Hawks clipped at home: Late lead not enough to advance

OREGON – The lid that seemed to be on top of both baskets Monday night suddenly disappeared.

Just as suddenly, Oregon and Christian Life started sinking shots at a rate unthinkable a few minutes earlier.

The Hawks’ Maisie Mahoney and Lacey Bellows nailed back-to-back 3-pointers, giving Oregon the lead midway through the fourth quarter of the Class 2A Oregon Regional quarterfinal.

Christian Life’s Darren Sio and Alaina Morell answered with consecutive 3s of their own, giving the Eagles a lead they didn’t relinquish on the way to a 40-33 win.

“It seemed like things just got put into gear for both teams,” Bellows said. “It felt good to play like that for a little while.”

Up to that point, that gearbox appeared broken. With both teams playing aggressive zone defenses, the offenses floundered. Oregon (5-23) did not score for nearly 6 minutes after halftime, and shot 10-for-47 for the game. Christian Life (12-13) followed a 3-minute scoreless streak in the third with a 4 minute one, and shot 15-for-47.

Oregon found success in the first half getting the ball to center Sam Ewens, who scored 10 points before halftime. She didn’t score in the second half, taking only one shot.

“[Christian Life] did not want her getting the ball,” Bellows said. “You can’t blame them, because she was putting it in every time.”

Bellows led the Hawks with 11 points, with Mahoney adding seven. Bellows also had a game-high six steals, and Jordan Pontnack grabbed seven rebounds.

Lydia Box paced the Eagles with 13 points, 10 in the second half. Her four free throws in the final 20 seconds iced the game for Christian Life, which will take a three-game winning streak into Wednesday’s game against top-seeded Stillman Valley. Center Bethany Moody added seven points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks.

The loss ends a frustrating season for Oregon, which will return three starters and three of its top five reserves next season.

“Everybody looks at our record and says we must be a really bad team,” said Bellows, a junior. “We honestly are a good team. We’re great at defense, and we’re hard-working. That’s not going to stop next year.”