28.5 League "The Bubble" Oregon Elite versus San Diego Waves

Final: Oregon Elite 53, San Diego Waves 57 Oregon Elite played an exciting rematch with the San Diego Waves as the two West Coast juggernauts played in the 28.5 League in an earlier session, with Oregon Elite winning the first contest with a 19 point victory. Things were different this time around, as the Waves have more experience under their belt, including a one-point victory over the Cal Stars thanks to a Jordan Villareal three-pointer at the buzzer. Terri Bamford and company looked to avenge their loss to Oregon Elite as they started the game with a pregame chant, showing their exuberance before the initial tip-off. The game started off with a [player_tooltip player_id="158486" first="Cami" last="Fulcher"] drive to the basket that resulted in a Cunningham steal and Fulcher on the floor - perhaps a telling sign of a competitive game down the stretch. [player_tooltip player_id="103554" first="Jazzy" last="Anousinh"] started the game slipping past the defense for a score followed by a few free throws. A [player_tooltip player_id="158476" first="Sydney" last="Burns"] find to [player_tooltip player_id="204574" first="Allie" last="Hueckman"] in the corner was Oregon Elite’s first score as Waves led 5 - 3. Sugapong found Cunningham inside as Anousinh converted a tough lay-up where she ended up on the floor. Dani Starr stuck a tough mid-range jumper off the inbound while fouled by [player_tooltip player_id="54100" first="Breya" last="Cunningham"] and hit the extra point as Waves led 11 - 6. Anousinh found Salavea for a triple as Kelsie Sienger had a board and bucket. Siegner board into transition led to a [player_tooltip player_id="158486" first="Cami" last="Fulcher"] triple, Waves 14 - 11. Burns found Starr for a perimeter jumper as they cut the lead to a single point. [player_tooltip player_id="158479" first="Schuyler" last="Berry"] had a nice baseline move around Cunningham as Sugapong hit a floater that banked in. Anousinh slipped past two defenders and Villareal hit a perimeter shot to make it Waves 20 - 16. [player_tooltip player_id="158525" first="Sage" last="Kramer"] had a nice shot while fouled that cut it to 20 - 18. The Waves began a run going into halftime, sparked by an Anousinh triple. Anousinh scored again in the paint and on the following possession fed Cunningham inside. Another Cunningham bucket made it Waves 29 - 18. Lathrop showed some nice patience inside with a hook shot over Cunningham. The final play was a gritty [player_tooltip player_id="158486" first="Cami" last="Fulcher"] triple, as she looked to be hit going down to the floor - as she looked to the referee for a call but no whistle was blown. Oregon Elite 23, San Diego Waves 29 - halftime. Anousinh found [player_tooltip player_id="103360" first="Taryn" last="Johnson"] for a lay-up, a sign of things to come later in the game to start the half. Anousinh found Johnson once again in transition and Aounsinh slipped through the defense again for a score. Burns offensive board and finds Starr for a jumper. Cunningham banked it home with a hook shot as Anousinh found Johnson yet again in transition. Syd Burns hit a tough mid-range jumper despite tough defense as Oregon Elite trailed 27 - 37. Burns yet again with another tough mid-range jumper. Anousinh dribble penetrate, dump off into Cunningham followed by a Burns find to Hassmann for three. Anousinh find to Cunningham from half-court. Hassmann found Burns for a triple, returning the favor as Waves led 41 - 35. Syd Burns finds a slithering Kramer in the paint for a nice finish. Kramer scored on the following possession with a nice floater. Sugapong hit a triple, extending the lead to 45 - 39. Fulcher finds Hassmann for another triple as it was a one possession game. [player_tooltip player_id="103360" first="Taryn" last="Johnson"] floater made it 47 - 42. Fulcher finds Berry inside for a nice score as Cunningham gets it to go with a bounce. Berry found Hueckman for a triple to get Oregon Elite within striking distance as they trailed 48 - 50. Burns would find her way into the paint with a tough mid-range jumper as the game was tied at 50. The two teams would trade blows with minutes to go as Sugapong had a nice scoop shot followed by a Fulcher find to Burns for three. Villareal into Johnson made it 53 - 52 Waves. [player_tooltip player_id="103360" first="Taryn" last="Johnson"] would score again in transition making it 56 - 53 with 40 seconds to go. Burns would find [player_tooltip player_id="204574" first="Allie" last="Hueckman"] in the corner for a clean look, but it would just be off the mark slightly as Waves would score again off a leak to [player_tooltip player_id="103360" first="Taryn" last="Johnson"] as Oregon Elite would come up