By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– It’s probably safe to say that we’ll see these two teams, Amity and Vale, meet up once more again here in March in Coos Bay. And that Saturday night’s game in the Crusader Classic Green Bracket Championship Game was just the preview of that possible State Championship Game when the time comes.
For a non-league, tournament game in the middle of the season, it actually felt like that of a Coos Bay game. Packed house. Both Amity and Vale traveled extremely well. The intensity of the game made it feel like Coos Bay as well.
It was a defensive chess match. Every offensive move was met with an equal defensive move. Shot’s missed were met by a scramble for the rebound and second chance opportunities were limited.
“It’s always fun to be in a tight game like that, it’s what you hoped for right? You don’t want to blow people out by 30/40, you want to play in competitive, meaningful games and that’s all you can ask for,” said Amity’s Jed McMullen. “Both of the teams played a lot of defense. It was a very defensive minded game and we’ll figure out what we need to do. The little things are going to make the difference in a game like that. We just have to figure out what those little things are, watch the film and get better from it.”
Amity led the game 7-6 after one quarter and 14-13 at halftime. Yeah. A real slugfest.
Then the real interesting part started. How would the two squads respond after the halftime break when the first half fatigue set in on top of the last two days of getting to this point?
Well. That’s when the offense found their footing.
Slightly mind you.
The defense was still there that no one was going to go off on a true run, but by the end of the third quarter the 20 points scored nearly matched that of the 27 points scored in the first half all together. The Warriors still led, but this time 26-21.
But. Going back to that ‘mind you’ comment a moment ago. That third quarter became an anomaly as the defense dug their heels on and were tough to move by.
For the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, three points were scored. Amity still led 26-24, but Vale would soon tie things up at 26 by the 3:50 mark. And from there, the Vikings made their move. Coming off their third-place finish in 3A last year and taking the right steps forward entering this season against competition like Amity and Henley earlier this season, the Vikings are hoping it’ll make them battle-tested by the postseason.
“I felt like it was a State-level game. When you get to State, the traps and the presses, they don’t work as well. It was a low scoring, possession-by-possession, turnover-by-turnover,” starts Vale Head Coach Randy Seals. “They went on a little run there in the third quarter, but we just kind of hung around and I think we finally put some good offensive possessions together, scored a couple of buckets and our defensive effort was just great tonight. Amity’s just so quick, they got such great shooters and our game plan was to keep them in front and take contested shots. Not give up offensive rebounds and I think we executed that well. “
“Amity, obviously defending State Champs, they’re the best in the State. To get to that level, you have to play good competition. We got beat by Henley a few weeks ago and we’ve just gotten better against good competition. That’s why we’re here.”
Over the final 3:50 of the game, Vale went out ahead of the Warriors with a free throw by Izzy Maag and an And-One by Kesley Stepleton to build a cushion en route to a 31-27 victory. The Vikings defense held Amity to one fourth quarter point, coming off of a Eliza Nisly free throw over the final eight minutes of the game on Saturday night.
“We looked a little bit gassed tonight, so I’m not sure what that played into it. But it’s why we play in this tournament is to get good games against good teams and prepare us down the road. Our end-game is in March. Win or lose here isn’t really going to change what our end game is, it just makes our path a little bit different. We’ll learn from it,” McMullen said.
And we could possibly see this match-up again in March if the cards play right.
As for now, Vale heads to play La Grande on Tuesday before wrapping up their non-league schedule at home against Crane while the Warriors head back to Salem Academy on Monday to play the Crusaders.
Stepleton led the Vikings with 16 points and Eliza Nisly led the Warriors with five points.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
