshman Kendall Hopkins-McGlothen led the way scoring with 24 points. Sophomores Warren Bott and JP Parnell-Patton each chipped in 13 points.

Benson has a tall task in front of it next with No. 1 Southridge on the docket on Friday. The two played at the MLK Invite as well with the Skyhawks breezing by in a 75-50 victory.

The last local team to win might be the title favorite in No. 2 Central Catholic as it blew out No. 31 Forest Grove 83-46.

Senior Jalen Nicholson led in scoring with 20 points while senior Bam Paschal had 16, senior Donovan Miller had 14, junior Malcolm Weatherspoon had 13 and senior Robbie Long had 12.

The Rams will stay home for round two and host No. 15 South Salem on Friday with a spot at the Chiles Center on the line.

Three other PIL squads fell in round one alongside Wells in No. 24 Lincoln, No. 29 Jefferson and No. 30 Roosevelt.

The Cardinals were within 10 in the closing moments of the third quarter at No. 9 Nelson, but lost hold of the rope and fell 77-62. Senior Miles Novy-Hildesley poured in 18 points and senior Thomas Carney chipped in 13 as Lincoln’s season came to an end at 15-10.

The Democrats found themselves down just 29-23 at halftime on the road at No. 4 Tualatin, the same team the Demos played tough back in December as well. However, the Timberwolves pulled away in the second half to win 74-63. Sophomore Victor Jackson had 22 points, junior KJ Jackson had 17 and senior Q Gresham had 11 as Jefferson ended with an 11-14 record.

Finally, No. 30 Roosevelt was only outscored by five points in the second half, but did fall 58-40 on the road to No. 3 Oregon City. Senior Andrew Kim played well once again with 20 points while freshman TyVelle Hill had 14 points. Roosevelt’s final record for the 2025-2026 season is 10-15.

Full bracket results

No. 1 Southridge 81, No. 32 Century 30

No. 17 Benson 65, No. 16 Sheldon 52

No. 9 Nelson 77, No. 24 Lincoln 62

No. 8 Clackamas 52, No. 25 McNary 49

No. 5 Sherwood 83, No. 28 Grants Pass 36

No. 12 West Linn 74, No. 21 South Medford 63

No. 20 Gresham 72, No. 13 West Salem 67 (OT)

No. 4 Tualatin 74, No. 29 Jefferson 63

No. 3 Oregon City 58, No. 30 Roosevelt 40

No. 19 Sunset 69, No. 14 Barlow 64

No. 11 Westview 51, No. 22 Ida B. Wells 39

No. 6 Jesuit 72, No. 27 Lakeridge 61

No. 7 Lake Oswego 88, No. 26 South Eugene 60

No. 10 Grant 76, No. 23 Beaverton 59

No. 15 South Salem 81, No. 18 Mountainside 70

No. 2 Central Catholic 83, No. 31 Forest Grove 46

Second round (Friday, March 6)

No. 17 Benson at No. 1 Southridge

No. 9 Nelson at No. 8 Clackamas

No. 12 West Linn at No. 5 Sherwood

No. 20 Gresham at No. 4 Tualatin

No. 19 Sunset at No. 3 Oregon City

No. 11 Westview at No. 6 Jesuit

No. 10 Grant at No. 7 Lake Oswego

No. 15 South Salem at No. 2 Central Catholic