TUALATIN – Three games into the girls basketball season, reigning 6A champion Tualatin is showing why it is the unanimous No. 1 team in the OSAAtoday coaches poll.
With four starters back – including a first-team all-state point guard in sophomore Love Lei Best – the Timberwolves have dominated, improving to 3-0 on Tuesday night with a 63-22 nonleague win over visiting Grant.
But to reach its potential, Tualatin knows it must find a way to compensate for the graduation of the fifth starter, post Jordyn Smith, who anchored their stifling 2-3 zone defense, led the team in rebounds and provided interior scoring.
“It affects us a lot,” Best said. “She was obviously a great rebounder for us, so now we're all going to have to step up. And she also created problems down low. We're just trying to figure it out.”
Timberwolves coach Wes Pappas said his team is a “work in progress,” in large part due to the hole created by Smith's departure.
“We need to rebound better in general,” Pappas said. “It's just kind of getting everybody hungry. It's got to be by committee. We were a great rebounding team last year. We've got to figure out how to be a great rebounding team this year.”
Pappas challenged his team to attack the glass Tuesday, and they responded by snaring 24 offensive rebounds against the Generals (1-2). Sophomore forward Kendall Dawkins had nine rebounds to go with her team-high 13 points.
“Without Jordyn, you can definitely tell,” Dawkins said. “But we're doing good. We're picking up the pace.”
The zone defense carried Tualatin last year, holding opponents to a 6A-low 29.5 points per game. The Timberwolves weren't quite as smothering in their first two games this season – beating West Salem 65-45 and 5A No. 3 Crater 55-41 – but showed improvement in locking down Grant. They led 53-8 late in the third quarter and forced 32 turnovers for the game.
Senior Alex Padilla, a key contributor last season, has filled Smith's spot on defense.
“It takes some time,” Pappas said. “She played there a little bit as a freshman. That's a really key position for us.”
Best is coming off a sensational freshman season in which she averaged 15 points, four assists and three steals, capping it with a 26-point outburst in the state final. She is averaging 16.0 points through three games, including a 28-point, nine-steal performance against West Salem.
“I feel like I've definitely gotten stronger and more mature,” said Best, who had 10 points, five assists and seven steals Tuesday. “I've been working on my shot more.”
Her on-court chemistry with Dawkins is apparent.
“I just love playing with her,” Best said. “She's a competitor. Every day in practice, we're just competing so hard. People will come in and watch and question if we're friends or not because we play so hard against each other. She's a great teammate.”
The Timberwolves will need to draw on that intensity to have a chance to repeat.
“Everyone has a target on our back,” Dawkins said. “Everyone comes to play against us. So we're just going to come even harder than that, come even harder than we did last year.”
Said Best: “We're the game that everyone is looking forward to. So it's just extra focus every game, getting mentally prepared. Because even if we just think we're going to roll in and blow out a team, like, they're going to want to beat us so bad.”
Jesuit rallies past Crater
Jesuit, ranked No. 6 in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll, used a 13-0 run in the third quarter to take the lead and hold on for a 66-61 win at Crater on Friday.
Ceanna Forney, a 6-5 sophomore post, had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead Jesuit (3-0). Freshman point guard Sam Harris scored seven of her 16 points in the decisive third-quarter run for the Crusaders.
Crater opened a nine-point lead in the second quarter and had a 39-33 edge at halftime. After Jesuit pulled ahead in the third quarter, the Comets cut the lead to 60-56 late but fell short. Senior point guard Taylor Young had 24 points, five rebounds and four assists to lead Crater.
For Jesuit, the win comes three days after it defeated 5A No. 2 Springfield 49-32 at home.
The reigning 5A champion Comets (3-3), who went 28-1 last season, are on a three-game losing streak after opening with three wins. On Saturday, they fell at home to 6A No. 1 Tualatin 55-41.
Bobcats vault to No. 2
Nestucca not only cracked the top 10 in the OSAAtoday 2A coaches poll this week, but moved all the way up to No. 2, even receiving a first-place vote.
The Bobcats improved to 5-0 on Monday with a 64-28 home win over Toledo. Last season, they went 16-11 and lost in the first round of the 2A playoffs.
Senior Taylor Knight is leading the way. She averaged 21.0 points in three wins last week, including a 34-point, eight-steal performance as Nestucca defeated Santiam 60-38 on Friday.
Panthers in Hawaii
South Medford won two of three games at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii last week.
The 6A No. 3 Panthers defeated Campbell (Hawaii) 55-40 on Thursday, lost to St. Mary's Academy (Calif.) 59-51 on Friday and beat Iolani (Hawaii) 50-43 on Saturday.
Senior post Mayen Akpan had 49 points and 38 rebounds in the three games, highlighted by 23 points and 14 rebounds against Iolani. In the win over Campbell, senior guard Jordan Barlow made 9 of 11 shots and finished with 20 points and seven steals.
South Medford led unbeaten St. Mary's Academy by four points in the fourth quarter but could not close it out. Senior guard Dyllyn Howell had 17 points for the Panthers, who shot 13 of 24 from the free-throw line.
Banks downs VC
No. 4 Banks won at No. 3 Valley Catholic 46-25 in a 3A nonleague game Monday.
Junior guard Nylah Vanthom scored 14 points to lead the Braves (3-2), who were coming off losses to 3A Jefferson and 4A Seaside. Sophomore guard Brooklyn Evans made three three-pointers and scored 13 points and junior post Clarissa Shurts added 12 points as Banks handed the Valiants (4-1) their first loss.
The Braves led 24-13 at half and 38-21 after three quarters.
Notes: Freshmen Naomi Richards and Lute Falepapalangi have excelled early for Gresham (2-1). Richards, a 6-1 post, had 18 points and 24 rebounds in a 47-46 loss at Glencoe and 18 points, 12 rebounds, seven steals and six blocked shots in a 40-37 home win over Hood River Valley. Falepapalangi, a 5-6 wing, had 21 points and eight steals as the Gophers beat visiting South Eugene 46-44. … Sprague sophomore Lucy Jones is averaging 24 points, four rebounds and four steals through three games for the Olympians (2-1). She scored 31 points in Friday's 57-46 win at North Medford. … St. Helens senior Devan Lee (5-7) has passed 1,000 career points. In two wins last week for the Lions (4-0), she put up 45 points, 19 rebounds, nine assists and 16 steals. … Senior Peyton Vonderstrasse has been the catalyst for Lebanon's 4-1 start, averaging 15.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 4.4 steals. … Senior Kaylee Cordle put up 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead South Albany to a 77-63 win at Clackamas on Friday. … Freshman wing Annalee Cohen (5-11) made five three-pointers and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds as Wells won at Newberg 44-37 on Friday. She added four three-pointers in a 16-point, six-rebound effort in a 71-41 loss at Century on Saturday. … No. 4 Union improved to 5-0 with a 61-56 win at reigning 1A champion and fifth-ranked Crane on Friday. Junior forward Sawyer Shoemaker led the Bobcats with 23 points.
jerryu@osaa.org
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