Fowler at Portland St. Patrick – – CMAC Boys Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 16, 2021 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen is off to the first of a back to back at St. Patrick High. Tonight, the Shamrocks will host the Fowler Eagles Boys team. Tomorrow, the Bleacher Denizen will cover the St. Patrick showdown with Fowler’s girls.

Fowler brings a 2-1 record into this game. St. Patrick has a 1-1 record.

Fowler Coach Kameron Riley gave me this information about his players. Freshman Jacob Halfmann runs the point most of the time. He is a solid ball handler. Chase Pung is a threat to score from either the three point line or hw can get to spots and score off the dribble. Treagan O-Rourke provides rebounding and scoring. He has good energy and is a problem for the other team on defense.

Nick Epkey mans the middle for the Eagles, where he is a tough scorer, rebounder and defender. Freshman Alex Halfmann also will start in the interior. Ben Schafer is relied for spark and for scoring off the bench. (Actually he generally enters the game first, but I elected to use the usual basketball cliche anyway.)

St. Patrick Coach Curtis Meyers shared this information about his Shamrock players. Cole Kinsman runs the point for the Shamrocks. He handles the ball well and excels on defense where he gets a lot of deflections as well as forcing a lot of turnovers. Derec Fedewa is an athletic player with a good jump shot. He is also a threat to slash to the basket to score. Shane Cook brings a lot of experience as he was one of the top players on last year’s Shamrock team. He is an excellent ball handler, a fine scorer and slasher as well as a quick, determined perimeter defender.

Alex Fedewa provides strong defense and rebounding in the post. He is good at slashing to the basket. Braxton Teachworth is a fine athlete. He has excellent jumping ability and gets off the ground so quickly that you wonder if he has rockets hidden in his socks. He provides great defense around the basket as well as strong rebounding. He is a threat to score on putbacks as well.

Payton Russman is an athletic perimeter defender with an accurate three point shot. He also attacks the basket fearlessly and aggressively. Brayden Simon is a freshman who is so athletic that he played on last year’s Shamrock Varsity Baseball Team as an eighth grader. He is good at slashing to the basket or sniping away from the three point line. Landon Simpson is a good ball handler who provides energy to the Shamrock perimeter defense. Kyle Edlund is a threat from the three point line.

I got to the gym in time to see most of the JV game. The Eagles and the Shamrocks battled back and forth in the first half. Fowler had an 18-17 lead at halftime. The third quarter was closely played as well. Fowler outscored St. Patrick by one point in the third quarter and led 29-27 going into the final period. Fowler outscored St. Patrick 16-4 in the final period and took home a 45-31 win.

Tyler Groothuis led the Shamrock JVs with 15 points. Nathan Fears joined his teammate in double figures with 11 points. Devin Cook and Marcus Miller each added 2 points and Grant Pline tallied 1 point.

Aaron Simon led the victorious Eagle JVs with 18 points. Jonathan Ruiz supported his teammate with 15 points. Brady Feldpausch added 4 points. Nathan Hamilton and Asher Koenigsknecht each put in 3 points. Adyn O-Rourke tallied 2 points.

It is now time to report the events of the varsity game through the eagleish (hopefully) eyes of a Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball as a whipper-snapper. (Even ancient Bleacher Denizens were young once even if you can’t imagine it when you see him gingerly clambering about the bleachers.) I guess I never had enough snapper in my whipper to impress the coach although I guess watching the others play was a far more restful experience than what the rest of the team got.

Fowler wins the opening tap. Chase Pung passes to Treagan O’Rourke, who hits a threeball from the corner to give the Eagles the first three points of the game. Jacob Halfmann and Nick Epkey double team a St. Patrick ball handler to cause a tie up. The Possession Arrow coldly ignores their fine defense as it decrees that the Shamrocks shall get the ball back. (One wonders why we give such power to a heartless inanimate light.) St. Patrick misses a six foot shot from the side of the lane. Chase Pung passes to Nick Epkey, who hits one of his two free throws for Fowler. With 7:03 to play in the first quarter, Fowler has a 4-0 lead.

Nick Epkey blocks a Shamrock shot in the lane. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Fowler takes possession. Cole Kinsman steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Alex Fedewa hits a putback to give St. Patrick its first points. Derec Fedewa steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the corner. Fowler is assessed a traveling violation.

