Adrian Mosley lifts Lions down the stretch

West Linn’s senior guard takes over to beat Central Catholic 49-45 on Thursday.

Let’s be honest. There are days when West Linn senior guard Jackson Shelstad just takes over.

Like in the Lions’ second-round playoff win over Jesuit when he knocked down 17 of 22 shots from the floor and poured in 41 points.

Or when he went for 33 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal in West Linn’s playoff opener against Century.

Or the time Shelstad broke free for 31 points, five rebounds and five assists to help beat Tualatin and secure the Three Rivers League title.

But the Lions can you beat you other ways, too, and they did just that on Thursday, March 9.

Facing Central Catholic in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A state tournament at the Chiles Center, West Linn called on senior guard Adrian Mosley down the stretch — and he delivered big-time.

Mosley came back from a difficult first half offensively to pile up 21 points and fuel the Lions’ 49-45 win over the Rams. Next up, the Lions will face No. 4 Lincoln in the state semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 10.

“My teammates told me at halftime to just keep being aggressive,” said Mosley, who hit 7 of 14 shots from the field and 7 of 8 free throws, along with three rebounds and one block. “I feel the support from them and that helped out a lot.”

Mosley, who was named Player of the Year in the Portland Interscholastic League a year ago and first-team all-Three Rivers League in 2023, hit just 1 of 6 shots from the field in the first half of West Linn’s game against Central Catholic.

Buoyed by his teammates’ support, though, he stepped up when his team needed him most. In the game’s final 5 minutes, 49 seconds, Mosley hit three straight shots from the field and three straight foul shots to score nine of his 21 points and lift the Lions to victory.

Here’s what Mosley did in the home stretch of West Linn’s “W.”

• With 5:49 remaining, Shelstad sped down the left side of the court, nearly lost control of the ball and sent a low pass to Mosley near the basket. Mosley scooped the ball off the court, stepped past a Central Catholic defender in stride and hit a reverse layin to give his team a 40-37 lead.

• Two possessions later, Mosley hit a turnaround jumpshot in the key, got fouled and knocked down the ensuing free throw to give his team a 43-39 edge with 4:19 to play.

• After an offensive rebound by West Linn senior Sam Leavitt on the next possession, Mosley took the ball deep in the paint and powered over CC junior Miles Berry to score and boost his team’s lead to 45-39 with 2:22 left to play.

• Mosley finished his fabulous fourth by hitting two foul shots to make it 47-43 with 34 seconds left on the clock.

“With their big guy (6-foot-7 senior Gray Thompson) getting injured, they told me to just get closer to the rim and do my thing around there,” Mosley added.

See the complete game story from this contest by clicking here.

Read more on this game here: West Linn shows toughness down the stretch

To buy prints or digital downloads from this contest, go to milesvance.smugmug.com.

To see photos from all of this year’s West Linn boys basketball coverage, click here.