PORTLAND – Without a state championship to its credit, West Linn wasn't exactly been a household name in Oregon girls basketball circles. Saturday night, though, the Lions made sure everyone took notice.
Second-seeded West Linn seized control late in the fourth quarter to overcome perennial power South Medford and win 61-56 in the final of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A tournament at the Chiles Center.
The Lions, whose only previous appearance in the final was a runner-up finish in 1985, put the final touch on a 26-3 season with their first state championship. After finishing second in the Three Rivers League to reigning state champion Tualatin, West Linn ended up landing the biggest prize.
“We just said, 'We're the only people who believe in us,'” senior point guard Reese Jordan said. “I know that people say that we're not going to get first, but here we are.”
Junior guard Kaylor Buse had 23 points, two rebounds, two assists and three blocks to lead West LInn. The Washington State-bound Jordan put up 17 points, nine rebounds and four steals and senior wing Ayla Arnold added nine points.
No. 4 South Medford (26-3), coming off a wild 56-55 semifinal win over top-seeded Tualatin on Friday, led for most of the second half. The Panthers were up 50-49 with a little more than three minutes left before West Linn went on a 12-0 run that opened a 61-50 cushion inside the final minute.
“We just hung with them,” Lions coach Brooke Cates said. “We know we're in good shape, so we thought by the fourth quarter, we can take it.”
Jordan said that the Lions' ability to run the court “is always an advantage for us,” and it was key down the stretch. They also were mentally more connected than earlier in the game.
“We picked up our communication,” Jordan said. “We knew we let some things slip away a little bit the whole game, so I think the last three minutes, we really just tightened things up and got it together.”
Buse said it was just a matter of the Lions doing their work.
“We ended up rebounding the way we wanted to, we were pushing the ball, and the shots went in,” Buse said.
Jordan made a jumper to put West Linn ahead to stay at 51-50 with 3:09 left. Then she hit the biggest shot of the game, connecting on a wide-open three-pointer to make it 54-50 with 2:15 to go.
“I had my feet set. I was just ready to shoot,” Jordan said. “I just trusted my shot and let it fly. It was awesome. I tried to stayed composed after I hit it.”
Cates said the Jordan's three-pointer – her third of the game -- was “huge.”
“That gave us a big confidence boost,” Cates said. “We got a little separation, and it came at the right time.”
Senior Sophie Maxwell followed with a rebound basket for a 56-50 lead. Buse made 3 of 4 free throws, then dropped a turnaround jumper as the lead grew to 61-50 with 27 seconds remaining.
Cates lauded Jordan for how she took command of the game late.
“Amazing. She's a tough basketball player,” Cates said. “She was our glue. She held it together. Between her and Kaylor, they just led the team. I mean, they willed this win.”
Jordan and Buse were the driving forces behind West Linn's rise as a contender.
“I'm definitely going to miss her,” Jordan said of Buse. “I played club ball with her, too. So it's definitely going to be hard going on to college, for sure. I think we were an awesome duo. We trusted each other. We had each other's backs. We came out here and we led the team super well. Everyone believed in us to take the team.”
West Linn's only two losses against Oregon teams came against Tualatin in Three Rivers games. The Lions nearly got another crack at Tualatin in the final, but South Medford stunned the Timberwolves on a buzzer-beating alley-oop by senior post Mayen Akpan.
“I wanted to get Tualatin. I really thought we could beat them,” Cates said. “It's hard to beat a team three times.”
South Medford needed to come down off Friday's emotional high to get ready for West Linn. At times, it appeared the Panthers were ready to pull away from West Linn – leading by seven points in the second quarter and six points in the third quarter – but the Lions refused to buckle.
The 6-3 Akpan finished with 14 points and 19 rebounds. Junior forward Payton Andersen made three three-pointers and had 14 points, six rebounds and two assists. Senior guard Malia Taulani also scored 14 points.
After Friday's dramatics, the Panthers almost seemed destined to win their second title in three seasons, but they fell short.
“It's obviously a different feeling from last night,” South Medford coach Tom Cole said. “I knew it was going to be a difficult task. West Linn, I give them a lot of credit. They're a real quality team.
“Reese Jordan hit some big shots late in the fourth quarter. They made some big plays down the stretch. We were in some foul trouble, and momentum had shifted a little bit.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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