Play-off basketball at its finest showed up at Bruin Arena Friday night as Coach Schofield and his #5 OSAA ranked Lady Bruins took to the hardwood against a solid, tall and well-disciplined Salem Academy Crusader team.
The Lady Crusaders won the tip and started the game off on the offensive end where it became clear early on that the Lady Crusaders were going to take advantage of their 6ft. center #22 Chloe Baker by dumping the ball over the top of the Lady Bruin defense into the lane, forcing the Lady Bruins to collapse and foul. But the Lady Bruins were prepared and collapsed forcing the Lady Crusader offense to put the ball in another player’s hands.
After a Lady Crusader turnover, Lady Bruin senior point guard Sidney Alexander #11 opened scoring with a huge 3 pointer that lifted the standing room only capacity crowd to their feet.., and it was officially on.
But just as the Lady Bruins were prepared for the Lady Crusaders inside game, Salem Academy was equally prepared for the Lady Bruins signature smothering 2-3 press that has been the undoing of so many offenses this past season. The Lady Crusaders simply threw over the top to their height and ran on the Lady Bruin defense early.
Lady Crusader senior guard Kayla Bauldree #4 gave the Lady Bruin defense all they could handle hitting a 3 pointer and sinking 3 buckets for 9 points in the first as the Lady Crusaders jumped out to an 11-20 lead.
In the second, the Lady Bruins began to settle into their game, but the outside shots were just not falling forcing the Lady Bruins to drive to the hoop for points. Junior forward Lexi Schofield #1 and junior center Sierra Fitzhugh #00 led the way, relentlessly driving into the trees as senior guard Avana Pettus #10 and Sidney Alexander #11 consistently started the offense outside the 3 point line to open lanes under the basket.
The Lady Bruins, trailing by 10, put up 15 points in the period but could not close the gap as the Lady Crusaders put up 14 points of their own to take a 26-34 lead into the half-time break.
Coming out in the third period the Lady Bruins relaxed the press, which clearly caught the Lady Crusaders off guard. The Lady Crusaders were no longer allowed to run their fast break over the top and faced a ball pressure 2-3 zone defense. The change forced Salem Academy into their half quart set offense as the Lady Bruin defense stiffened, allowing no uncontested shots.
But the shutdown Lady Bruin defense took its toll on the offensive end as the Lady Bruins could only manage 10 points of offense in the third, closing the gap to just 6, and trailing 36-42 at the end of three.
With the final 8:00 minutes looming over the Lady Bruins and trailing since the first period, Coach Schofield unleashed the hounds and both teams broke out their running game. And just like almost every game this season, it has been a different player every game for Coach Schofield that has risen to big moments all season. Last night it was junior forward Lexee Murray #20 off the bench that lit up the scoreboard as time wound down hitting a mid-range jumper and 3 pointer to tie the game with less than 4:00 minutes of the fourth.
With time becoming a factor, and tough defense by the Lady Bruins, the Lady Bruins hit their late-game high-pressure free throws, giving them their first lead since Alexander’s 3 pointer in the first with less than 2:00 minutes in the game.
With just seconds to go in the fourth, leading by three, 54-51, Lady Crusader sophomore Annabelle Brawley #14, who led Salem Academy with 15 points on the night, got her hands on the ball outside the 3 point line, and dropped a 3 pointer stunning Bruins Arena and tying the game at 54-54 to send the game to overtime as the final seconds ticked off the game clock.
But at this point, even though the game was going into an overtime period, the cast seemed to be set. The Lady Bruins had figured out how to beat Salem Academy late in the fourth and continued to force turnovers. As the game stayed close to the final minute, the Lady Bruins hit their free throws, propelling them into the next round of post-season playoff games after taking the 62-55 win.
Talking with an exuberant Coach Schofield after the game he told us “Salem Academy shot the lights out to start the game. We loaded up inside to slow down Baker #22, their big in the post, and lost track of our other assignments. We were so worried about her that we over-compensated and didn’t get out to their shooters.” he said. “We softened the press in the second and focused on just keeping the ball in front of us, we were then able to get out to shooters better in the second half.”
“It’s a blast coaching these girls,” he went on to say. “After they sank the 3-pointer to send it to overtime, we had to re-group. I was so proud of them tonight! They just never doubt themselves and always believe that they have one more big play in them. It sure does make it rewarding!!”
The Lady Bruins continue on in postseason play Sunday, March 5th as they take on the #4 OSAA ranked Willamina Lady Bulldogs at North Bend High School at 3:15 pm.
