OAKLAND – In a defensive battle, that came down to the last few moments, the North Douglas girls pulled out a narrow victory over Glide 34-32 to win the Oakland Holiday Tournament.
With the Warriors clinging to a two point lead, Jhana Lane of North Douglas came up with a block on the Wildcats final attempt to seal the game.
In a back and forth second half where both teams exchanged leads and several ties, it came down to the finish in a very competitive game. Glide, (8-5) down three in the last minute got a driving layup from Whitney Stone with 12.4 seconds to go. Stone was fouled on the drive but was unable to make the free throw. After Sabrina MacDowell of North Douglas made one of two free throws, the Warriors lead was at two with nine seconds to go. The Wildcats final attempt was blocked right before time expired, giving the Warriors the championship.
North Douglas (9-1) was led by senior point guard Kalli Frieze who had 13 points, two steals and two assists. Jhana Lane had six points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
“I love playing with my team, there everything. We really came together the last part of the game.” Jhana Lane said.
When asked about the final play of the game Lane explained. “I just played defense. It was a team thing, we really did good together. I’m proud of everybody.”
“I thought our defense won the game for us because we were kind of struggling offensively as the game was going on.” Kalli Frieze said. “But we really cranked up our defense. “
When asked about what it was like in the locker room after the game, Frieze explained. “We were pretty proud. Our coach was proud to. We just really executed everything well. Sabrina hit some key free throws for us. I was really proud of her.”
Frieze started the game off strong with 8 first quarter points including two three-pointers to lead the Trojans to 13-10 lead after the first. However, North Douglas struggled to score in the second quarter while Glide began to break down the Warriors defense leading to a 24-19 lead for the Wildcats at the intermission.
The second half was a defensive grind as both teams clamped down on each other’s scoring opportunities. North Douglas silenced the Wildcats offense in the third quarter, limiting them to just three points. The Wildcats were held without a field goal in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Glide led 27-26 after three quarters.
Free throws were key for both teams, especially late in the game. Glide went 9-17 from the free throw line while North Douglas shot 8-17.
“That was a fun win for us. That was our best competition since Sutherlin. I thought the girls played there most complete game.” North Douglas coach Terry Hescock said. “Really proud on the defensive end how we stepped up. They just stepped up and took the challenge. Extremely proud.”
“We made the adjustment, made up the ground.” Hescock added. “Offense got a little stagnant. We kept working to find what was within us. Just clear heads really helped us pull through.”
“We’re just really excited about getting a trophy.” Hescock said. “Especially for these seniors, this is a great accomplishment. We’re looking forward to what’s ahead this season. This is a win that will give us a great boost going forward.”
The Warriors’ have now won nine games in a row and are 7th in the OSAA 1A rankings.
“It’s been consistent growth. The girls have consistently week by week improved. It’s our goal to improve every game. They’ve shown they are willing to do that and willing to put in the work to do that.”
“I’m proud of how we played. I felt like they were more aggressive through certain stretches of the game and that’s why we fell a little short tonight.” Glide coach Brannon Smith said. “Coming into the game, we know North Douglas is a scrappy, physical team. It’s usually low scoring and we know it’s a battle. We wanted to be more physical and I think we did a pretty good job of that. It was an exciting game that went down to the end and we fell short.”
Glide was led by McKya Filley who had nine points and eight rebounds. Whitney Stone had 8 points and Piper Kaul added 4 points and six steals for the Wildcats.
North Douglas play next Friday against New Hope Christian. Glide plays next Tuesday against Rogue River.
Glide (32) – McKya Filley 9, Stone 8, Michel 8, Kaul 4, Anderson 2, Mauro 1, Short, Williams. Totals 10 9-17 32.
North Douglas (34) – Kalli Frieze 13, Lane 6, MacDowell 6, Whipple 5, Colburn 4, Derrick, Black. Totals 12 8-17 34.
Glide 10 14 3 5- 32
Douglas 13 6 7 8- 34
3-Point Field Goals – Gli. 3 (Michel 2, Stone 1), N Dou. 2 (Frieze). Total Fouls – Gli. 15, N. Dou. 20.
