PORTLAND – If there were any questions lingering about the impact Tualatin freshman point guard Love Lei Best would have on this girls basketball season, she answered them emphatically Friday night in the opening round of the POA Holiday Classic at Franklin High School.
Going up against No. 4 Jefferson, which starts five seniors, Best showed the way with a season-high 29 points as the No. 3 Timberwolves improved to 6-0 with a 55-48 win over the previously unbeaten Democrats (3-1).
The 5-foot-5 Best scored 14 points in the first quarter and 20 points in the first half, staking Tualatin to a 27-18 lead. She scored the Timberwolves' final six points – including four clutch free throws – to stave off a late Jefferson rally.
“Last year, Tualatin lost to them, so it was kind of like a rivalry,” said Best, referring to a 52-44 home loss to Jefferson a year ago. “This game, we were just so pumped from the beginning. All we talked about at practice was winning. We came in with a lot of energy.”
Tualatin advances to the semifinals of the Platinum bracket at Franklin. The Timberwolves play at 5 p.m. Saturday against Bishop O'Dowd (Calif.), which defeated Nelson 51-42 on Friday.
Best shot 9 of 18 from the field, including 5 of 10 from three-point range, and made all six of her free throws. She also had three rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Her first-quarter scoring set the tone for Tualatin.
“You see a shot go in, and you're like, 'OK, there's one,'” Tualatin senior post Jordyn Smith said. “And then another one, and you're like, 'OK, she's got it.' Every time she gets the ball, I just feel like Love's got it.”
Timberwolves coach Wes Pappas said that Best “recognized the moment” early against Jefferson.
“We had some kids that were pretty nervous in there in such a big game,” Pappas said. “So she realized that she was going to have to step up the offensive productivity in terms of points, and she did it in a big way.”
Best, who leads the team in scoring with a 16.5 average, has a calming effect on the Timberwolves. Her influence was critical against the quick, athletic and long Democrats, who have a knack for flustering their opponents.
“She reads the floor really well,” Smith said. “She always has eyes on who's in front of her. If someone is coming at her, she's able to take a step back, and call a play, get us into it. She just takes a lot of deep breaths on the court. … I'm so lucky and so grateful to be able to play with her. It's really just an amazing experience.”
The 6-2 Smith did the dirty work inside, collecting 10 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks to go along with four assists. She helped Tualatin to a 39-29 edge on the boards.
“Jefferson is a good rebounding team. They pound the offensive boards,” Pappas said. “She had a couple kids hanging off of her. Those were 18 real rebounds.”
Smith said she “really had to get a body” on the Democrats. As the Timberwolves' only senior, she was determined to help them make an early statement against a 6A contender.
“It kind of showed not only us, but showed everybody, how tough we are, and what's to come this season,” Smith said. “It was really just a huge moment. … It was definitely tough. It was a battle, but we pulled through. Our tone was already set, but it sets the bar even higher for what's to come.”
Said Best: “We can be super good. I want to win state. That's our goal for the year.”
Tualatin led 34-20 early in the third quarter, but Jefferson, a state quarterfinalist last season, stayed within striking range behind senior guards Chauncey Andersen and Abrianna Lawrence.
When senior forward Leila Nunez made a three-pointer with 3:53 left, the Democrats were within 49-45.Andersen scored on a runner to cut the lead to 51-47 with 3:12 to go, and Jefferson had two chances to get closer, but failed to score.
Best coolly drained four free throws in the final 52 seconds to seal the win.
The UC Santa Barbara-bound Andersen led Jefferson with 24 points and six rebounds. Lawrence had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
“It was tough,” Jefferson coach Andre Lawrence said of the loss. “We've still got a long ways to go to where we want to be.
“It's a long road. Our ultimate goal is at the end. Our ultimate goal is not to win the Holiday invitational, our ultimate goal is to win a state championship. Sometimes you've got to go through obstacles to get there.”
Jefferson will play Nelson in the consolation round at 12 p.m. Saturday at Franklin.
jerryu@osaa.org
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