Wildcats beat Canby on road; clinches NWOC crown

Miles Vance

Feb 26, 2025 Updated 21 hrs ago

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The Wilsonville boys basketball team is ready for the playoffs.

Canby’s boys believe that they, too, can make a solid run in the playoffs.

So when the Wildcats and Cougars matched up at Canby High School on Tuesday, Feb. 25, it – understandably - looked very much like a playoff game.

In the end, Wilsonville held off Canby at the end of the contest to win 58-56, and in the process, clinched the 2025 Northwest Oregon Conference championship. “(Winning the NWOC) was definitely a goal that we have every year and work toward, but we

have further goals that were working toward, too,” said Wilsonville senior wing Jacob Boss, who led his team with 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field with three 3-pointers and a 2 of 2 day at the free throw line, along with one rebound and one assist.

Jacob Boss led the Wildcats with 19 points in a hard-fought road win over Canby that clinched an NWOC crown for WHS

The Wildcats believe that the overall strength of the NWOC will help them be ready for the playoffs.

“Hood River beat the top three teams in the league, including us,” explained Wildcat senior wing Drake Devin, who finished with nine points on 3 of 6 shooting from the field with one three and a 2 of 2 day at the foul line, along with three steals, two rebounds, one assist and one block. “It's a really good league that’s stacked with a lot of great players. Every single one of

the top five could be a state contender.”

Wilsonville senior guard Cole Hammack added 16 points on 6 of 18 shooting with a 4 of 6 day at the foul line, along with five assists, three rebounds and one steal.

With the win, the sixth-ranked Wildcats’ sixth straight, Wilsonville clinched the Northwest Oregon Conference title at 14-1 and improved to 21-3 overall. Next up, the Wildcats close out NWOC play at La Salle at 7:15 p.m. Monday, March 3.

No. 14 Canby, meanwhile, saw its four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 9-6 in NWOC play and 14-10 overall. Next up, the Cougars close out NWOC action when they play at Hillsboro at 5:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28.

“To come so close and lose like that, it's just really unfortunate,” said Canby sophomore guard Cooper Cousin, who led his team with 21 points on 5 of 8 shooting with one 3-pointer and 10 of 12 free throws, along with two rebounds and one assist. (But) I think we worked really hard. That was probably one of our best defensive games.”

“I think this game will fire us up for the playoffs,” added Cougar sophomore post Jack Brauckmiller, who finished with six points on 3 of 6 shooting, along with seven rebounds, two steals and one block. “We're going to make a deep run (in the playoffs) with this motivating us.”

Junior guard Jaxon Lawson added 15 points for the Cougars on 5 of 12 shooting from the field with two 3-pointers and a 3 of 4 day at the line, along with four rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw Wilsonville race out to an 8-0 lead at the start of the game, only to see Canby battle back within 10-9 at the end of the first quarter.

The Wildcats pushed ahead again in the second period, their biggest lead at 17-11 when Boss took a Hammack pass and drilled a three from the left wing with 4 minutes, 35 seconds left in the half. But the Cougars rallied again, closing the half on a 13-5 run highlighted by a steal and dunk by Brauckmiller and five Cousin points in the final 49 seconds to give their team a 24-22 lead at

the break.

Just like the first two quarters, the Wildcats pushed ahead again at the start of the third, with Devin hitting three times (including a 3-pointer) and sophomore Jett Bruce scoring on the break assisted by Hammack to give their team a 41-33 edge in the final minute of the period.

Trailing 41-35 entering the fourth quarter and still down 46-39 when Boss hit a three with 5:12 to go, Canby had one more comeback left in it.

Over the next four minutes, sophomore Joe Roberts scored on a cut, Lawson rebounded a Wilsonville miss and went coast-to-coast to score, junior Cohen Vandecoevering set up Lawson for a three and Cousin scored on a drive to close within 50-48 with 1:43 left to play.

Then, after a pair of 3-pointers from Cousin and Lawson, Canby’s deficit was just 55-54 with seven seconds to go – but the Cougars’ rally ended there. Canby was whistled for a technical foul – the Cougars called a timeout when they were out of

timeouts (their scorebook said they still had one remaining) – and Hammack hit 3 of 4 free throws late to seal the win.

Despite the sour finish, the Cougars left heartened by their efforts.

“I think we just proved that we can play with one of the best teams in the state so I think when we get to the playoffs, it will be interesting,” Cousin said. “We've just got to come ready to work again.”

The Wildcats, meanwhile, said they’ll be ready for postseason play.

“We just need to dig into our message, our vision,” Devin said. “We say a lot of little things that stick in our minds – that and just trying to stuff our opponent, make the hustle plays.”