short in a highly contested rematch. Stats: Oregon Elite Navy [player_tooltip player_id="158486" first="Cami" last="Fulcher"]: 6 points, 4 assists, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="158479" first="Schuyler" last="Berry"]: 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist Hope Hassmann: 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists [player_tooltip player_id="204574" first="Allie" last="Hueckman"]: 6 points, 6 rebounds [player_tooltip player_id="158525" first="Sage" last="Kramer"]: 6 points, 4 rebounds [player_tooltip player_id="158555" first="Keelie" last="O’Hollaren"]: 1 rebound Kelsie Siegner: 3 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist Dani Starr: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="158476" first="Sydney" last="Burns"]: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals [player_tooltip player_id="158478" first="Natalie" last="Lathrop"]: 2 points, 5 rebounds San Diego Waves: Sumayah Sugapong: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal Jordan Villareal: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="103554" first="Jazzy" last="Anousinh"]: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists [player_tooltip player_id="54100" first="Breya" last="Cunningham"]: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="103360" first="Taryn" last="Johnson"]: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal Katalina Salavea: 3 points, 1 rebound Breakdown: Cunningham the Difference Maker In their first match-up, Cunningham had a below average performance for her standards as the five-star center was held to 2 points in the first half, thanks to leverage from Oregon Elite Navy’s three forwards. In this game, she was a dominant scorer throughout the entirety of the game as whenever the Waves needed a bucket they would simply drop it down into Cunningham who delivered. She had a nice variety of scores, from hook shots to dominant put backs as she sang to a tune of 18 points and 11 rebound in an excellent shooting display. The Country Day super sophomore is a national recruit who is receiving interest from the blue bloods as she certainly showed why versus Oregon Elite. [player_tooltip player_id="103360" first="Taryn" last="Johnson"] The Cathedral Catholic forward plays on a stacked high school team, as the Dons showcase the talents of 2022 “Ice” Brady, who signed last season with UConn. Taryn in her own regard, is a talented wing in her own right, as she has great athletic skill combined with fluidity around the rim. She was the x-factor for the Waves as she found ways to score consistently in transition, especially during the back and forth sequence to conclude the second half. Taryn’s great wingspan along with her ability to score at the rim made her a great target in the fastbreak setting as her 11 point, 4 rebound, 3 assist game was another big factor for the Waves. [player_tooltip player_id="103554" first="Jazzy" last="Anousinh"] also had an inspired 15 point, 5 rebound, 6 assist effort for the Waves as an all-around player who has the uncanny ability to score in the paint despite tough interior defense, with creativity and confidence. Syd Burns the Scorer Syd has been showcased as the nightly triple double threat for Oregon Elite as she has been the high motor, dynamic guard who seemingly never runs out of energy. Neither does she run out of moves, as she showed her versatility on the offensive end. She stuck two three-pointers, hit some impressive mid-range jumpers as well as finished well at the rim. Burns found ways to involve her teammates regularly and had another significant showing as the all-around player that everyone has known her for. Her 12 point, 3 rebound, 5 assist, 2 steal performance was a key reason Oregon Elite was in the game at the end of the second half. Oregon Elite Team Play Oregon Elite had a superb seven players over 5 points as they had significant contributions all over the floor from their players. With efforts such as [player_tooltip player_id="204574" first="Allie" last="Hueckman"]’s 6 point, 6 rebound total or [player_tooltip player_id="158486" first="Cami" last="Fulcher"]’s 7 point, 4 assist performance we were given a chance to see yet again why Oregon Elite has been a staple in the 28.5 League for the last several months. [player_tooltip player_id="158525" first="Sage" last="Kramer"] and Hope Hassmann are chameleon-like players that can blend in with around them as [player_tooltip player_id="158479" first="Schuyler" last="Berry"] and [player_tooltip player_id="158478" first="Natalie" last="Lathrop"] are eclectic players that bring a lot of resilience in the paint. Dani Starr has continued to show her advanced and polished offensive tool kit as she can score at all three levels - with ease.