By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
BEAVERTON, Ore.– After a sluggish first half, the Jefferson Girls Basketball team geared it up in the second half against Mid Pacific of Hawaii on Tuesday to close out the Valley Catholic Tournament.
Leading 24-15 at halftime, the Lions began to hit their shots, and in a hurry. Eight of their 11 three-pointers came in the second half as they rushed out to a 41-27 lead after three en route to a 58-31 victory over the Owls. Outscoring Mid Pacific 34-16 in the second half as their defense came in clutch to help close out the contest.
Of those 11 three-pointers, Aziza Saad connected on five of them. Aliya Saad and Geneieve Orton each connected on three three-pointers. Luella Campbell and Kenzee Williams each scored in the win as well.
“It was really big to knock down some shots and keep our composure when we’re getting pressured really well. We don’t do well without getting chippy at each other, but we really kept our composure and we really worked well as a team and didn’t let up at all,” saiz Aziza Saad, who led Jefferson with 25 points.
Coming off of their heartbreaking defeat to Yamhill-Carlton on Sunday, Jefferson finished 2-1 in Beaverton. The Lions picked up a big win against Valley Catholic on Monday 48-44 before the quick turnaround on Tuesday.
The three-day tournament, the quick turnaround, all against tough competition, is what they’ll see in Coos Bay in March if they reach the double-elimination portion of the tournament later this season. Still a team goal for the squad, and is good preparation for that if they get to the 3A Final Site.
“It was really big because it showed that we can handle the physicality. Valley Catholic is a really good team. YC is a really good team, they’re both physical, they both press and we showed that we pushed through that,” said Jefferson Head Coach Zach Maison. “And to play back-to-back games, short turnaround from yesterday afternoon to this morning and shoot the ball like that…that shows that we can push through some of that adversity.”
The Lions, who are currently 5-3 on the year, will close out their non-league slate Friday at Rainier before opening PacWest Conference play on January 5 at Williamina.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
