A jump ball is called by the officials after Erika Leibelt of Myrtle Point and Shasten Sprague of Portland Adventist Academy battle for control of the ball during their playoff game Saturday night in Myrtle Point. World Photo by Lou Sennick.
Myrtle Point’s Cally Kennedy puts the defensive pressure on Shasten Sprague of Portland Adventist Academy on Saturday evening. World Photo by Lou Sennick.
MYRTLE POINT — As the final minute ticked off the scoreboard Saturday night, the Myrtle Point student section started cheering, “On to state! On to state!”
It’s an annual tradition, with Myrtle Point’s girls basketball team having been to the tournament all but one season this decade, but rarely have the Bobcats had such a rough road.
Myrtle Point overcame a 12-point second-quarter deficit, beating visiting Portland Adventist Academy 44-36 to earn a spot in the Class 3A state tournament.
Myrtle Point opens the tournament against Burns at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday at Willamette University.
“I’m excited,” said Myrtle Point’s Shirah Stidham, who teamed with Sam Sanders to provide nearly all of the Bobcats’ offense Saturday. “We’re going to state.”
“This is like Christmas for us,” Sanders added.
The Cougars almost spoiled the party with outstanding shooting early in the game.
Portland Adventist made all five of the shots it tried from inside the 3-point line in the first quarter, taking a 12-5 lead before Sanders hit back-to-back 3-pointers.
Myrtle Point didn’t score for the first six minutes of the second quarter, as the Cougars moved in front 23-11.
But Stidham hit two free throws and Sanders had a rebound basket to pull Myrtle Point within eight points at halftime.
Then Portland Adventist’s shooting went cold.
The Cougars didn’t make any field goals in the third quarter, scoring just a single free throw. Sanders had an early 3-pointer and she and Stidham added jumpers. Stidham finally put Myrtle Point in front with a 3-pointer from the left corner, and Sanders stole the inbound pass and added a layin for a 27-24 edge.
“I didn’t feel that bad at halftime,” said Myrtle Point coach Marty Stallard, pleased that his team had cut down its turnovers in the second quarter after a slow start against the Cougars’ quick defense.
“No one can shoot that well for that long,” he said.
Portland Adventist missed all 16 of its field goals in the third quarter, which the Bobcats said was partly due to an improvement on their part.
“I think it was our defense,” Sanders said. “I don’t think we gave them as many open shots in the second half.”
Sara White got Portland Adventist back on track with a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter that knotted the game at 27, but Meghan Ross had a jumper to put Myrtle Point back in front and Marissa McCrorey added a rebound hoop.
Those turned out to be the only Bobcat points not scored by Sanders or Stidham, but they were huge.
Sanders added two free throws and Stidham answered a basket by Shasten Sprague with a game-sealing 3-pointer with 2:10 to go.
Sanders finished with 24 points and Stidham added 16. Sanders also had four steals, while Ross and Tiffany Meyer each grabbed six rebounds.
Sierra King made all four of her shots in the first half and led the Cougars with 13 points, while White added 11. Sprague had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Stallard credited the victory to his team’s heart.
“That will to win is something else,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate we’ve got the kids who want to do that.
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Comment Policy
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
No deliberately false information.
No obscenity or racially offensive language.
No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
No information that invades another person's privacy.
No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.
Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Never count out the tough defense that MP consistently showsl it isn't over until the final buzzer buzzes with MP! Stallard is right, the heart of the players is what has put MP "on the map" this past decade. We are proud of our team, the girls and of course our coach! Thank you Stallard for another great year. See you in Salem.
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines