The Bruin girls made the long trip to Winston Friday for their first stop in a back to back roadtrip looking to extend a three game win streak challenging the 3-2 Lady Trojans.
As the first period at Douglas High School began to unfold, it became clear the basics and hustle were going to play a big part in the result of this match up. Early play featured aggressive defense by both teams, overplaying passing lanes and battling for loose balls. Both teams exchanged leads early as the Lady Trojans took an early 6-5 lead midway through the first period of play. The Bruin girls would trade baskets with the Lady Trojans throughout the period and would hold on to a 8-10 lead after the first period.
The aggressive high energy game continued onto the second period, but the Lady Trojans, coming off a big win over Sutherlin, fought for every loose ball and position under the basket getting their share of rebounds and forcing turnovers. In the second period the breaks bounced for Douglas, who allowed only 8 Bruin girls points including two late 3 pointers to end the period in a 18-18 tie.
The game remained close through out the third period ending with the two teams tied once again at 36 after the Lady Trojans decided to not allow #44, senior Ashlyn Schofield, an unchallenged or open shot in the period, who still hit for six of the Bruin girls 10 points in the period including going 4 for 6 from the line.
In the fourth period the Bruin girls got baskets from sophomore Amelia Bruce, senior Rockette Marrington and Ashlyn Schofield, but the Bruin girls trailed 39-36 with just 15 seconds to play before their final push to tie late fell short, taking a heartbreaking 40-36 loss in the first of two road games this past weekend.
Early Saturday afternoon the Bruin girls made the second stop of the trip, stopping in Sutherlin to challenge the undefeated, 7-0 #2 ranked Sutherlin Lady Bulldogs coming off a big 72-28 win over St. Mary’s the previous evening.
From the beginning of the contest, it was clear that the Lady Bulldogs knew they would have their hands full with the Bruin girls just as they had the previous year and wasted no time trying to force the Bruin girls out of their gameplan early. Sutherlin came out with a full court press in the first period slowing the Bruin girls offense up the floor and making it difficult to get into their offensive plays, allowing only a three pointer from senior point guard Rockette Marrington, #12, and Ashlyn Schofield to 3 points from a basket and a freethrow.
After establishing a 6 point first quarter lead, the Bruin girls offense went inside, with Marrington relentlessly driving into the lane for three baskets looking to get interior Sutherlin defenders in foul situations that oddly never materialized. Marrington also hit a 3 pointer in the period on her way to 9 points, junior forward Aleah Muro, #34, hit an inside shot and Ashlyn Schofield rounded out Bruin girls scoring with a basket and a freethrow for 3 points in the period. But the Lady Bulldogs managed 14 points in the period including two Sutherlin 3 pointers to trail 26-17 at the half.
With nothing really falling for the Bruin girls in the first half of play, the offense went inside, establishing senior center, Marissa Scott, #15 in the paint, who hit four buckets and went 2 for 2 from the freethrow line for 10 of the Bruin girls 16 points in the period. But it was defensively slowing the Bulldog offense in the third that turned the game for the Bruin girls, who allowed only 12 points in the period to cut into the lead and trail only by 5 going into the final period of play.
Trailing 38-33 to start the fourth, the three seniors for the Bruin girls were responsible for all the Bruin girls points in the final period, with Marrington hitting a 3 pointer, Scott hitting from the paint for 2 and Schofield hitting for 10 points including two 3 pointers on their way to 15 points in the period, all while holding the Lady Trojans to just 10 points as a team, to tie the game at the end of regulation and send the game to overtime for the second year in a row.
The majority of the overtime period consisted of desperate aggressive defense from both teams as they tried to open up scoring opportunities while not leaving themselves open defensively to fast break scoring opportunities, until a Sutherlin 3 pointer broke open the game with just over 1:20 left to play. The Bruin girls would not recover and suffer their second defeat on the road trip, falling in the final seconds of overtime, 52-49.
