Boys basketball: Defense carries Columbia River to district title

There was good reason for the effort: The Chieftains’ only loss in the 3A Greater St. Helens League this season came against Mountain View after the Thunder rallied late to force overtime.

“We made sure that didn’t happen again,” Smith said.

The Thunder scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to four points. Smith responded with a three-point play, the first of his 11 fourth-quarter points.

Four free throws for the Thunder over the next minute made it a three-point game. Bolds then connected with a 12-foot jumper for the Chieftains.

“We knew it was coming,” Bolds said. “Every time we go up big on them, they put more pressure on us. We just had to run our stuff and execute and stay focused.”

Mountain View never had the ball in a one-possession game. Columbia River’s defense then forced three consecutive turnovers, allowing the offense to push the lead back up to 10 again.

Zach Torson’s four-point play with 56 seconds remaining gave Mountain View a little hope. But the Chieftains made enough free throws to seal the deal.

Torson led Mountain View with 13 points, including 8 of 8 from the line. Bolivar finished with 11 points.

However, those two high-scoring guards were held to zero field goals in the first three quarters.

“This group defends better than any team I’ve ever had,” Columbia River coach David Long said. “We’ve won a lot of games with defense.”

Long singled out Chad Love as the best man-to-man defender he has coached. And when one guy is working so hard on defense, it becomes contagious.

“They’re just tough athletes who take on the challenge,” Long said.

The first quarter settled nothing, both teams tied at 12. Columbia River scored the first eight points of the second quarter and never trailed again.

Mountain View stayed in the game despite its tough night from the floor with a 20-for-22 performance from the free throw line.

Smith was 8 for 15 from the floor, including a 3-pointer, and 9 of 12 from the line for his 26 points. He also grabbed eight offensive rebounds. Rian Bassett made two 3-pointers for River and finished with 10 points.

“This is just a great feeling,” Smith said. “All the work in the offseason, all the weightlifting, all the drills, it’s all paying off. We’ve finally learned to play together, to work together.”

The ride is not done, either.

“It’s my first year on varsity, and it’s nice to come out and get the league title and the district title and get a good seed to bi-district,” Bolds said. “Maybe make a nice run.”