28.5: The Bubble Week 1: Oregon Elite Gold/NW Blazers

Final: Oregon Elite 69, NW Blazers 68 Oregon Elite 17U Gold ended their weekend in “The Bubble” in a somewhat rivalry game with Northwest adversary NW Blazers - who had an eye-popping six players over six feet on the roster. Oregon Elite began with an [player_tooltip player_id="204577" first="Addie" last="Reardon"] steal, lead out to [player_tooltip player_id="204579" first="Carly" last="Wheeler"]. Right after, Wheeler stole the inbound for a quick basket. Wilson free throw followed by a [player_tooltip player_id="158485" first="Leah" last="Doutt"] steal to fast break. Doutt found Megert for a baby jumper. Oregon Elite executed their infamous inbounds play, this variety to Wheeler. Bishop found O’Hollaren inside the lane. Oregon Elite would go on a drought of sorts as they fell in the first half to NW Blazers 14-26 at one point. They would continue to chip at the lead with a Wilson find to Reardon for three. Reradon then found Doutt along the arc followed by a Wilson assist to Wheeler for a triple. Ericson rebounded on one end and took it all the way down the court for an isolation jumper. [player_tooltip player_id="207821" first="Gracie" last="Arnold"] rebound and put back followed by an Ericson find inside to Arnold to end the half. It was an incredibly close game at the half, as the Blazers led 36-34 by a slight margin - indicative of how close things were. Wilson scored two first four points for Oregon Elite, both in the form of offensive rebounds. Doutt steal up the court to a streaking [player_tooltip player_id="158519" first="Sofia" last="Megert"]. Ericson began feeding O’Hollaren, who became hot in the second half, this time for a mid-range jumper. The Lakeridge duo began teaming up on the following five possessions, as O’Hollaren took over the game single handedly giving Oregon Elite offense. Ericson to O’Hollaren for three, Ericson to O’Hollaren, Ericson to O’Hollaren mid-range. O’Hollaren to Ericson who had a sensational reverse lay-up. [player_tooltip player_id="207817" first="Reese" last="Ericson"] found O’Hollaren for another timely jumper and Stone found O’Hollaren for a mid-range jumper. Somewhere in this O’Hollaren run, Oregon Elite led by 9 points with a few minutes left- quite the comfortable led. However, NW Blazers took advantage of some sloppy play and began scoring in transition and Oregon Elite couldn’t quite find the basket at times. The last few possessions were things out of a playoff game, as each dribble counted and it was all leading up to a finale. Emi Bishop was stopped at the rim and the NW Blazers had the ball with a minute to go - up by one. With some sensational team defense as a gritty [player_tooltip player_id="158519" first="Sofia" last="Megert"] lunge for the ball which ended up going off a Blazer - giving Elite one last chance. In something that could not have been scripted better, [player_tooltip player_id="158503" first="Bella" last="Stone"] threw a soccer inbounds pass perfectly to Bishop, who caught it, got balanced on her two feet and sunk her first field goal in a timely manner. The NW Blazer’s last shot attempt went off the rim and Elite won by the slightest of margins to cap off the weekend. Stats: [player_tooltip player_id="207821" first="Gracie" last="Arnold"]: 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block [player_tooltip player_id="158477" first="Emilia" last="Bishop"]: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist [player_tooltip player_id="207817" first="Reese" last="Ericson"]: 5 points, 1 assist, 6 assists, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="158555" first="Keelie" last="O’Hollaren"]: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="204577" first="Addie" last="Reardon"]: 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals [player_tooltip player_id="158503" first="Bella" last="Stone"]: 2 rebounds, 1 assist [player_tooltip player_id="204579" first="Carly" last="Wheeler"]: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="158524" first="Lindsey" last="Wilson"]: 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, 3 steals [player_tooltip player_id="158485" first="Leah" last="Doutt"]: 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 3 steals [player_tooltip player_id="158519" first="Sofia" last="Megert"]: 4 points, 2 rebound, 1 steal Breakdown: Keelie: The Microwave We all know Keelie to be the scorer who can create for herself and score at any point in the game, but this was perhaps her biggest output as she was simply put - automatic. She scored on four straight touches as well as had the last six out of eight scores in the game. Keelie’s biggest weapon on offense is her mid-range game, which is so incredibly effective because she can stop on a dime and is so quick to release it. She is certainly a three-level scorer who can make it look easy, as she was the runaway MVP of the game with a prolific 19 point, 9 rebound where she literally took over the game in a time where her team needed her the most. Also give credit to her Lakeridge running mate [player_tooltip player_id="207817" first="Reese" last="Ericson"], as she had some nice passes to recognize that she was the most dynamic scorer on the floor at the time. Great Supporting Cast [player_tooltip player_id="204579" first="Carly" last="Wheeler"] was a spark plug in the first half, scoring the first four points of the game as well as hitting a mid-range jumper off the inbound. She hit a three-pointer as well, showing that she can certainly score all over the floor - finishing with 10 points and 3 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id="158524" first="Lindsey" last="Wilson"] provided for another spirited performance, as the forward was a constant cog on the boards and came up with several steals on the block. She had a determined 7 point, 6 rebound, 2 assist, 1 block, 3 steal effort in which she was a staple on both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="204577" first="Addie" last="Reardon"] was a significant facilitator as she provided solid defense and initiated on offense as a playmaker, finishing with 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Magical Ending The conclusion to the game - and weekend for Oregon Elite Gold was something out of a movie script, as it was truly a team effort when it came down to the wire. Down by 1, the defense needed to come up with a stop, as they hounded their opposition, playing some tough, ignited defense and showing their character when it mattered the most. [player_tooltip player_id="158519" first="Sofia" last="Megert"] laid it all out on the line, as the Eugene native made a dive, throwing the NW Blazer opposition into a frenzy as the ball went off them - giving Oregon Elite one last chance. The talented [player_tooltip player_id="158503" first="Bella" last="Stone"], who has been touted by South Medford coach Tom Cole as the “ultimate glue player” showed her intricate passing skills on the inbound. She threw a beautiful overheads pass, which Emi Bishop caught like a wide receiver over the shoulder and she gracefully put it off the backboard for her biggest two points of the weekend. It was a wholehearted effort and team oriented win as Gold showed out with a resounding win.