By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
STAYTON, Ore.– Nearly a month after suffering their first, and to this point only, defeat of the season to Philomath, the Stayton Girls Basketball team returned the favor
It was a packed house for the game. Final home game of the year for the Eagles, and both teams were looking to lock up the Oregon West Conference League Title this evening in some fashion or another.
A Philomath win Friday would give the Warriors the title outright. A Stayton win, and they can finish no worse than Co-Champions with both squads having one league game left in front of them.
Not to mention, as the Eagles jumped out to a 20-14 lead midway through the second quarter, Stayton was looking for revenge against the Warriors after Philomath spoiled the Eagles undefeated season back on January 31 out in Philomath.
“Last time they beat us by one, they were our only loss, so we really wanted to come back. Tonight, we were scoring. In the last game, we weren’t really scoring so much. But they were also scoring a lot more this game,” said Brooklynne Morley.
The Warriors’ trap-press defense over the last two, three minutes of the first half, allowed Philomath to claw back into this one. Eventually tying the game up at 20 just as the game was getting into the halftime intermission.
The adversity was there. So was the pressure of the moment. But Stayton responded strongly. Within 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, Stayton led 35-27 and were about to break this game open when Philomath showed that they had one more run left in their gas tank. And it quickly extinguished any momentum that the Eagles had built over the course of the second half.
Over the course of three-plus minutes of actual game clock, the Warriors went on a 10-1 run and took a 37-36 lead on Stayton. Without one of their leaders in Kenzi Hollenbeck not on the court during the fourth quarter with illense and fouls, the Eagles were in some hot water in trying to slow down this Philomath rally.
But even without Hollenbeck on the court, the Eagles came together. Turning to each other, Stayton began to slow down that Warrior momentum. That was when it became a mad dash to the finish line for the Oregon West Conference title.
“We went up a few. They went up a few and then late without Kenzi for the last 12 minutes of the game. We just kept digging in. Some girls got some minutes, we kept battling and giving ourselves a chance,” said Stayton Head Coach Tal Wold. “Sports are funny. We’ve experienced the thrill of victory, and we’ve experienced the agony of defeat at their place, so this was awesome for the girls. I’m really happy for them, “
Stayton tied it at 37 with three minutes left in the game. Morley pushed the Eagles back ahead 37-35 with 1:41 left. Philomath’s Aspen Russell hit a pair of free throws to tie it at 37 a few moments later.
Neither team could find that dagger to pull ahead over the final minute of the game. Defense clamped up, got the stops, but neither offense couldn’t find the bottom of the net as it looked as if the game may be heading to overtime.
Through the defensive stalemate, Stayton got the ball onto their half of the court with five seconds remaining in the game in what was still a 39-39 game. Wold drew up a play in which they drew the foul and tried to win the game at the line. With a short time to make it happen, they had to make sure it counted.
It worked.
The ball made its way to sophomore Kathryn Samek, and as she let a lay-up shot go up, contact was made, and she went to the line for two with three seconds left. Game on the line, and there was no pressure for the sophomore as she made the first one to put the Eagles back ahead.
“I was super excited, I was missing earlier in the game, and I was excited to make my one that counted,” Samek said. “We knew it was going to be close coming in. We just had to work our butts off and do it for each other.”
Samek missed the second one, and Philomath got the rebound. But the Warriors weren’t able to get their footing right on the catch-and-shoot in time to beat the buzzer as Stayton closed out a hard-fought 40-39 victory for at least a share of the Title going into Tuesday’s regular season finale at North Marion.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
