PORTLAND — For Monday at least, Prairie Falcon country extended over the state border and into the Rose Garden.
There were plenty of Skyview supporters on hand, too.
And while a 20,000-seat arena can look empty with just a few hundred high school basketball fans, the venue made for quite a memory for the Clark County players who got to show their skills on the floor of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.
Keaton Jackson was 7 of 10 from the floor and scored 19 points, and Ryan Denny had seven of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, leading Prairie to a 57-49 victory over Skyview in a non-league boys basketball game that was moved across the river into Rip City.
“It was definitely a different atmosphere,” Jackson said. “Everybody was excited. It was a lot of fun, a new experience for a lot of us.”
Denny called it amazing.
“Stepping on the same court as NBA legends play on, with all those seats, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said. “It was fantastic.”
If unorthodox.
The game was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. but the Milwaukee Bucks, in town to play the Blazers later that night, had a late shootaround in the arena.
The high school teams, and their fans, were not allowed in until around 1:45 p.m.
Players did not have much time to get accustomed to playing in an arena instead of a high school gym.
Plus, there was no high school 3-point line; the only way to score a 3-pointer was to nail one from NBA range.
Skyview coach Bob Benson said the team that is able to handle “all those little quirks” has the advantage.
“We were a deer in the headlights in that first quarter,” Benson said. “We played well the other three.”
Prairie raced out to a 17-6 advantage after the opening period and extended the lead to 15 points early in the second quarter.
But the Storm chipped away and cut the deficit to one point early in the fourth quarter.
That’s when the Falcons got patient on offense, leading to crisp passes from Macauley Brown to Ryan Denny. Brown assisted on all three of Denny’s fourth-quarter baskets. His last basket, with 1:10 remaining, gave Prairie a 49-41 lead.
Jackson, who struggled at the line early in the game, made his final four of the game, helping to seal Prairie’s sixth consecutive victory after opening the season with a loss.
“It’s all about momentum,” Jackson said. “It boosts our morale.”
Brian Cairns led Skyview with 13 points. He also nailed the game’s only 3-pointer, standing more than four feet beyond where he would have needed to be had he been in a high school gym.
Levi Gellatly hit the offensive boards and worked his way to 12 points for the Storm.
The Rose Garden game is designed to give the players a special day on an NBA court as well as reward the fans with two games for half the price of an NBA ticket.
Each school had to sell at least 200 tickets, at $12 or $16. Fans got to sit general admission in the lower bowl for the high school game, then got $24 or $32 tickets for the night’s NBA game.
Prairie coach Kyle Brooks said playing in Portland was Benson’s idea. The Storm played at the Garden last year and had a good experience.
Brooks said this game could have been played in his team’s gym, but he left the decision up to his players.
“I asked them to vote on it, and it was unanimous,” Brooks said. “All of them wanted this opportunity.”
The teams were scheduled to come back to the arena early and watch the NBA players warm-up from floor level.
“It’s a cool deal,” Jackson said.
