MOLALLA – It certainly appeared that the South Wasco County Redsides were on the verge of an upset in an OnPoint Community Credit Union/OSAA Class 1A girls basketball first round state playoff game.
The Lady Resides (7-5 Big Sky League, 12-13 overall) led by 10 points over the No. 7 ranked Country Christian Cougars (9-3 Valley 10 League, 19-9) and had all the momentum in their favor.
However, the Cougars showed that they were well deserving of their high recognition as they came back to get a 69-52 win over the Redsides ending their season on Tuesday at Country Christian High School in Molalla.
The Redsides, in the state playoffs for a third straight year, seemed quite comfortable in their role as a title contender.
Guided by second-year coach Carly Johnson, The Redsides, demonstrated that they were definitely familiar with the high-pressure atmosphere of the playoffs as they came out and played with a high-intensity level offensively and defensively in the first half.
“I’m so proud of the team, we had a super fun time all season and we worked so hard in the district tournament to get here,” Johnson said. “Our entire season was building up to this point and we peaked at a good time. Our team came together at the end and gave us a good chance in the state playoffs. It was a tough loss, but all our girls left everything out on the court, and they gave it everything that I could ask for.”
Trailing 4-2 at the outset of the game, South Wasco sophomore Holly Miles (seven points) helped ignite an impressive 12-0 run, as she fired in a three-point jumper to make it 5-4.
South Wasco’s duo of freshman Kylie Iverson (12 points) and junior post Destiny Mora-Lopez (seven points) each followed by sinking short jumpers, making it 9-4 and forcing a Cougar timeout with five minutes and 40 seconds left in the opening quarter.
“Early in the game, I think that we definitely felt like we had a chance to win the game,” said Mora-Lopez, who earned a Big Sky First Team All League Award. “Things can change so fast though, and I knew that we had to be ready for them (Cougars). We all gave it our best shot, but it seemed like it hurt us when I couldn’t play in the third quarter, and I felt bad that I couldn’t help my team. I had trust in my teammates, and I knew that they would give it everything they’ve got, and I felt proud of them.”
After the timeout, Mora-Lopez scored and Iverson capped the rally with a three-pointer, making it 14-4 midway through the first quarter. Country Christian responded with a rally, outscoring South Wasco 15-5 to knot it 19-19 at the end of the quarter.
“We did have a chance, but we just couldn’t maintain our intensity level for the entire game,” Johnson said.
The Redsides were determined to regain the momentum, and that’s exactly what they did in the second quarter. Mora-Lopez, Jade McCoy (team-high 15 points), Iverson, and Hailey Ocacio (nine points) each scored baskets in an 8-0 Redside run that lifted South Wasco in front, 27-21, forcing another Cougar timeout with 6:08 remaining until halftime.
“We all worked very hard all year to get here, and so I was very excited and very happy to help our team reach the state playoffs,” said McCoy, who capped the year by earning a Big Sky Second Team All-League Award. “It was fun to have the lead; we were playing with a high energy level, and at that point we felt like we had a chance, because anything can happen in the playoffs. They (Cougars) are a very good team, and they’ll probably go far in the playoffs. I think the highlight of the season though was when we beat Ione (a 54-50 win on Feb. 22) to earn a playoff berth that enabled us to be here.”
After the Cougars trimmed the margin to 27-26, South Wasco senior Laurynn Davis (two points) sank a jumper to put the Redsides up 29-26.
Davis, the only Redsides senior, was playing the final game of her South Wasco County High School career, and she definitely provided her team with a momentum boost at that point of the game.
“Laurynn had a little bit of a rough season with some injuries that limited the number of games that she was able to play,” Johnson said. “She played in the last four games, and she helped us a lot with her leadership, and we’re really going to miss her. She did a real good job of helping the younger girls stay focused all year and helping the team play together.”
Country Christian again came back with a 14-3 run to take a 40-32 halftime lead and the Cougars never trailed again. The Redsides then had a rough start in the second half, as the Cougars took control of the game in the third quarter.
It was a tough situation for the Redsides when Mora-Lopez was whistled for a fourth foul just 17 seconds into the quarter and she had to sit on the bench and didn’t return until the start of the fourth quarter.
Her absence hurt the Redsides as the Cougars capitalized with her out of the lineup and outscored the Redsides 18-10 to build a 58-42 lead after three.
The Cougars, led by Valley 10 Player-of-the-Year Lizzy Grandle (19 points) and freshman Annie Bafford (26 points) had the momentum in their favor and extended the margin to their largest lead of the game at 69-46 late in the fourth. The Redsides scored the final six points to trim the final margin.
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