1A Showdown: No. 2 Cougars Topple No. 1 Saints

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a highly anticipated 1A clash in The Valley 10 League, the No. 2 Country Christian Cougars (12-2, 2-0) defeated the top-ranked North Clackamas Christian Saints (11-1, 3-1) 44-35 on the road on Tuesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/box-score {"name":"acf/box-score","data":{"game":["1484433"],"_game":"field_6a1b2c3d4e5f7"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696a813516d10"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Led by a double-double from senior power forward Cara Mulhern and a strong fourth-quarter performance from freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1361756' first='Adelynn' last='Smith'], the Cougars maintained the lead from the opening tip to the final buzzer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith led the Cougars in scoring with 12 points, and Mulhern added 11 points and 11 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Country Christian wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead. While North Clackamas Christian fought back to within a single point, the Cougars held a 12-9 edge after the first quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By halftime, Country Christian had extended that lead to 22-13, stifling the Saints' paint game and forcing North Clackamas to settle for perimeter shots. The Saints struggled to find rhythm from behind the three-point line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The third quarter saw a spark of life from the home team. Behind junior [player_tooltip player_id='899491' first='Kaylee' last='Turner'], the Saints ignited a 7-1 run, highlighted by Turner's tough step-through finish in the paint through contact and the foul. Turner converted the three-point play, which pulled North Clackamas within 6 points, but Country Christian maintained poise and entered the final frame with a 30-22 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='899491' first='Kaylee' last='Turner'], ranked in the top ten in Oregon's class of 2027, had 13 points and at least 6 rebounds for the Saints.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The drama peaked in the fourth quarter when North Clackamas trimmed the deficit to just four points behind impact freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1275380' first='Melia' last='Turner'], who scored 7 points in the final frame.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1275380' first='Melia' last='Turner'] led all scorers with 16 points and at least 5 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, Country Christian's impact freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='1361756' first='Adelynn' last='Smith'], had the answer. Smith finished a crucial backdoor cut off a slick pass from Mulhern and followed it up with a three-pointer assisted by senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='999611' first='Emma' last='Seubert'] to push the lead back to 6. With a minute remaining, Seubert knocked down 3-of-4 bonus free throws to secure the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seubert scored 9 points and gave the Cougars second-chance points as a plus rebounder with 10 boards, including 5 on offensive glass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Clackamas Christian followed the loss to the Cougars on Tuesday with a dominant 76-13 road win against Open Door Christian Academy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Country Christian remains undefeated in The Valley 10 League and hosts St. Stephen's Academy on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>1A rankings via the OSAAtoday Coaches Polls.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->