Cats get another shot at state
Published 7:00 pm Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Comparing the closeness of the past two games between Oak Harbor and Snohomish, Saturday’s game should have surprised no one.
A hard-fought 47-43 Wildcat win broke a 1-1 season split between the two schools and was the largest margin of victory by either team in their meetings this year. The win moved the Cats into the district championship game this Friday against Lake Stevens and most importantly guarantees them a trip to state for the second consecutive year.
It took a gritty fourth quarter by the Cats to help overcome a four-point deficit and hold off the Panthers in the waning seconds.
“Our theme of the week was perseverance and persevere is just what we did,” senior Shirley Spears said.
Trailing by six, 39-33, with 6:30 remaining in the contest, Spears provided Oak Harbor with a much-needed burst of energy. With a determined look on her face, she hit a looping runner from eight feet out, receiving a foul on the play. Her fourth point in a row ignited the team’s confidence in the final minutes.
“You have to tell everybody it’s alright, calm down, we can still get it,” the co-captain and lone senior Spears said. “Just because we’re down by two or four, we still have plenty of time, just slow it down, play hard and keep your confidence up.”
Spears’ leadership along with huge offensive rebounds by sophomore Heidi McNeill helped Oak Harbor gather the win.
With 30 seconds left and up by two, sophomore Amanda Watts missed a shot in the lane. After a tip to keep the ball alive by junior Kaylea Kingma, McNeill grabbed the loose ball, laying it in for an easy two points. The offensive rebound and put-back gave the Cats a four-point advantage.
“She had some big offensive rebounds,” head coach Brett McLeod said. “Her conditioning is amazing too. You see the defense is all designed to beat her and she doesn’t get tired, she just stays with it and gets big boards in the fourth quarter.”
With 21 seconds to go, a suffocating defense by Oak Harbor forced the Panthers to run down most of the clock, only to get off a wild three-point attempt as time expired.
Oak Harbor, who maintained a narrow lead most of the game, struggled in the third quarter. Taking a 26-20 into the period, the Cats could not get their shots to drop. Along with cold Oak Harbor shooting, Panther sophomore Tara Angell came out of the locker room a player possessed. She was 5 for 5 from three-point range, scoring all of her 14 points in the period.
“She’s amazing,” McLeod said. “She’s just catch and shoot.”
Fortunately for Oak Harbor, Angell got in foul trouble and was forced to sit most of the fourth quarter.
Spears ended the game the leading scorer for the Wildcats with 19 points, followed by McNeill with 11. McNeill also had 12 rebounds and five blocks. Junior Jenny White and Watts both had impressive games defensively, receiving several steals and easy transition buckets. Both ended the game with six points apiece. Kingma hit one of the team’s two three-pointers and finished with five points.
Oak Harbor will play at 8 p.m. this Friday, March 7 at Marysville-Pilchuck High School against Lake Stevens for first place in the Northwest District. Regardless of what happens the Cats will be attending the state tournament for only the second time in Oak Harbor girls basketball history and they will be doing it for the second year in a row.
“It’s one of those things you don’t want to think about too much just in case it doesn’t happen, but to have it happen is such a great feeling,” McLeod said.
The state tournament tips off March 12-15 at the Tacoma Dome. Log on to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association website for information on seeding and start times. The brackets should be up Sunday afternoon.
Next game
Oak Harbor vs. Lake Stevens
When: 8 p.m. Friday, March 7
Where: Marysville-Pilchuck
Season history: Oak Harbor won first game at home 57-56 on buzzer beater by Heidi McNeill, Lake Stevens won second game 53-26.
At stake: District title and number one seed going into the state tournament March 12-15 at the Tacoma Dome.
Oak Harbor—16 10 7 14—47
Snohomish— 14 6 17 6—43
Scoring—OH: Spears 19, McNeill 11, Watts 6, White 6, Kingma 5.
S: Angell 14, Moore 11, Osness 7, Kling 4, Manning 3, Cassidy 2, Hendersen.
Records: Oak Harbor 2-0 in districts, 17-5 overall, Snohomish 1-1 in districts, 18-4 overall.
