By Bob Lundeberg | For The Oregonian/OregonLive
Photos by Serena Morones, for The Oregonian/OregonLive
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HILLSBORO — Jefferson hasn’t won a Les Schwab Invitational title since 1999, a streak the Democrats are aiming to end over the next few days.
With do-everything freshman sensation Marquis Cook leading a balanced attack, Jefferson looked like a championship contender Thursday morning in a dominant 82-54 thrashing of Battle Ground (Washington) in its LSI opener at Liberty High School. The Democrats’ massive front line of Kam Robinson (6-foot-9), Nate Rawlins-Kibonge (6-7) and Cook (6-7) shut down Battle Ground big man Kaden Perry and controlled the game on both ends of the court.
“Even though we’re young, we have seasoned guys that have played AAU … and we’re really good down low,” Jefferson coach Pat Strickland said of his senior-less team. “And normally over the years to win the Les Schwab, you definitely have to be big and good down low. I think we present the type of team this year to give ourselves a chance.”
The Democrats (4-2) started their three bigs next to guards Lamar Washington and Trejon’ Williams and paid close attention to Perry, a 6-foot-8 junior center who committed to Gonzaga over the summer. Perry is rated the nation’s No. 109 player for the class of 2021 in 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Facing double teams on a consistent basis, Perry did pile up 10 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals before fouling out with 2:56 remaining in the third quarter. He was whistled his final three fouls in about a minute of game time.
“We had to box him out, make him frustrated, not let him get any second-chance points, take charges and double-team him when he spun,” said Rawlins-Kibonge, a Washington State commit. “Pretty much shut him down mentally before you shut him down physically.”
Rawlins-Kibonge often was Perry’s primary defender while help came from Robinson, Cook and others.
“They are all so strong and my height,” Perry said. “I had to be patient with the ball, like I couldn’t just power through them every time. I had to be smarter and look for a kickout to one of my teammates.”
Added Strickland: “We executed our game plan to contain their shooters and to trap Kaden Perry once he spun back to his right. He got loose a few times which a good player like that is bound to do, but we executed our game plan.”
Cook shined in his LSI debut, leading all scorers with 22 points while tallying eight rebounds and three assists. Keshawn Hall (19 points, six assists, five rebounds), Robinson (15 points, nine rebounds), Jalen Adams (10 points), Washington (eight points, eight assists, five rebounds) and Rawlins-Kibonge (six points, 17 rebounds, three blocks) also were major contributors.
Jefferson opened the game with a 10-0 run, a stretch that included two three-pointers by Washington. Cook, projected to be one of the nation’s top recruits for the class of 2023, made it 14-1 Democrats with a putback.
“Mookie is the real deal,” Strickland said of Cook. “I think he can get to the Division I level, and after that the sky is the limit. But he is only a freshman and we are excited to have him right now and for the future because he is definitely a diaper dandy, as Dick Vitale says.”
Battle Ground did regroup and pull within 17-10 after one quarter and 33-22 at the break. Jefferson, which went 2-2 at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii before the LSI, put it away with a dominant third quarter to stay in the winners’ bracket.
“Honestly, I feel like we played good but I feel like our best is yet to come,” Rawlins-Kibonge said. “That was a sloppy and sluggish game for us; no disrespect to the other team, but I feel like we should’ve killed them by way more than what we did.”
Brendan Beall had a team-high 18 points for Battle Ground, a first-time LSI participant. The Tigers compete in Class 4A, the largest in Washington.
“I don’t think a lot of people know about little old Battle Ground,” Perry said. “We want to come out here and show that Battle Ground is good and has guys -- that’s the goal.”
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Earlier:
Breaking down the first-round games
Meet the LSI's most famous alums
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"cook" - Google News
December 27, 2019 at 07:57AM
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Freshman star Marquis Cook helps Jefferson silence Battle Ground; Democrats set sights on LSI title - OregonLive
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