PORTLAND – For three quarters Tuesday night, it appeared as if No. 1 Tualatin was ready to take down another reigning state champion in the POA Holiday Classic girls basketball tournament at Franklin High School.
But the Timberwolves, who knocked off Washington champion AC Davis on Sunday, fell victim to the length and athleticism of three-time reigning California champion Etiwanda and lost 51-41 in the Diamond bracket final.
Trailing Tualatin by four points entering the fourth quarter, the Eagles (11-2) went on an 11-0 run to take control, handing the Timberwolves (7-1) their first loss of the season.
“It will definitely fuel us for the rest of the season,” Tualatin sophomore point guard Love Lei Best said. “It just shows us what we have to get better at. We didn't finish well or shoot well, so it's just doing that against length. Being more creative on that.”
Best shot 3 for 13 from the field, including 0 for 4 on three-pointers, and finished with a team-high 12 points, three rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Maaya Lucas scored 11 points, making three three-pointers, and sophomore forward Kendall Dawkins added nine points, seven rebounds and three steals.
The Timberwolves shot 28.3 percent (13 for 46), including 2 for 12 in the fourth quarter. They struggled to finish around the rim against an Etiwanda front line that featured 6-foot-2 juniors Aliyah Phillips and Jaylee Moore and 6-3 junior Tess Olderburg.
“They were a lot taller than us, and we had a hard time just scoring at that end,” said the 6-0 Dawkins, who shot 3 for 12. “I just had to pump-fake, I realize that now. I did it more towards the end. I needed to double-move more and I could've got it off.”
Said the 5-6 Best: “I play against length in club a lot, but it definitely is a challenge when you play against lengthy girls and you have to adjust. It's just finding those little mid-range shots. I don't think I did that well tonight.”
Still, Tualatin led 33-29 after three quarters. The Timberwolves pulled ahead on back-to-back three-pointers by Lucas and senior guard Ries Miadich, then added a basket by senior post Alex Padilla off a feed from Best to lead by four points.
“We were up four, and I thought it should've been more like eight or 10,” Tualatin coach Wes Pappas said. “Then we could've pulled them out of their zone, which was causing us problems. We were faring much better against their man than their zone, because they have so much length. They just kept throwing long kids in there.
“We got the ball where we wanted to a lot, we just didn't convert.”
Phillips scored inside and on a put-back to start Etiwanda's fourth-quarter run. Junior point guard Chasity Rice, a four-star recruit, added two baskets and Oldenburg converted from close range as the Eagles took a 40-33 lead.
Etiwanda's decisive run came with its star player, Florida-bound senior guard Arynn Finley, on the bench with four fouls.
“We know that we're nine or 10 deep, so we weren't overly concerned,” said Eagles coach Stan Delus, whose team is ranked No. 7 in California by Sports Illustrated.
Junior guard Andrea Alamo led Etiwanda with 15 points, hitting 3 of 4 three-point attempts. Phillips had 10 points, six rebounds and three steals and Rice added nine points and three assists. The Eagles won despite getting only six points from Finley, who shot 2 for 6.
Delus left impressed by Tualatin, saying the Timberwolves have the ingredients to repeat as state champions.
“It'll be tough to beat them, especially when they hit their stride and they recognize the mistakes they made tonight,” he said. “They're not really going to see too much athleticism and length like they saw from us. It's going to be difficult for anybody out here to match what we've done.
“Somebody's going to have to come with a game plan because they're going to get a lot of open shots that we took away, that we're known for doing in winning state three years in a row.”
It was the fourth game in four days for Tualatin. The Timberwolves started the stretch by defeating Union of Vancouver 59-41, AC Davis 74-71 and Mater Dei (Calif.) 63-43. Sports Illustrated ranks AC Davis and Union at No. 1 and No. 8, respectively, in Washington, and Mater Dei at No. 11 in California.
“It's nice to play good competition and really see what areas we need to work on,” Best said.
The loss will serve as motivation.
“This really puts fire in us,” Dawkins said. “We don't want to feel like this again.”
Tuesday finals from the other top brackets in the POA Holiday Classic:
Platinum bracket
South Medford 50, Faith Family (Texas) 36: The No. 4 Panthers (8-2) went on a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to open a 15-point lead with 1:13 left and defeated the Eagles. Mayen Akpan had 19 points and 13 rebounds and Jordan Barlow added 12 points for South Medford. Panthers guard Dyllyn Howell, who made nine three-pointers and scored 34 points in a quarterfinal win over AC Davis (Wash.), finished with six points and was 0 for 5 from deep. Brooklyn Smith led Faith Family with 19 points.
Sapphire bracket
St. Joseph's (Calif.) 75, Jesuit 58: St. Joseph's never trailed in handing the No. 5 Crusaders (7-1) their first loss of the season. Bella Harmon put up 20 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and six steals in the win. For Jesuit, Amani Lubrano made five three-pointers and scored 20 points and Ceanna Forney added 16 points and six rebounds.
Emerald bracket
Sage Hill (Calif.) 67, St. Mary's (Calif.) 58: Down by seven points midway through the third quarter, the Lightning pulled away down the stretch behind Kamdyn Klamberg (22 points, seven rebounds) and Amalia Holguin (18 points, seven rebounds, six assists), who made four three-pointers.
jerryu@osaa.org
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