PORTLAND – Down by 19 points late in the third quarter, and facing one of the greatest players in state history, Tualatin came through with a comeback for the ages Saturday at the Chiles Center.
The third-seeded Timberwolves swarmed No. 5 Clackamas, creating waves of turnovers, leading to a monumental 28-2 run that led to a 63-58 win in the final of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A girls basketball tournament.
Tualatin (26-2) roared past the Cavaliers (27-3) and their star player, USC-bound senior forward Jazzy Davidson, who was slowed after turning her left ankle late in the third quarter.
“For three quarters of the game, you're going, 'Can we keep this close?'” Tualatin coach Wes Pappas said. “And all of the sudden, it's like, wow. We turned them over, we turned them over again, and I'm like, 'We're in this thing.'”
The Timberwolves, appearing in their first final, never let go of the rope despite the situation looking bleak against the Cavaliers, who had not lost to an Oregon team this season and were the unanimous No. 1 team in the OSAAtoday 6A coaches poll. Clackamas beat Tualatin 55-53 in the teams' only meeting this season.
“We just have so much heart, so much strength,” Tualatin senior post Jordyn Smith said. “It wasn't what we were doing on the court, it was all mental. We can't block ourselves. We really just pushed through and found the fire within us to push.”
Timberwolves freshman point guard Love Lei Best came through on the big stage with a game-high 26 points, shooting 8 of 18 from the field, including 4 for 4 on three-pointers, and making all six of her free throws.
Junior guard Ries Miadich scored 18 points, making 4 of 6 from three-point range. Smith was a force inside, collecting seven points, 15 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Tualatin shot 8 of 11 from three-point range.
Clackamas appeared ready to claim its second title in three seasons behind Davidson (17 points, 10 rebounds) and senior guard Sara Barhoum (18 points, four three-pointers). The Cavaliers dominated the third quarter, extending a 30-25 halftime lead to 54-35 on a three-pointer by Davidson.
The Timberwolves refused to buckle, however.
“It was just all positive things,” Best said of the words between teammates. “We know how good we are as a team, and we know if we just keep encouraging each other, what we can do. We just kept chipping away, and never let the 19 points bring us down.”
Tualatin scored 13 consecutive points spanning the third and fourth quarters to draw within 54-48 with 5:45 left. After Barhoum hit a jumper to make it 56-48, the Timberwolves kept coming, knotting it at 56-56 on two free throws by freshman Kendall Dawkins with 4:01 remaining.
Miadich put Tualatin up 59-56 on a corner three-pointer with 1:53 to go. Barhoum missed a three-point attempt, and Best added two free throws to make it 61-56 with 1:22 on the clock.
Clackamas senior Reyce Mogel missed from three-point range, and Tualatin junior Alex Padilla hit a runner for a 63-56 lead with 29 seconds left.
Throughout the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers struggled to run their offense as the Timberwolves made every pass an adventure.
“Whenever we're down, we have to come back with our defense,” Miadich said. “We can always rely on our defense. We just really got in their heads. Once we got a turnover, it's like, we've just got to go down the court and score.
“I kept telling them on the court, 'We're in this, we're in this. We can come back.' And we did.”
Pappas, who won his first title, marveled at how his players responded in adversity.
“It was an unbelievable performance by these young ladies,” Pappas said. “It didn't look pretty at times. They were shredding us for three quarters. And then we just stepped up the defense and we just locked them up in the fourth. … This is a special, special group.”
Miadich was at the heart of the rally, scoring nine points, including the go-ahead three-pointer.
“She was moving faster than I think everyone else,” Pappas said of Miadich, the daughter of former Lakeridge standout quarterback Mike Miadich. “She's a heck of an athlete. She just summoned something from within tonight.”
Smith said Miadich's contribution was critical.
“I think today she realized, 'I need to step up,' and she really delivered,” Smith said. “She showed up for her team, she showed up for us. It was amazing to watch. She is such a good player.”
The Timberwolves got a signature performance from Best, who capped a sensational freshman season with a state championship.
“You can't look at her and say she's not going to be one of the best players in history,” Smith said.
As the Timberwolves and their fans rejoiced, the Cavaliers were stunned. After committing two turnovers in the first half, Clackamas finished with 12. The Cavaliers also went cold from deep late, finishing 10 for 32 from behind the arc.
“I feel like we had the game won,” said Davidson, who averaged 29 points per game this season and became 6A's all-time scoring leader. “But things happen, and momentum shifts. The third quarter was our quarter but the fourth quarter was theirs. We just kind of ran out of time.”
Davidson turned her ankle after a basket by Smith with 28 seconds left in the third quarter. She briefly left the game, returning with Clackamas ahead 54-44 with 6:17 left, but did not appear to have her usual mobility.
“I was definitely favoring my left ankle after I went down,” Davidson said. “It's hard to kind of like play when you're always thinking about something that's hurting you.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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