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Bobcats open with familiar foe
By John Gunther, Sports Editor
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 | 1 comment(s)
MYRTLE POINT — Don’t blame the members of Myrtle Point’s girls basketball team if they’re feeling a little deja vu on Thursday.
The Bobcats open the Class 3A state tournament against the same team they played in the quarterfinals last year — Burns — and at the same time: 3:15 p.m.
Myrtle Point hopes for the same outcome, a win that would put the Bobcats in the semifinals on Friday.
It won’t be easy. The physical Hilanders pose matchup problems for Myrtle Point with their size, led by Mattea Zabala, one of three returning starters, along with Courtney Toney and Ashley Schouviller.
“They’re a storied program over there and they play well,” said Myrtle Point coach Marty Stallard.
The same can be said for the Bobcats, who always seem to play well this time of year.
“It’s going to be tough, but I knew if we bring our game, we can do it,” said Meghan Ross, who had a key basket late in last year’s game, when Myrtle Point rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final two minutes to beat Burns 39-38.
The Bobcats are driven to succeed, said Sam Sanders, who hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute and then the winning free throw with three seconds remaining in last year’s win.
“I think when we play a better team, your adrenaline’s so high,” Sanders said. “You know you have to do everything perfect. There’s no second chances.
“They’re usually bigger and more athletic than us, but nobody wants it more.”
Sanders was named the Sunset Conference player of the year this winter, and leads Myrtle Point’s offense. She and Shirah Stidham combined for all but four of the Bobcats’ 44 points in a playoff win over Portland Adventist Academy on Saturday that lifted Myrtle Point to the state tournament.
The team’s best inside players are Ross and Cally Kennedy, who joins Sanders as the team’s only seniors, and only holdovers from Myrtle Point’s last state championship in 2006. Erika Leibelt fills out the starting lineup, while Tiffany Meyer, Kaitlyn McCollum and Marissa McCrorey provide valuable minutes off the bench.
The team went through its final workout of the season in its own gym on Tuesday before heading north to Salem and Willamette University this morning. Ross said all the players know their mission this week.
“We have to make our defense work, because that’s our key,” she said. “We have to rest up, be focused and play with our hearts ... and play smart.”
The combined Class 3A state tournament is at Willamette University in Salem, with the boys tipping off today and the girls Thursday. The Oregon School Activities Association raised admission for adults $1 this year, so the cost to get into Thursday’s game is $7 for adults and $4 for students and also is good for the 1:30 p.m. game between Valley Catholic and Warrenton. Admission increases $1 for the semifinals and finals.
The Bobcats open the Class 3A state tournament against the same team they played in the quarterfinals last year — Burns — and at the same time: 3:15 p.m.
Myrtle Point hopes for the same outcome, a win that would put the Bobcats in the semifinals on Friday.
It won’t be easy. The physical Hilanders pose matchup problems for Myrtle Point with their size, led by Mattea Zabala, one of three returning starters, along with Courtney Toney and Ashley Schouviller.
“They’re a storied program over there and they play well,” said Myrtle Point coach Marty Stallard.
The same can be said for the Bobcats, who always seem to play well this time of year.
“It’s going to be tough, but I knew if we bring our game, we can do it,” said Meghan Ross, who had a key basket late in last year’s game, when Myrtle Point rallied from a seven-point deficit in the final two minutes to beat Burns 39-38.
The Bobcats are driven to succeed, said Sam Sanders, who hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute and then the winning free throw with three seconds remaining in last year’s win.
“I think when we play a better team, your adrenaline’s so high,” Sanders said. “You know you have to do everything perfect. There’s no second chances.
“They’re usually bigger and more athletic than us, but nobody wants it more.”
Sanders was named the Sunset Conference player of the year this winter, and leads Myrtle Point’s offense. She and Shirah Stidham combined for all but four of the Bobcats’ 44 points in a playoff win over Portland Adventist Academy on Saturday that lifted Myrtle Point to the state tournament.
The team’s best inside players are Ross and Cally Kennedy, who joins Sanders as the team’s only seniors, and only holdovers from Myrtle Point’s last state championship in 2006. Erika Leibelt fills out the starting lineup, while Tiffany Meyer, Kaitlyn McCollum and Marissa McCrorey provide valuable minutes off the bench.
The team went through its final workout of the season in its own gym on Tuesday before heading north to Salem and Willamette University this morning. Ross said all the players know their mission this week.
“We have to make our defense work, because that’s our key,” she said. “We have to rest up, be focused and play with our hearts ... and play smart.”
The combined Class 3A state tournament is at Willamette University in Salem, with the boys tipping off today and the girls Thursday. The Oregon School Activities Association raised admission for adults $1 this year, so the cost to get into Thursday’s game is $7 for adults and $4 for students and also is good for the 1:30 p.m. game between Valley Catholic and Warrenton. Admission increases $1 for the semifinals and finals.
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