'No skipping steps' for Portland Christian boys basketball chasing elusive 2A state title
RUSSELL – When looking back through successful classes in Oregon high school boys basketball history, it’s going to be hard to top the 2026 class at Portland Christian High School.
The team went 15-11 and 9-5 in the Northwest League as freshmen in 2022-2023, 28-1 and 14-0 in 2023-2024, 27-3 and 14-0 in 2024-2025 and are currently 27-0 and 14-0 this season.
Add that up and you get a career record of 97-15 overall and 51-5 in league play.
But one thing still remains missing, and that’s a 2A state title.
The Royals hope to fill that gap this weekend in Pendleton where they enter as the No. 2 seed and will play No. 7 Lowell at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, in the quarterfinals at Pendleton High School.
“When I left Gresham and came over here, a lot of these kids came with me so I've coached them since they were in third grade,” Royals head coach Erik Lyslo said. “This group is very special to me, they mean a lot. They’re like kids to me, I’ve given them rides home for years, I know their parents really well.
“They’ve got their goals set on something higher, but super proud of them and one of the most special groups I’ve ever coached.”
That senior class includes the three captains of the team in Ethan Larner, Josiah Harris-Skidmore and Graham Calhoun, along with Erik’s son Brandon Lyslo, Noah Humphrey, Wade Sadler and Cole Larson.
This group has helped reset the bar for the program the past four years and have helped set it up for continued success long after their time in the purple and white.
“It’s been absolutely awesome, especially playing with my brother,” Royals junior Hudson Calhoun, little brother of Graham, said of playing with the senior class. “It’s been a dream come true and I’m just thankful for all the seniors, what they’ve done for us, past seniors, whoever it may be. I feel like they really worked and made everyone else around them better.”
There would be no better way to send the seniors off than with a state title, which would be the Royals first since 2010 and fourth in program history.
For Portland Christian, it starts with defense, as seen by a 94-30 win in round one over No. 15 Toledo.
Not only that, but the Royals have given up a total of 984 points this season, the fewest in 2A and the third fewest in the whole state among teams who played at least 20 games.
That equates to a little more than 35 points per game allowed, a number the Royals take pride in and plan to bring with them to Pendleton.
“This is our identity as a team,” Lyslo said. “These guys have come out as one of the top defensive teams statistically this year, and it’s something we write on the board before every game, ‘Show them what your identity is.’ Good defensive teams win a lot of basketball games.”
“I really feel like we’ve made defense our identity and what we do,” Hudson Calhoun said. “I feel like we’re constantly working on it, in practice, in games or wherever it may be. Starting in summer to now, I think we made that identity which has proven to help out.”
While the seniors are a vital piece, the junior class might end up even better when their careers are all said and done.
Junior Keylon Kittleson was named the Northwest League Player of the Year scoring 15 points per game, meanwhile Parkrose transfer Zane Ozier has fit in smoothly with 14 points per game.
Hudson Calhoun pulls down eight rebounds per game and could be the X-factor in getting things done in Pendleton.
Teams like No. 3 Regis and No. 1 Trinity Lutheran boast some size that the Royals don’t have, so it’ll be critical for Hudson Calhoun to play even bigger than his listed 6-foot-4 frame.
“We lost a lot of big guys and Hudson’s had to wait his turn,” Lyslo said. “He’s had a fantastic season for us this year. To see him play at high level (against Toledo), we’re going to need that for three days in Pendleton. He’s capable of it, he’ll be ready to go and full confidence in him.”
The next step begins with a matchup against No. 7 Lowell at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5 and with a win, the Royals would get the winner between No. 11 Western Christian and No. 3 Regis.
Western Christian is the team that beat the Royals in the 2A title game the past two seasons, and Regis is seen as one of three main contenders for the title alongside PC and Trinity Lutheran.
But in order to pull it off, the Royals won’t take their eye off the matchup in front of them for a second. It’s the cliche, but it’ll be one day at a time for PC in order for it to drive back home with blue this year instead of silver.
“Just take it day-by-day, never skip to the final product,” Hudson Calhoun said. “Make sure you take that game seriously because we can’t take anybody lightly in Pendleton. Every game is a playoff game, every game is close. You gotta be ready for each game, no skipping steps.”
