As the final seconds ticked away to end the first quarter, Sutherlin girls basketball coach Josh Grotting could only shake his head about the hole his team had fallen into Tuesday at Philomath.
One of the most successful coaches in girls basketball circles, Grotting has five state championships under his belt during his many years with the Bulldogs. But on this night, as the scoreboard above his head showed, the Warriors had Sutherlin on the ropes with a 16-0 lead through the first eight minutes.
“We jumped on them quick and our defense was just swarming in the first quarter — really all game but the first quarter in particular,” Warriors coach Ben Silva said following the 51-23 victory. “When it was 16-0 in the first, that set the tone and just kind of frustrated them on the offensive end. They were never able to get into a rhythm.”
Philomath’s Reagan Heiken muscled her way inside 37 seconds into the game to score the first points and later added a back-to-the-rim layup, jump shot and two free throws. Senior Shaylee May added five, including a 3-pointer, and junior Jordyn Hood had four with a basket and two foul shots.
“We came out with a lot of energy and continued that throughout the game,” said Hood, who finished with a game-high 21 points. “I think when we’re strong on defense, it carries over to the offense.”
Philomath extended the early run to the tune of a 26-0 lead. Hood opened the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, senior Isabelle Muir hit a jumper and junior Annaleise Brown found the rim on a putback.
The Bulldogs (9-6) finally got on the scoreboard with 3:25 left in the first half when junior Jordan Harris buried a 3-pointer on a shot clock buzzer beater. At halftime, Philomath’s lead was 33-7.
“Jordyn shot the ball really efficiently from the field,” Silva said. “As a team, we shared the ball really well, we passed the ball. Libby Kramer hit a shot but then had some good assists. Reagan Heiken had some good assists and scored as well and Annaleise Brown attacked the hoop really well.”
Philomath opened the second half with an 8-0 run with six of those points scored by Hood.
“Everyone was just sharing the ball,” she said. “It was a lot of fun — we were getting out and running.”
In addition to Hood’s 21, Heiken finished with nine and Brown had seven.
With the win, the Warriors improved to 7-6 — a deceiving record considering the stiff competition that the team has faced throughout its nonconference schedule. Philomath ended a three-game losing streak with the win.
“I talked to the girls a little bit and I said no games are easy and after the challenging preseason schedule we’ve been through, if we continue to play at the level that we’re playing at, we’ll be a very tough team,’” Silva said. “We’re competing with some of the best teams in the state and top 25-ranked teams in California. When we play at that level, we’re pretty tough on both ends of the basketball.”
The Warriors will play another nonleague game on Thursday when Silverton pays a visit to the PHS gym. Then it’s on to the Oregon West Conference opener on Jan. 20 vs. Sweet Home.
“We know we’re playing good, quality opponents,” Hood said. “We’re kind of glad that we’ve been playing them because it’s preparing us for the future and for March when we need to go out and be tough and it’s going to be aggressive … It’s preparing us for any outcome.”
Philomath 51, Sutherlin 23
Tuesday, Jan. 13, at Philomath HS
SUTHERLIN (23)
Makaila McClatcher 1 4-5 6, Khloe Grotting 0 0-0 0, Olivia Manson 2 0-0 6, Jordan Harris 2 0-2 5, Allison Waechter 0 2-2 2, Lexie McKnight 0 0-0 0, Kindal Rivera 0 0-0 0, Kinzley Hughes 1 2-2 4. Totals 6 8-11 23.
PHILOMATH (51)
Reagan Nuño 1 0-0 2, Libby Kramer 1 0-0 3, Annaleise Brown 2 3-4 7, Jordyn Hood 8 2-2 21, Reagan Heiken 4 1-2 9, Khali Toombs 0 0-0 0, Isabelle Muir 1 0-0 2, Shaylee May 2 0-0 5, Parker Maxey 1 0-0 2, Bethany Cannon 0 0-0 0, Abby Harwood 0 0-0 0, Sienna Bushnell 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 6-8 51.
Team 1 2 3 4 F Sutherlin (9-6) 0 7 7 9 23 Philomath (7-6) 16 17 16 2 51
3-Point Goals—Sutherlin 3 (Manson 2, Harris), Philomath 5 (Hood 3, May, Kramer). Fouled Out—None. Total Fouls—Sutherlin 8, Philomath 13. Technicals—None.