The Baker boys basketball team, with several players returning from a squad that won 28 of 29 games last season, including the Class 4A state title, is accustomed to big games.

But never have the Bulldogs faced a challenge greater than what confronted them at Portland State University on Friday night, Dec. 27.

After learning a few days earlier that leading scorer, senior Isaiah Jones, would miss the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational tournament due to an appendectomy, the Bulldogs took the court against one of the top prep teams in the country, the La Lumiere Lakers from Indiana.

But competing against three players ranked in ESPN’s top 100 college prospects, in a tournament that annually draws some of the country’s best high school teams, didn’t daunt the Bulldogs.

The final score — La Lumiere 57, Baker 35 — fails to convey the competitive nature of the game, as Baker cut the lead the seven points in the third quarter and to 10 points in the fourth before the Lakers dominated the final five minutes.

Rasean Jones and Jaxon Logsdon swished 3-pointers in the first 90 seconds to give Baker a 6-0 lead.

The Bulldogs kept the lead for most of the first quarter.

The Lakers scored seven straight points to lead 13-8, but Jones made his second 3-pointer in the final seconds to cut the deficit to 13-11.

Although Baker struggled at times with the Lakers’ swarming fullcourt press, and the Bulldogs couldn’t get any sort of inside game going, the 3-pointer proved to be an equalizer of sorts.

Logsdon made consecutive long balls in the second quarter to cut La Lumiere’s lead to 21-19.

The Lakers, meanwhile, missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts in the first half.

But with a major advantage in the key in 6-foot-8 Anton Strelnikov, La Lumiere ended the first half with an 11-0 run, including two baskets by Strelnikov, who had seven of the Lakers’ 17 offensive rebounds, to lead 32-19 at the break.

Baker, which was five of eight on 3-pointers in the first half, didn’t make a single 3-pointer in the second half. But the Bulldogs started to find other ways to score.

Jones had a rebound basket and a 12-foot jumper early in the third quarter to cut the lead to 32-23.

After an alley oop slam dunk from La Lumiere, Eli Long had two straight hoops, one on a steal and breakaway layin, and Baker was within 34-27.

The Lakers had another scoring run, this one 9-2, to push their lead to 43-29 entering the final quarter.

But Baker had another fast start in the final period, as Long and Logsdon had baskets to trim the lead to 43-33.

The Bulldogs scored only two more points, though, when Palmer Chandler rolled in a tough reverse layin.

The Lakers ended the game on a 14-2 run.

Baker coach Jebron Jones said he told the Bulldogs several times, both during and after the game, that he was proud of “how hard they played.”

“They could have rolled over, but they rose to the occasion,” Jones said. “In the long run this will help us tremendously.”

He said the team was “shocked” when he told them during practice on Monday, Dec. 23, that Isaiah would not be playing in the tournament.

“I told them that whoever we play doesn’t really care who is out for our team,” Jebron Jones said. “We’ll just have to do everything better. On Tuesday I think the guys had better attitudes and started to pull together.”

Jones said neither he nor his players had any misconceptions about La Lumiere’s talent.

“They were longer, taller, more athletic across the board than we are,” he said. “I knew that, the kids knew that.”

Because outside shooting isn’t one of the Lakers’ strengths, Jones said he had Baker play zone defense the entire game rather than a mixture of zone and man defense as usual. A zone defense tends to clog up the key while potentially giving up open outside shots to teams that pass the ball around the perimeter well.

The strategy was generally effective, as the Lakers made just three of 26 shots from beyond the arc.

On the other side, Jones said he knew that on offense “it would be hard for us to get open shots in the key just because of their length. We knew we had to hit shots from the outside.”

Baker did — but only in the first half.

“They disrupted a lot of things we wanted to do offensively just by their sheer athleticism,” Jones said.

Although Baker gave up 37 rebounds, including 17 offensive boards, Jones said he was happy with Baker’s effort to box out.

In several cases the Lakers, and Strelnikov in particular, with his seven offensive rebounds, were too tall or athletic despite Baker players being in good rebounding position.

“The effort was there,” Jones said.

Logsdon led Baker with 13 points. Jones had 12 and Long six.

Strelnikov led all scorers with 16 points.

It was a fast-paced game, with just 20 fouls, 11 on Baker. The Bulldogs didn’t shoot a free throw, while the Lakers were four of six.

Baker will play Roosevelt, a Class 6A team from Portland, on Saturday, Dec. 28, at 1:30 p.m.

“I told the boys that (La Lumiere) is the best team you’re going to play all year long,” Jebron Jones said. “I think the kids are confident knowing that if they choose to play hard, they have a chance to win. That’s their choice.”

Jones said he doesn’t know when Isaiah will be able to return to the court.

BAKER (35)

Gambleton 0 0-0 0, Churchfield 0 0-0 0, Long 3 0-0 6, R. Jones 5 0-0 12, Logsdon 5 0-0 13, Chandler 1 0-0 2, Clark 0 0-0 0, Heriza 0 0-0 0, Wellman 0 0-0 0, Holden 1 0-0 2, Joseph 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 0-0 35.

LA LUMIERE (57)

Adams 3 0-0 6, Bell Jr. 4 0-0 8, Love III 1 2-2 5, Haralson 4 2-4 10; Strelnikov 8 0-0 16, Murray 1 0-0 3, Bennett 1 0-0 2, Smith 3 0-0 7. Totals 25 4-6 57.

Baker         11  8 10  6  — 35

La Lumiere 13 19 11 14 — 57