PORTLAND – Down by six points in the third quarter Friday night, reigning 6A girls basketball champion Clackamas was in danger of losing to an Oregon team for the first time in two seasons.
But the No. 1 Cavaliers summoned their competitive will and went on a 19-3 run to seize control and hold off No. 2 Benson 69-64 on the second day of the POA Holiday Classic at Franklin High School.
“We just simply don't like to lose,” Clackamas junior forward Jazzy Davidson said. “Just having that, and then having the shared joy of playing with each other, it kind of propels us to pulling out what we need to do to win.”
The 6-foot-1 Davidson led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Junior guard Allie Roden made three three-pointers and had 17 points and six rebounds, and junior guard Dylan Mogel added 12 points for the Cavaliers (4-1), who bounced back from a 71-42 loss to California powerhouse Etiwanda on Thursday.
“I'm relieved it's over,” Clackamas coach Korey Landolt said. “That was a gritty win. Nothing felt easy. Credit to Benson. Shoot, they hit shots left and right. They hit shots with kids in their face, too.”
Benson (4-2) also was hungry to get back on the winning track after losing to No. 3 Willamette 54-43 on Thursday. And the Techsters, behind senior guards Mauriana Hashemian-Orr and Eboni Clay, had the Cavaliers on their heels when they led 48-42 in the third quarter.
But Clackamas responded behind Davidson. She drove for a basket to make it 48-48, scored inside to put the Cavaliers up 53-51, then made a steal and hit a three-pointer for a 56-51 lead heading into the fourth quarter. A three-pointer by junior Sara Barhoum and a basket by Roden made it 61-51 with 5:27 to go.
“We just decided that we had to get in the right mindset,” Roden said. “We have to play together as a team, and we can't let them speed us up or change how we play.”
Benson made a late push. The Techsters cut the lead to 65-62 on a basket by sophomore Samarah Massey with 1:12 left, and after Davidson missed on a drive, they had a chance to tie, but Hashemian-Orr missed a three-point attempt with 30 seconds remaining. The Cavaliers got two free throws each from Mogel and Davidson to ice the win.
It was the first meeting between the teams since the 2021 POA Holiday Classic, when Clackamas won 52-44.
“It's always great playing them, and it's great getting a win against them, because you really have to fight for the win,” Davidson said. “They're not going to give you anything easy.”
Hashemian-Orr had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Clay added 19 points and five rebounds, each hitting 3 of 7 from three-point range. Massey chipped in with 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
“We lost, but it was a good fight,” Clay said. “We all played really well. And we got them next time. We hope to see them again in the playoffs. … I think that we played really well collectively. We lost yesterday – it was a tough loss – but we bounced back really well.”
The speedy Clay kept the Cavaliers on alert with her darting drives and quick trigger from the perimeter.
“She's mighty,” Landolt said of Clay. “She's a super fun kid to watch. I kind of wish I was in the stands to watch her do that. She was impressive. We knew she was a shooter, but she really proved it tonight, for sure. And Orr, too. She hit some tough shots with people in her face.”
But the Cavaliers still have an ace up their sleeve in Davidson, the 6A player of the year last season. She not only provided offense against Benson, but excelled in her defensive assignment against 6-2 senior post Mahogany Chandler-Roberts, a two-time 6A first-team selection who has signed with Central Florida.
Davidson battled inside and held Chandler-Roberts to eight points on 4-of-9 shooting.
“She's really physical and she's really crafty,” Davidson said. “She knows how to use her body really well. It's always a fun challenge guarding her, but it's hard. It was really helpful my teammates having my back tonight.”
Roden also gave the Cavaliers a solid all-around game.
“She's a hustle kid. She does everything,” Landolt said. “She's hitting shots, she's getting herself to the hole. She's making really good plays for us. And defensively, just her hustle is contagious.”
Landolt liked the Cavaliers' effort considering how they were pushed by Etiwanda on Thursday.
“Etiwanda was something we hadn't ever seen before,” Landolt said. “I was worried a little bit about our energy. We did expend a lot of energy last night. … Benson's super fast. They want to push the tempo just as much as we do. I thought we kept up with the pace and sometimes pushed the pace even faster.”
The lopsided loss to Etiwanda was an eye-opener for Clackamas.
“It's always humbling playing a team like that, and it's always really fun,” Davidson said. “But it taught us a lot about what we need to do. It exploits literally all of our weaknesses. We just tried to come out today and capitalize on what we need to do better.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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