By Mark Gilman
MaxPreps.com
Last Friday's Three Rivers League showdown between second-ranked Lake Oswego and third-ranked Oregon City had huge postseason implications.
Lake Oswego standout Kevin Love made sure the outcome would not be in doubt.
Love scored 39 points, including 21 in the fourth quarter, as his Lakers raced past host Oregon City, 72-50. The 6-10, 260-pound post will play at UCLA next season.
"Coach (Mark) Shoff had a great game plan and we came in and executed," Love told The Oregonian.
The game meant more than taking sole possession of first place in the competitive Three Rivers League. The team finishing second will likely have to play on the road at top-ranked South Medford to earn a spot in the eight team 6A state tournament in Eugene.
Other 6A Top 10 Games of Note
No. 1 South Medford won twice during the week, including an 86-53 trouncing of No. 10 Sheldon - the second win for the Panthers over the Irish in Southern Oregon Conference play. Duke-bound Kyle Singler tallied 37 points in the victory.
No. 8 Grant of Portland survived a scare, outlasting Lincoln, 77-75, in overtime. Paul McCoy had 24 points in the win for the Generals.
No. 4 Jesuit, No. 5 Canby, No. 6 Westview and No. 9 McKay dispatched their opponents in play last week. No. 7 West Linn lost to Oregon City, 89-70, but edged Clackamas, 60-59.
5A Boys Action
Top-ranked North Eugene and No. 2 Jefferson won twice in league play. The No. 1 Highlanders counted eighth-ranked Churchill among their victims with a 60-43 win.
Third-ranked Corvallis also claimed another top team among its two wins last week, trouncing No. 7 Silverton, 61-28, in a Central Willamette Conference showdown.
No. 6 Hillsboro beat fifth-ranked Century, 56-49, while No. 9 Hermiston played four games during the week, losing two, but crushing Madras, 103-76, in one of its victories.
