By 7:40 p.m. Friday night, the Southern Cascade League already had two boys basketball teams heading to the Class 2A state tournament.
Less than an hour later, Cascade Christian senior Josh Heidegger put the finishing touches on the league's third berth to the eight-team tournament with a thunderous, one-handed dunk.
Heidegger's breakaway slam with less than a minute to play gave the third-ranked Challengers a 12-point edge and was a fitting climax to a hard-fought, 65-49 victory over a scrappy Kennedy team in a state-playoff game at The Pavilion.
Cascade Christian (22-4), which won its first-ever state football crown in the fall, will make its first trip to the state basketball tournament since 2002.
SCL rivals St. Mary's, a 79-67 winner over Union, and Bonanza (69-44 over Portland Christian) also slipped into the double-elimination state tournament in Pendleton, which runs Wednesday through Saturday.
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"This just shows how tough the SCL was," he added. "I wish St. Mary's and Bonanza luck. We'll be rooting for them."
SCL co-champion and No. 1 seed Cascade Christian will open with Monroe, a 70-55 winner over Pilot Rock Friday, at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday at the Pendleton Convention Center.
"These guys have been close to getting there (state tournament)," said Challengers' coach Brian Morse, just moments after getting a celebratory dousing of sparkling apple cider. "These seniors have never been there, so that will be a great thing for them and the rest of the guys."
Heidegger finished with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while senior guard Andrew Shipley had 17 points — all coming in the first half.
The Challengers, who were playing without starting post Jeremy Cheney because of a minor knee injury, also got a big boost from the bench play of seniors Josh Davis and Preston Wipf.
Davis scored six of his 10 points during a key second-quarter burst that gave Cascade Christian a double-digit lead (36-22) at the half.
"Coach says I play better coming off the bench," said Davis. "I just try to come in and give the team a spark.
"I gotta give the guys credit. They were making the passes and finding the open people."
Kennedy (13-7), a school just outside of Salem, hung around early and, despite the halftime deficit, managed to stay in the game behind the 3-point marksmanship of sophomore Jared Garza.
The baby-faced, 5-6 point guard drained five 3s and totaled a game-high 19 points. His third make from behind the arc capped a 9-0 spurt to start the second half that brought the Trojans within 36-31 at the 6:02 mark of the third quarter.
"We were really worried about their posts coming off the high pick and roll," said Morse. "They have really good posts. Then No. 12 (Garza) hits all those 3s. That guy played a great game."
Cascade's Rickey Fite stopped the bleeding with a layin off a Daniel Shipley drive and dish, and Heidegger and Davis followed with back-to-back hoops to push the lead to 42-31.
Kennedy stayed within striking distance with another 3-pointer from Garza right before the third-quarter horn and got as close as 56-49 with 1:25 left in the contest.
But Daniel Shipley sank a pair of free throws to stretch the lead, and Heidegger sent the home crowd into a frenzy moments later with his emphatic, left-handed flush.
"I come out to please the crowd every game," said Heidegger. "Obviously getting the win is the biggest thing, but I had an opening and I took it. What better way to send the crowd and those people that might not make it to the tournament home happy."
Kennedy, the third seed from the Tri-River League, had just two players over 6-foot in its starting lineup. The Challengers, meanwhile, held a big size advantage with four players over 6 feet in their starting rotation.
"For us to stay in the game," said first-year Trojans' coach Toby Hill, "we had to have a good start. We were able to do that, but (Cascade Christian) had a couple runs we couldn't contend with."
Heidegger also hauled in a team-high seven rebounds, while 6-5 sophomore Scott Morse and Andrew Shipley had five boards apiece. Wipf had three assists and provided a solid defensive effort off the pine.
Nick Cunningham had 12 points and Wade Barth added 10 for Kennedy.
Cascade Christian's best showing at the state tournament was eighth place in 2002.
This year's group has higher aspirations.
"They're excited but not satisfied," said coach Morse. "They want a state championship and I think this team is equipped to do that."
KENNEDY (49) — Phillips 0, Glaede 0, Garza 19, Wavra 6, Barth 10, Berning 0, Craig 0, Buchheit 2, Cunningham 12, Day 0. Totals: 17 9-13 49.
CASCADE CHRISTIAN (65) — Kinney 0, Wipf 2, Morse 8, Duchien 0, A. Shipley 17, D. Shipley 4, Heidegger 18, Joffer 2, Davis 10, Ayala 0, Fite 4. Totals: 27 8-12 65.
Kennedy 10 12 16 11 --49
Cascade Christian 13 23 10 19 --65
3-point goals — Kennedy 6 (Garza 5, Wavra 1), Cascade Christian 3 (A. Shipley 3). Fouled out — Barth.
Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483, or e-mail kgoff@mailtribune.com
