6A State Tournament Match-Ups

<span style="font-weight: 400">Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen events, the OSAA State Basketball Championships were cancelled, with fans, coaches, and players alike left without a proper conclusion.  Players were left wondering what could have been, as the 5A and 6A State Tournaments were getting underway at Gill Coliseum and Chiles Center. In the 6A Tournament, top seeded Beaverton was set to play Liberty and South Salem was to square off with South Medford.  Here we will look into the match-ups that would have transpired that day.</span> <strong>Beaverton versus Liberty</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">Liberty features the skillful, prolific tandem of [player_tooltip player_id="158481" first="Taylin" last="Smith"] and [player_tooltip player_id="158488" first="Liv" last="Knapp"], two players that made their All-Conference Teams.  The Falcons were winners of eighteen straight games, having lost their last game back in January to Wilsonville, 63-45. Interestingly enough, the Beavers also were riding on an eighteen game win streak, with their last loss to Cashmere (WA) and internet sensation Hailey Van Lith.  [player_tooltip player_id="158481" first="Taylin" last="Smith"] for Liberty is the tall, energetic engine that makes Liberty run smooth whereas [player_tooltip player_id="158488" first="Liv" last="Knapp"] is her first option. These two dynamic guards would take turns carving into the Beaverton defense. Taylin’s calculated offensive feel along with her aggressive, but smooth moves would combine with Liv’s ability to score, however, what they would have to answer to is Beaverton’s overall team play.  </span> <span style="font-weight: 400">Beaverton showcases the talents of Division 1 bound twins Sydney and Laura Erikstrup, headed to Arizona State and University of San Diego respectively.  In addition, Madison Kay Naro, the Boise State commit, brings a lot of talent and experience to the table. The Beavers play a whole lot of team defense, as illustrated through their huge team victory against Cameron Brink and Mountainside.  In their last game against Mountainside, although Brink displayed a dominant display, they played burly defense on her, frustrating her enough as she fouled out of the game. The Beaver’s rotational players such as 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="158547" first="Madison" last="Naro"] would also prove a tall task for Liberty as she understands how to run the offense and facilitate the talented scorers around her.  Beaverton likes to move the ball around and find the open player in order to facilitate others and score easily.     </span> <strong>South Medford versus South Salem</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">South Medford had a sensational season themselves, as they had the momentum of fifteen straight victories.  Their resume included wins over State powers West Linn and Wilsonville, as well as traveling to Hawaii to test their strength in the heralded ‘Iolani Classic.  The Panthers showcase a surplus of individual talent this past season, including senior Bella Petrojetti and [player_tooltip player_id="158483" first="Kaili" last="Chamberlain"], whom conveniently won Co-Players of the Year Award for the Southwest Conference.  Throw in blue-collar forward [player_tooltip player_id="158520" first="Sierra" last="Logue"], scoring focused [player_tooltip player_id="158487" first="Toni" last="Coleman"], along with 2nd-Team All Leaguers [player_tooltip player_id="158504" first="Emma" last="Schmerbach"] and [player_tooltip player_id="158503" first="Bella" last="Stone"], and you have a truly dangerous collection of players. [player_tooltip player_id="158487" first="Toni" last="Coleman"] commands and initiates the Panther offense, as on the wings she has Kaili and Bella to look for.  Defensively, this is a focused unit, with players such as Emma setting the pace for on-the ball defense and the rest of the players following suit. This South Medford team followed the notion of “one for all and all for one”.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400">They didn’t travel out of State this past season to play in any prestigious tournament, but what they found is that they didn’t have to travel too far to get a W.  In addition to being one of the hottest teams on a nineteen game win streak coming into the tournament, they also defeated two of the more dangerous teams in their last two games.  To get the Chiles, they locked horns with Benson Tech, last year’s 6A champions and won in a convincing manner at home. At the first game at Chiles Center, [player_tooltip player_id="158480" first="Hilary" last="James"] put on a legendary display of skill against [player_tooltip player_id="158482" first="Kylee" last="Arzner"] and McMinnville as she lit them up for 35 points, single handedly advancing them to the next round.  The Saxons are a ball-club that focuses on being physical, playing defense, and never letting up. On offense, they give it to [player_tooltip player_id="158480" first="Hilary" last="James"], who has a dozen of moves to put her defender in a frenzy. From there, she can either dump it off, or take it to the rim, or pull-up. Aside from her, [player_tooltip player_id="158527" first="Delaney" last="Keith"] is a solid defender as well as a capable shooter and great rebounder.  </span> &nbsp;