We've reached the championship portion of the OSAA basketball season, and athletes throughout Lane County have delivered plenty of strong performances on the big stage.
Every week, you get to vote for The Register-Guard's Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Active Chiropractic.
Here are the nominees for this week's boys Athlete of the Week:
- Ace Arnold, Creswell basketball
- Luke Bailey, Creswell basketball
- Jordan Gray, North Eugene basketball
- Leo Filipe, Thurston basketball
- Damon Keith, North Eugene basketball
- Aarav King, Marist Catholic basketball
- Lucas LaBounty, Thurston basketball
- Landen Melvin, Pleasant Hill basketball
Information about each nominee is listed below. Vote for the athlete you think is most deserving at registerguard.com/sports. The poll closes at 9 a.m. Thursday.
Ace Arnold, Creswell basketball
Creswell senior Ace Arnold guard was a second-team all-3A state tournament selection after helping lead the Bulldogs to a fourth-place finish. Arnold averaged 17.3 points in three tournament games.
Luke Bailey, Creswell basketball
Creswell senior forward Luke Bailey had 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals March 7 in the Bulldogs' 62-42 win against Pleasant Hill in the 3A state tournament fourth-place game. Bailey led the tournament in total rebounds with 25 and offensive rebounds with 14.
Jordan Gray, North Eugene basketball
North Eugene senior guard Jordan Gray scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, March 11 in the Class 5A No. 7 Highlanders' 67-59 state quarterfinal loss to No. 15 Centennial.
Leo Filipe, Thurston basketball
Thurston sophomore forward Leo Filipe scored a team-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and pulled down six rebounds March 11 in the Class 5A No. 4 Colts' 69-65 state quarterfinal loss to No. 5 Summit.
The next day, in a consolation win over No. 9 Crater, Filipe scored 21 points and grabbed 10 boards.
Damon Keith, North Eugene basketball
North Eugene sophomore guard Damon Keith scored 15 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds March 11 in the Class 5A No. 7 Highlanders' 67-59 state quarterfinal loss to No. 15 Centennial.
Aarav King, Marist Catholic basketball
Marist Catholic junior guard Aarav King scored a game-high 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting March 12 in the Class 4A No. 7 Spartans' 57-45 state quarterfinal win over No. 3 Molalla.
Lucas LaBounty, Thurston basketball
Thurston senior guard Lucas LaBounty scored 15 points, racked up 10 rebounds and had five assists March 11 in the Class 5A No. 4 Colts' 69-65 state quarterfinal loss to No. 5 Summit.
In the process, LaBounty set Thurston's all-time scoring record.
Landen Melvin, Pleasant Hill basketball
Pleasant Hill senior Landen Melvin was a unanimous first-team all-3A state tournament selection after leading the Billies to a sixth-place finish. Melvin led the tournament in points (25.3) and assists (5.3).
Jarrid Denney is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. He can be reached at jdenney@registerguard.com or on X @jarrid_denney
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Vote! Who should be Active Chiropractic boys Athlete of the Week?