Any kid picking up a basketball has counted down and heaved a last-second, would-be game-winning shot to win an imaginary title.
On Saturday, Tualatin’s Pat Vialva Jr. lived out those fantasies twice, hitting two of the biggest shots in school history in a span of 8 seconds to bring a state title back to the Timberwolves.
“That’s what I have going through in my head the whole time,” Vialva said. “It’s the kind of shots I’d practice with my dad at the park. You want to practice all kinds of shots, even the shots you wouldn’t normally shoot, in case you’re in a situation where you need to make a tough shot. I want to be the guy who takes those shots and can make them.”
The state title game was a back-and-forth battle between Tualatin and Central Catholic for much of the game, but Central Catholic opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run to lead by five points with 6:18 to go.
Every time Tualatin pulled close, Central Catholic staved off the Timberwolves. The Rams pulled down an offensive rebound, they got the stop, they made a timely bucket. More than anything else, Central Catholic hit its free throws. The Rams went 11-14 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter alone, and 18-23 for the entire game.
“It was a little nerve-racking, to be honest,” said senior Jemai Lake. “I was just thinking, I just got to keep going. I can’t give up on my team. None of the guys gave up.”
Tualatin trailed by six with 20 seconds left and Lake hit a pull-up three to bring to deficit to three. Again, the Rams hit both free throws to lead by five with 9.6 seconds left.
The Timberwolves chucked an in-bounds pass from under the basket all the way down court to Damian Olvera, who leapt for the ball and, in mid-air, passed it to Vialva. The junior pulled up immediately and drained the three-pointer while also being fouled to make it 69-67 Central Catholic with 5.2 seconds to go.
Vialva intentionally missed the free throw in perfect fashion, with the ball bouncing right to Olvera, who tipped the ball out to the top of the key. However, the clock didn’t start off the missed free throw, so Tualatin got to take the ball out from the sideline.
They in-bounded the ball to Olvera, who tossed it to a cutting Vialva in the corner, where he hit the three to win the state title with a little more than 1 second remaining. Central Catholic’s half court heave fell short, bringing Tualatin boys basketball its first state title since 2023, and third in five years.
Vialva said he was sure the second three was going in, but his coaches and teammates were confident in both looks.
“I was 100 percent sure he was making those,” Lake said. “He’s built for this. He’s done it for us plenty of times.”
Head Coach Bubba Lemon said the game-winner came on a play they used earlier in the year, where Vialva hit a late three to get a win.
“He’s made for the moment,” Lemon said. “He’s a killer.”
Vialva and Lake both finished with a game-high 27 points each. No other Tualatin player hit double digits, but Lemon was proud of the rest of the team for making positive plays elsewhere.
Early in the game, Central Catholic dominated the offensive boards, giving the offense two and sometimes three chances to hit a shot. As the game went on, Tualatin was able to go up and start pulling down some more rebounds.
Olvera led the Timberwolves with six rebounds and tied for the team-high with three assists. Senior Takeo McCrae led the team with two steals. Carter Lemon was tasked with a lot of tough defensive assignments on the wing, and chipped in seven points of his own.
“They all played their roles,” Bubba Lemon said. “There’s going to be times for you to step up, but you always want to remember to don’t do anything more than you need to do and don’t do anything less than you need to do. They executed their jobs well.”
Lemon said his team’s poise down the stretch came from the work they put in all season.
“You saw that on our guys,” Lemon said. “If you watch it, I don’t think anybody was freaking out. I did look at the coaches and say, ‘Sorry, guys. I lost it.’ And then one of the other coaches looked at me and said, “There’s 23 seconds left’. I said, ‘All right, let’s go.’”
The win didn’t just cap off a season of hard work for the Timberwolves. It capped off an impressive high school career for Lake. Late in the season, Lake became the school’s all-time leading scorer. He was named Player of the Year in the Three Rivers League this year, and he finished it out by winning his second state title, although he didn’t see the floor much on that team his freshman year, he said.
“This is what me and him talked about from his freshman year,” Lemon said. “He’s got to have this championship. He told me he wanted to earn one of his own. I gave him the keys. This is what it was for.”
Lemon said Lake is one of the most coachable players he’s ever had, and that the team follows his lead.
“I love that kid,” Lemon said. “How could you not want to play for him, play with him, run through a wall with him?”
Next up for Lake is the chance to play collegiately for University of Montana. But with cheers still ringing out from the Chiles Center, Lake said he was trying to remain present and enjoy the state title.
“It’s unreal,” he said. “This is a kid’s dream, you know? And I’m living it right now, which is amazing. Obviously, there’s more work to do when I go to college next year. But right now I’m going to live in the moment.”