St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Braxton Teachworth gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Alex Fedewa gets the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a jumper from the wing. Shane Cook nearly steals the ball for the Shamrocks, but the Eagles are able to recover. Fowler misses a jump shot. Nick Epkey gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Fowler misses a layup. Nick Epkey is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to boost his Eagles to a 6-2 lead with 4:59 to go in the first quarter.

Jacob Halfmann blocks a Shamrock layup; the ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets it back. Shane Cook passes to Braxton Teachworth, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. Fowler misses a layup. Payton Russman is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his three free throws (He got one extra because of a Fowler lane violation.) to trim the Eagle lead to 6-5 with 3:57 to play in the quarter.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick misses a six foot banked shot. Treagan O’Rourke passes to Ben Schafer, who launches and hits a threeball from the corner for the Eagles. St. Patrick loses a pass out of bounds. Fowler misfires on a corner triple. Fowler gets the offensive rebound. The Eagles miss a driving layup. Shane Cook finds Payton Russman in the corner. Payton Russman hits a three pointer to cut the Fowler lead to 9-8.

Fowler misses a jump shot. Jacob Halfmann gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Shane Cook knocks the ball away from Fowler; Cole Kinsman picks it up for St. Patrick and passes to Shane Cook for a Shamrock fast break layup that gives his team the lead. Fowler throws a pass out of bounds. Derec Fedewa hits a six footer off the dribble in the lane for St. Patrick. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing at the buzzer.

After one quarter, St. Patrick has a 12-9 lead.

Fowler has the ball to start out the second quarter. The Eagles miss a six footer in the lane. Nick Epkey hits a putback for Fowler. A Shamrock dribbler steps on the baseline. Brayden Simon steals an Eagle pass. The Shamrocks lose their handle on a drive; the ball goes out and St. Patrick gets another possession. Shane Cook drives and dishes the ball to Payton Russman, who throws in a threeball from the wing to boost the St. Patrick lead to 15-11.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Treagan O’Rourke pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Nick Epkey makes a great save of the rebound to get another possession for his Eagles. Fowler misses a threeball from the side. St. Patrick fumbles a pass out of bounds. Chase Pung hits a runner from the free throw elbow to chop the Shamrock lead to 15-13.

St. Patrick travels on a drive to the basket. (I suppose traveling on a drive on the highway may be a good thing; in basketball, it’s a turnover if the ref sees it.) Fowler misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Chase Pung snags the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Payton Russman steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Nick Epkey knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Chase Pung picks it up for Fowler. Fowler is assessed with a traveling violation. Jacob Halfmann steals the ball for the Eagles.

Derec Fedewa steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Payton Russman drives the baseline and hits a layup for the Shamrocks to push their lead to 17-13.

Treagan O’Rourke passes to Chase Pung, who hits a three pointer from the side to close the Shamrock lead back to one point. St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Braxton Teachworth gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Fowler loses the ball out of bounds on a fast break. Shane Cook passes to Brayden Simon, who spins and hits a layup to give the Shamrocks a 19-16 lead.

Andrew Piggott passes to Treagan O’Rourke, who is fouled on a six foot scoop shot with about a minute left in the half. He hits one of his two free throws for the Eagles. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. St. Patrick is fouled on a drive, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. Jacob Halfmann hits a three point shot from the wing just before the buzzer sounds to give his Eagles a one point lead.

At halftime, Fowler holds a 20-19 lead.

Payton Russman leads the St. Patrick scoring with 9 points.

Nick Epkey and Chase Pung each have 5 points for Fowler.

St. Patrick throws the ball in bounds and the second half is underway! Cole Kinsman passes to Shane Cook, who throws in a threeball from the side to give the Shamrocks the lead. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. A Shamrock cross court pass sails out of bounds. Fowler misses a three point attempt from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball. St. Patrick misses a six foot shot from the baseline. Shane Cook ties up a pass in the lane. The arrogant Possession Arrow ignores the great defense and decrees that Fowler shall have the basketball. Nick Epkey hits an eight footer from the baseline for Fowler to tie the game at 22-22.

Braxton Teachworth passes to Alex Fedewa, who hits a three point shot from the corner to retake the lead for St. Patrick; Fowler fouled while jockeying for rebounding on the position, so St. Patrick gets the ball back. Treagan O’Rourke steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Nick Epkey is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws to trim the Shamrock lead to 25-23 with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.

