Stillman denies Hawks' upset bid

OREGON – Playing in front of a raucous home crowd, the Oregon girls basketball team stunned No. 1 seed Stillman Valley in the 2A regional final – for the first 10 minutes of the game.

Grabbing a 25-6 lead, the Hawks appeared destined for the upset, only to have their dreams of advancing to the sectional crushed by an ensuing 28-4 Stillman Valley run.

Taking the lead for good at the end of the third quarter, 31-29, on a 3-point shot by a fist-clenching Samantha Hellyer, the Cardinals (23-6) went on to a bizarre 50-36 victory.

“In my 22 years of playing and coaching, I don’t know if I’ve been a part of a game where you’re down by 20 points, but win by 14,” Stillman Valley coach Heather Alderks said.

“The crowd scared us in the beginning,” said an emotional Hellyer, who was on crutches Wednesday due to a twisted ankle. “We weren’t used to playing in this type of environment.”

Hellyer was one of five starting seniors for Stillman that desperately wanted to avenge a loss to Oregon in last year’s regional final. Leading the way was 5-foot-10 Jessica Gerig, who had 24 points, nearly all around the basket.

“We were timid and back on our heels at first,” Gerig said. “Our defense was the saving grace. Once we stepped it up, the defense led to our offense.”

“Credit to Stillman Valley,” Oregon coach Kristy Eckardt said. “Those five seniors had all the fight in them.”

Oregon (20-11) led 27-15 at halftime. Gerig and Hellyer cut it to 27-24 before Lexi Smith had a putback off an offensive rebound for Oregon – but those would be the only points of the third quarter for the Hawks.

It wasn’t until 5 minutes, 22 seconds remained in the game that Oregon scored again, also on a Smith basket.

“They got in our heads a little bit, and we fell apart,” Oregon floor leader Sam Lambrigtsen said.

Lambrigtsen pulled Oregon to within 38-35 midway through the fourth quarter on two free throws and a basket, but Gerig and company reeled of the next 12 points.

“They had a lot of atmosphere going for them with the home court,” Alderks said. “After awhile, they were starting to feel us, and you could see it in their faces, getting rattled.”