Skyhawks get revenge

Pioneers give it their all but come up short

By John Denny

The Clackamas Review, Mar 17, 2010 (1 Reader comment)

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PORTLAND – Tears aplenty flowed in the team room of Oregon City High School’s girls basketball team Friday night, following the Pioneers’ Class 6A state semifinal game with third-ranked Southridge.

The Pioneers left it all on the floor in their semifinal with the Metro League champion Skyhawks, but it wasn’t enough, as the Hawks dashed the Pioneers’ hopes of defending their state title, wining in a 55-47 defensive slugfest.

“We put a lot of work into it, so it hurts a lot,” said Oregon City senior co-captain Taylor Belmont. “I thought we gave it our best. It just wasn’t our night.”

The Hawks had plenty of motivation to beat the Pioneers and it showed in their inspired play down the stretch. The Skyhawks had won four straight state titles heading into postseason a year ago, and Oregon City had dashed their hopes of making it five in a row, defeating Southridge in the final round of the 2009 state playoffs to keep the Hawks from advancing to the state tournament.

“The way I felt after that game, I never want to feel that way again,” said Southridge senior Dominique Johnson. “It’s been on my mind ever since.”

“We came out and got a little revenge for taking us out,” said Southridge senior Allie Brock. “This was a huge game for us seniors and for our team. We played with a lot of heart tonight.”

Brock played a pivotal role in Friday’s semifinal win. The 6-1 wing scored seven points, hauled down nine rebounds, stole the ball three times, and – most importantly – she made Oregon City standout Brittany Knighton work for everything she got.

Knighton had nine points on the night, but she was only 4-of-13 from the field.

“I had flashbacks of last year when she hit three 3’s on me and I wasn’t going to let that happen again,” said Brock. “I’ve worked hard in practice so I’d be ready to defend her.”

Knighton had scored 24 points a year ago, when the Pioneers ended Southridge’s reign with a 58-46 victory before a packed house at Oregon City.

Still, last Friday’s semifinal was a dogfight to the end – with a four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter proving the difference.

Knighton beat Brock and drove the lane for a lay-up to put Oregon City on top 40-39 with 5:35 to play.

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