Fowler misses a jump shot from the side of the lane. Chase Pung steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three point shot from the top of the key. The Eagles get the offensive rebound, but miss a threeball from the corner. Nick Epkey is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws for Fowler. With 4:04 to play in the third quarter, ST. Patrick has a 25-24 lead.

Shane Cook pulls down the rebound for Fowler. He summons his inner quarterback to throw a touchdown pass to Brayden Simon, who summons his inner wide receiver, corrals the pass, and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Payton Russman steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Derec Fedewa drives from the wing and hits a layup, is fouled and makes his free throw to give his Shamrocks a 30-24 lead with 3:29 to play in the third quarter.

Fowler misses a layup. Nick Epkey hits a putback for the Eagles. Jacob Halfmann pressures St. Patrick into throwing a pass out of bounds. Alex Halfmann passes to Ben Schafer, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Fowler. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 1:57 left on the third quarter clock, St. Patrick’s lead is down to one point at 30-29.

Nick Epkey steals the ball for Fowler. Cole Kinsman steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Ben Schafer steals the ball back for the Eagles. (What do the school administrators have to say about this crime wave?) Ben Schafer inbounds the ball to Nick Epkey, who hits a layup to give the Eagles the lead. Derec Fedewa leans back and banks in a six footer for the Shamrocks. Jacob Halfmann passes the ball to Nick Epkey, who is fouled on a five foot shot with 1.6 seconds to play in the quarter. He hits one of his two free throws to tie the game. Treagan O-Rourke gets the long offensive rebound in the corner, but can only heave the ball toward the basket as the buzzer sounds. (It misses.)

With three quarters in the books, this game is tied at 32-32.

Fowler has the ball to start off the fourth quarter. Alex Fedewa plays some tough defense to cause a Fowler traveling violation. Brayden Simon is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to give his Shamrocks the lead. Treagan O’Rourke passes to Chase Pung, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key to give the lead to Fowler. St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. Jacob Halfmann drives the lane and hits a layup to give Fowler a 37-34 lead.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Alex Fedewa gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Fowler fouls on the rebound. St. Patrick misses a fifteen footer from the sideline. Fowler feloniously fights and fouls on the rebound. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist that.) St. Patrick misses a layup off the inbound pass. Fowler misses a driving layup. Alex Fedewa drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick to cut the Fowler lead to 37-36.

Chase Pung passes to an Eagle teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses his free throws. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Shane Cook gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets another opportunity. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the top of the key. Treagan O’Rourke is fouled on the rebound and hits two free throws to give Fowler a 39-36 lead with 4:33 to play in the game.

Derec Fedewa drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Ben Schafer drives and dishes the ball to Nick Epkey, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws with 3:56 left on the clock to give Fowler a 41-38 lead.

St. Patrick misses a layup; Brayden Simon hits a putback to pull St. Patrick to within one point. Fowler misses a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane. Chase Pung grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Shane Cook knocks the ball away from the Eagles and there is a tie up. The Possession Arrow awards the ball to Fowler. Derec Fedewa goes to the floor to steal the ball for the Shamrocks. Chase Pung steals a Shamrock pass. Treagan O’Rourke is fouled and hits one of his two free throws. With 1:08 remaining in the game, Fowler has a 42-40 lead.

Jacob Halfmann ties the ball up. The Possession Arrow gives the ball back to the Shamrocks. Chase Pung knocks the ball away from St. Patrick; Nick Epkey dives on the ball to tie it up. The Possession Arrow awards the ball to Fowler. Fowler is fouled, but misses two free throws with 24.8 seconds left in the game. St. Patrick misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Brayden Simon is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws with 16.3 seconds to play and the game is tied at 42-42.

Jacob Halfmann drives the lane and dishes the ball to Nick Epkey, who makes a layup, but was fouled before he shot, so the basket is negated. With .5 of a second left, he hits one of his two free throws to give the Eagles a 43-42 lead.

St. Patrick misses a heave as the buzzer sounds.

Fowler wins the game 43-42.

For St. Patrick, Brayden Simon led the scoring with 10 points. Derec Fedewa and Payton Russman each contributed 9 points. Alex Fedewa scored 7 points. Shane Cook added 5 points. Braxton Teachworth put in 2 points.

Nick Epkey lead the Eagles with 17 points. Chase Pung supported his teammate with 8 points. Treagan O’Rourke threw in 7 points. Ben Schafer added 6 points. Jacob Halfmann scored 5 points.