MAUPIN — South Wasco County is back in the OSAA Class 1A boys state basketball tournament after its, 68-50, playoff win over Joseph High on Feb. 27 in Maupin, and senior Jason Hull was a big reason.
Hull, son of Coach Jim Hull, led the way against Joseph for the Redsides, scoring 50 points and assisting on five more of his team’s baskets. The 6-foot-4 Hull, the state’s scoring leader at all enrollment levels, was 20 for 38 from the field, including 5-for-10 from beyond the three-point line. He made five of eight free throws and added two steals.
Third-seeded South Wasco (27-2) will play a first-round game against Open Door Christian (21-5) in the eight-team 1A tournament at Baker High School at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4.
Against Joseph (17-8), the No. 5 team out of the Old Oregon League, Hull scored his team’s first 15 points as the Redsides bolted to a 15-4 lead. South Wasco senior George Barnett added two baskets to close out the opening period before Hull took over again. Joseph opted to play straight-up man-to-man on Hull, who has seen just about every defense imaginable this season. He scored all 19 of South Wasco’s second-quarter points, staking the Redsides to a 38-24 halftime lead.
Joseph had closed to within 22-20 in the second quarter before Hull scored his team’s next 16 points. South Wasco maintained a double-digit lead for the entire second half, but Joesph did pull within 40-30 midway through the third quarter. South Wasco started the second half 1-for-9 from the field.
Rowen Huff, who had an off-game shooting-wise but did pull down 14 rebounds, found fellow senior Junior Cortes open for three-pointer from the right corner. Huff, who added four assists and two blocks, scored his first basket off a feed from Hull with 2:20 remaining in the third.
South Wasco started the final period on a 7-0 scoring run to give itself some breathing room and eventually move onto the final eight for the first time since 2022. Coach Jim Hull’s Redside team placed second that season to Crane.
South Wasco also finished second at the 1A state tourney in 2006, with Coach Hull at the helm, and was fifth in 2005. South Wasco advanced to the final eight in 2009, as well.
Commented