ALEXA ELLIS (25) BROUGHT THE BALL UP COURT AGAINST THE AARDVARKS. Tom Page/For The Chronicle
Pleasant Hill won the Mountain Valley League girls basketball title with a 12-0 record, but fell one win short of reaching the state 3A tournament due to a 40-36 loss to visiting Oregon Episcopal School in a first round contest.
The loss dropped the fifth seeded Billies to 22-4 for the season while the 12th seeded Aardvarks improved their mark to 16-8.
The Billies managed just six field goals in the game, two coming in the first two minutes of the contest on baskets by Hannah Way and Kaylee Martin as P-Hill took a 5-0 lead.
OES closed the first quarter on an 8-1 run to open an 8-6 lead.
After the Aardvarks extended the advantage to 12-8, P-Hill used a 7-2 run to take a 15-13 lead on a pair of Victoria Lewis free throws.
All 10 of the second quarter Billie points came from the foul line with Martin sinking four, Way three and Lewis two.
OES led 17-16 at the half.
Alexa Ellis scored inside to give P-Hill a 19-18 lead to start the second period.
OES scored the next six points to lead 25-18 and stayed in front the rest of the game.
A pair of free throws by Way and Lewis and one from Martin closed the gap to 25-23 before the Aardvarks answered with a hoop to lead 27-23 heading into the final period.
OES led 37-29 with 2:35 remaining before three Angeni Yeo free throws and two by Way cut the lead to 37-34 at the 52 second mark.
The Aardvarks put the win away with three free throws.
Of the 36 P-Hill points, 24 came from the foul line with Way tossing in 10, Martin six, Lewis five and Yeo three.
Way, one of two seniors, along with Lewis led the Billies with 14 points. Martin finished with 10, Lewis and Yeo five each and Ellis two.
