ALESHA CULP / PHOTO CHS girls varsity basketball team.
Emme Whitson scored 24 points, including a steal for a layup that tied the game with 11 seconds left in regulation, as Creswell rallied to defeat host Douglas in the first round of the girls Class 3A state basketball playoffs Saturday.
Next up for the Bulldogs (12-9) is a second-round date Thursday at 1:30 p.m. with 16th-seeded Oregon Episcopal (13-9), which shocked top-seeded Willamina, 65-58, in overtime behind junior guard Cayton Smith’s 39 points.
Creswell, seeded 9th, was expecting to face the top seeds if it reached Round 2. Now, its path to a state title appears to be a bit less treacherous.
“Oregon Episcopal has won eight in a row and they shoot the ball well. You don’t score 39 points by accident,” Creswell coach Tyler Hollingsworth said. “Both teams had a chance to win it in regulation, but both missed free throws.”
The Creswell-Douglas game was equally hit-and-miss, as each side had ample opportunities to win. Hollingsworth said his girls made a number of timely plays down the stretch and during overtime that proved to be crucial.
“We were up three with 3 minutes to go and they went on a 6-0 run to go up three with 50 seconds left,” Hollingsworth said. “Then Emme hits 1-of-2 free throws, we press them and get a turnover, but then we turn it right back over to them. So they were trying to hold the ball, but Emme jumps in, steals the ball and ties the game with a layup with 11 seconds left.”
Once again, the Trojans took a 3-point lead in overtime, but Dakota Carson hit three free throws and a layup and Kendyl Whitson added a free throw as the Bulldogs finished the game on an 8-1 run.
“The amount of insaneness was crazy during that game,” Hollingsworth said. “The atmosphere was unreal. They had great fans and our fans were awesome, too.”
The key moment of overtime came near the 3:00 mark, when Creswell’s Emma Maness drew a charging foul against Douglas’ Kierra Bennett, who fouled out with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals. More importantly, Bennett’s game-tying basket on the play was wiped out.
“That was a huge play by Emma – she leads our team in taking charges,” Hollingsworth said. “We had a 2-point lead at that point and we were able to play hot potato. Then Kendyl and Dakota each hit free throws to put the finishing touches on it for us.”
The bench came up big, just as it seems to do on a regular basis for the Bulldogs.
Three Creswell players fouled out – Samairah Quinones with 4 minutes left in regulation, Lauren Bailey 30 seconds into overtime, and Karinna Leonard 30 seconds after that.
“Gabby (Halgren) hadn’t played, but I put her in and she got two steals. Then we put Kaitlyn (Machado) in and she gets hit with an elbow and concussed, so now we’re down four girls,” Hollingsworth said. “Emma stood up to their big girls and fought hard.
“Our bench has been phenomenal all year. Everybody has a role, and everybody has to sacrifice something. They’ve done a good job of understanding that and everybody accepting their roles.”
“We’ve gone through two games where we’ve been down late but these girls are so resilient, there was never once where they didn’t believe they were going to find a way to win,” Hollingsworth said. “It’s been fun to watch them keep improving and keep battling.
“Let’s hope we can keep it going.”
