PORTLAND -- Southridge has seen pretty much everything in winning 6A girls basketball titles the last two years.
Still, the No. 1 Skyhawks weren’t quite ready for the physical onslaught they faced against No. 10 Grant in the MLK Holiday Invitational on Monday at Portland State's Viking Pavilion.
“I wasn’t used to it, personally,” Southridge junior point guard McKelle Meek said. “So I just had to adapt to it.”
The Skyhawks (12-3) fell behind by four points after one quarter before gradually taking control and fending off the aggressive Generals 57-42 in the nonleague game. Meek scored 18 points and 6-foot-5 junior Cameron Brink had 15 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and four steals in the win.
“We just calmed down a little bit, we matched their physicality and we got shots where we wanted,” Southridge coach Michael Bergmann, “which I think is important, that the girls just are strong with the ball and run our execution.”
The Skyhawks scored the last six points of the first half – including a buzzer-beating three-pointer by junior guard Kaylen Blair – to lead 31-23. They followed that by opening the third quarter with an 11-2 run to make it 42-25.
As the game wore on, Meek and Brink seemed to get more engaged.
“Me personally, I was coming off from being sick. I was sick the whole weekend,” Meek said. “And Cameron was sick, too. So we both were just under the weather. We figured it out eventually.”
Grant (7-7) never backed down, though, and cut the 17-point lead down to 49-42 on a basket by senior guard Marin Leonard with 3:15 left. Southridge quickly restored order, getting a driving hoop by sophomore Maya Hoff and a steal-and-score by Meek to make it 53-42.
Weber State-bound senior wing Monka Hickok had 16 points, 14 rebounds and four assists to lead Grant. Schuyler Berry -- the Generals’ 6-2 sophomore post who is averaging 15 points -- had eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks, shooting 3 for 11 from the field as she struggled to get good looks against the long arms of Brink.
The Skyhawks forced Grant into 25 turnovers and committed only 14.
“I think we just made them play faster than they’re used to, and so we got some turnovers off of that,” Meek said.
The Generals held Southridge to 37.5 percent shooting and owned a 39-33 edge in rebounds. Bergmann was impressed by Grant, which is trying to fit its promising pieces together in the return of coach Michael Bontemps.
“I think they can be really good,” Bergmann said. “Pieces-wise, I think they’re right there with the top teams in the state. With their system – he’s getting a new system in there – that was the best I’ve seen them this year. I think they’re just going to keep getting better. He’s a really good coach.”
Meek’s thoughts went to two years ago, when Southridge edged Grant 36-34 in the 6A semifinals.
“We knew they were going to be good,” Meek said. “When I played them my freshman year, they were really good … and they haven’t really lost many players. Monka is a really good player. She really hurt us.”
For all their hustle, the Generals were unable to find a rhythm on offense. They shot 31.1 percent, including 1 for 9 on three-pointers.
“We started out really strong in the first quarter. We came out with a lot of energy and did what we needed to do,” Leonard said. “I think we lost a lot of that in the second half.
“We haven’t reached our potential at all yet, and I think until we get there, we’re going to keep having tough games like this like we’re hanging our heads at the end of the game.”
