COOS BAY – The Pleasant Hill girls knew they needed a miracle in their game against Amity on Thursday – and a miracle happened!
It just wasn’t the kind the seventh-seeded Billies had in mind.
Facing defending champion Amity, as the final second ticked down before halftime, senior guard Alyssa McMullen swished a 55-footer at the buzzer to give the Warriors a 28-10 advantage at the break.
How does a team bounce back from a punch to the gut like that?
“I told them the same thing I told them before we got here: Enjoy the moment,” Pleasant Hill coach Terry Newton said. “Amity has been here five years in a row, and they’re 58-2 the last two years. So we’ve run into a big monster, but my kids never quit – you saw how hard they played.”
To their credit, the Billies opened the second half with a 5-1 run, and they stayed competitive, but Amity was too skilled, as McMullen – the daughter of coach Jed McMullen – made 6-of-11 3-pointers and scored 20 points as the Warriors pulled away for a 48-26 victory.
In the closing minutes, as all of the bench players got a chance to play, the Pleasant Hill starters were jumping up and down on the sideline, rooting on their teammates. If you didn’t know better, you would think that the Billies were the winning team at that moment.
“It’s a great group of girls,” Newton said. “I’m really lucky to be at Pleasant Hill.”
Amity won its second straight 3A state title, defeating top-seeded Vale 47-44 in the title game. Pleasant Hill was awarded the Sportsmanship Trophy after the game.
■ Valley Catholic 44, Pleasant Hill 39: Anna Crawford had 18 points and 8 rebounds, but the Billies’ late rally came up short against Valley Catholic. Calista Everson and Emmee Kinder scored 14 points each for the Valiants (21-6).
