The Oregon West Conference boys basketball title chase will come down to the final game early next week when Philomath visits Cascade. Both teams won league games on the road Thursday night to set up a showdown that will determine the final standings.
No. 4 Philomath (17-5 overall, 7-2 Oregon West) shot out to a 36-10 lead in the first half en route to a 49-27 victory at Stayton. Meanwhile, No. 2 Cascade (18-3, 8-1) pulled out a tough win at Newport, 53-51.
The Warriors and Cougars are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday. Cascade can win the league title outright with a win but if the Warriors take it, the two teams will be tied atop the standings.
In the win over the Eagles, Philomath senior Preston Kramer scored 20 points — 13 of those coming in the second quarter alone as the Warriors pulled away. Seniors Kaden Muir and Jacob Peters each added eight and senior Connor Harms had seven.
Philomath slowed the attack significantly in the second half with just 13 points over the third and fourth quarters.
Stayton (8-13, 1-8), currently sitting at No. 18 in the OSAA rankings, is fighting for a play-in position. The Eagles went 7-5 in nonleague games but have struggled in the Oregon West, a stretch that included a 61-36 loss to the Warriors on Jan. 29.
