CRESWELL – Two weeks ago, the Creswell girls basketball team was riding a wave of elation after winning the Mountain Valley Conference regular-season title against Pleasant Hill.
But on Friday, the Bulldogs lost to the Billies 45-25 at home in the final Mountain Valley Conference playoff – losing crucial seeding.
For Pleasant Hill, however, it was the mark of an epic comeback story.
“It was probably our most emotional loss last week,” Billies’ coach Paxton Miller said about the 33-32 upset. “And then we bounced back. We went to La Pine, took care of business, and then had our backs up against the wall on Wednesday against Sisters – down six with two minutes left, and still found a way to get a win. And then, tonight we won.”
From top left: Assistant Sahen Garcia, head coach Paxton Miller, Ashlyn Johnson, Claire Crawford, Trinity Hawkins, Cheyenne Green, Brooke Weimer, Karsyn Stapleton, Anna Crawford and manager Piper Fisher. Bottom from left: Isabel Hammond-Mendez, Erin McAllister, Katie Dutton, Soleis Jones and Josie Dudley.
McKENZIE DAYS / CHRONICLE PHOTO
The first half was a pendulum-swing game. Both teams repeatedly forced turnovers. They kept each other on their toes with a 1- to 3-point margin throughout the second quarter. The Billies changed the trajectory of the game with overwhelming three-pointers launched by Karsyn Stapleton and Anna Crawford. This led to a 13-point halftime lead that the Bulldogs couldn’t overcome.
In the second half, facing increased pressure from the Billies and trailing, the Bulldogs struggled offensively. They began to miss multiple shots and had hesitation with open shots, which led to a decline in defensive energy as well.
“We’ve just got to shake it off,” Bulldogs coach Tyler Hollingsworth said. “We all have nights we don’t shoot it as well – this was one of them. Though, a key point is, we didn’t just not shoot as well, but we also started to doubt ourselves. So we’ve got to hopefully come back and just play with tons of confidence.”
The Billies earned a second-round home game on Friday, where they’ll face No. 11 Burns (18-7). The 12th-seeded Bulldogs start with a second-round road game on Friday against the No. 5 Jefferson Lions (20-6).
