Jefferson stepped out from under the large shadow of Benson in a Portland Interscholastic League girls basketball showdown Saturday night at Franklin High School.
The Democrats (9-1, 2-0) jumped to an early lead and held the Techsters (6-4, 2-1) at bay to win 65-60 in the marquee game of the PIL Showcase, ending Benson's league winning streak at 48 games.
It was the Techsters' first league defeat since a 63-62 home loss to Grant on Feb. 4, 2020. Jefferson had lost 17 in a row to Benson since a 55-49 win on Jan. 20, 2015.
“It was big for us to get a win,” Democrats coach Andre Lawrence said. “In reality, it's just us trying to take that next step in growth, trying to get where the ultimate goal is to win a state championship. It's big because it's a win going toward that.”
Jefferson closed the gap on Benson in the previous two seasons, losing three games by three or fewer points, including 64-62 in the second round of the 6A playoffs in 2022 and 62-61 last season.
In Saturday's game, the Democrats took control from the start. Junior Abrianna Lawrence scored 15 of her 23 points in the first quarter and junior Chauncey Andersen scored 12 of her game-high 25 points in the second quarter as Jefferson built a 47-31 lead at half.
Andre Lawrence said the fast start “was huge because of the mental aspect of not having beaten them before. If we let them jump on us, you never know if we could recover from that. So jumping on the early really helped.”
Benson seniors Mauriana Hashemian-Orr and Eboni Clay each made two three-pointers in the third quarter as the Techsters drew within 57-50 heading into the fourth quarter. They cut the lead to 63-58 late but could not overtake the Democrats.
Hashemian-Orr and Clay each scored 18 points and senior post Mahogany Chandler-Roberts added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Benson.
Jefferson's ability to convert turnovers into points was critical.
“Our ultimate goal this year is to have our defense be a part of our offense,” Andre Lawrence said. “With these very good teams, it's very important to get easy baskets and not have to work too hard for all our points. It's really tough to beat these teams if you have to work really hard for every point you get.”
The game drew a large crowd at Franklin for the culmination of the day-long PIL Showcase.
“It was a great atmosphere,” Andre Lawrence said. “It was a beautiful thing to have that atmosphere, and the girls getting to be a headliner for the Showcase.”
The win vaulted Jefferson from No. 5 to No. 3 in the 6A coaches poll. Benson slipped from third to fourth.
The teams meet again at the Marshall Campus on Feb. 6.
No. 1 Cavs pass road test
Reigning 6A champion Clackamas lived up to its No. 1 ranking by going on the road for a 69-51 win over No. 2 Willamette on Friday.
Junior forward Jazzy Davidson made 12 of 19 shots and finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers (5-2), who also have defeated No. 4 South Medford (9-3) and No. 5 Benson this season.
Clackamas coach Korey Landolt liked how her team responded to the test.
“Their student section was loud, and their parents were loud,” Landolt said. “It was a cool environment to go into. It's not something you see in the Mt. Hood Conference very often. They were super into it. You could just tell they love their team. To go into hostile territory was a good experience for us.”
The 6-foot-1 Davidson kept pressure on Willamette's defense.
“Everything she scored was on attacks to the basket,” Landolt said. “She finished really well around the basket.”
Junior Sara Barhoum shot 5 of 9 from three-point range and had 17 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Cavaliers. Junior Allie Roden added 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
The Wolverines (8-5) got 24 points from junior guard Brynn Smith, who shot 10 of 21, and 15 points from junior forward Isabella Harms. Junior wing Maddy Warberg made three three-pointers and scored nine points.
Clackamas led by 10 at half and survived hot shooting from Willamette in the third quarter.
“Every time they would nail a shot, we'd come down and answer,” Landolt said. “It was good to see us not get too worked up about our defense not working, that we stayed focused on offense. They're so deadly from the outside, not matter if we were up 10 or 18, I definitely never felt comfortable.”
The Cavaliers were eager for the challenge against the Wolverines, who impressed with their performance at the POA Holiday Classic, which included a win over Benson.
“We definitely put a high regard on the game,” Landolt said. “It was fun to compete against a team that we know is going to be there at the Chiles Center at the end of the season.”
Crater stops Springfield
Crater got a big game from 6-4 junior center Lydia Traore to overcome Midwestern League nemesis Springfield in a clash between the top two ranked teams in 5A on Friday.
Traore shot 8 of 14 from the field and had 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks as the Comets (11-1) posted a 59-49 home win over the reigning state champion Millers (7-6) in the league opener. Her performance helped make up for junior guard Sage Winslow and senior guard Abigal Winslow sitting for much of the game with foul trouble.
“She took it upon herself to take advantage of what was thrown at her,” Crater coach Scott Dippel told the Rogue Valley Times. “She forced Springfield to change a lot of things.”
Last season, Springfield not only handed Crater its only two league losses, but defeated the Comets 70-55 in the state semifinals. With the win, Crater moved to No. 1 in the this week's OSAAtoday 5A coaches poll, trading spots with the Millers.
Sage Winslow returned to the court midway through the fourth quarter and scored nine points down the stretch, finishing with 17, at her team-high average. Abigail Winslow had seven points.
“We have been preparing for this game since the beginning,” Sage Winslow told the Rogue Valley Times. “We were ready and we gave it our all to take this one.”
Corbett beats rival
No. 1 Corbett gained the inside track in the 3A Coastal Range League by beating No. 6 Banks 51-43 on Friday in a rematch of last season's state championship game.
The host Cardinals (12-0, 2-0), who shared the league title with Banks last season before falling to the Braves 47-38 in the state final, controlled the second half after going into halftime with a 23-19 deficit.
Senior guard Ally Schimel made all 12 of her free throws and finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Ella Holwege had 10 points and 10 rebounds, senior forward Ava Blatchford scored nine points and junior guard Lilly Schimel added eight points, six rebounds and five assists.
Banks junior wing Maylis Crowell led her team with 15 points, making four three-pointers.
Corbett plays at Banks on Jan. 25.
jerryu@osaa.org
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