Mt. Hood: Nelson Narrowly Escapes Clackamas 63-30, Clinches Title

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Down by two points late in the fourth quarter, the No. 5 Nelson Hawks narrowly escaped the Clackamas Cavaliers 63-60 to clinch the Mt. Hood Conference title on Tuesday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clackamas was missing its leading scorer, [player_tooltip player_id='832060' first='Savannah' last='Dahl'], due to a minor ankle injury. But [player_tooltip player_id='1312930' first='Lily' last='Oien'] and [player_tooltip player_id='837904' first='Tatum' last='Landolt'] stepped up and combined for 52 points to nearly upset Nelson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oien scored a game-high 29 points with 3 assists and 4 steals. The junior guard scored from all levels—netting two threes, sinking turnaround fadeaway jumpers, finishing at the rim, and knocking down 15 free throws from earned trips to the line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Landolt added 23 points and 8 rebounds. The junior netted 7 three-pointers. She pulled up off the bounce, off the screen, and sometimes just straight in the defender's face. She had the hot hand. Landolt was also strong on the defensive boards, battling for position and getting up to secure the rock.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/box-score {"name":"acf/box-score","data":{"game":["1483205"],"_game":"field_6a1b2c3d4e5f7"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6996975310d8f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game started as a three-point shootout between Landolt and Nelson's [player_tooltip player_id='832544' first='Nylah' last='Webster']. Webster, committed to Utah, finished with a team-high 18 points, 6 three-pointers, and 7 rebounds. The shooting guard has been lethal from deep during league play. She also showcased excellent ball security after defensive rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The quarter break felt more like a quick timeout, with the first frames blurring together. Landolt netted 5 of Clackamas's 6 first-half threes, and Nylah netted 4 of Nelson's 7. The Hawks led 37-31 at halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Things slowed down a bit on offense in the third quarter as both teams adjusted to defend the perimeter. Clackamas won the frame 11-9, shaving 2 points from Nelson's lead, thereafter 46-42, going into the fourth quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Late in the final frame, [player_tooltip player_id='1312930' first='Lily' last='Oien'] gave Clackamas a 2-point lead (55-53), its first since early in the first quarter. Still behind by 2 points a couple of plays later, Nelson responded with two three pointers, one each from [player_tooltip player_id='921631' first='Tatiana' last='Harris'] and [player_tooltip player_id='832544' first='Nylah' last='Webster'], to go ahead by 4 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harris ended the game with 10 points and 3 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1583037' first='Skyler' last='Le'] answered with a clutch three-pointer to put Clackamas within 1 point. While Le didn't light up the box score, the point guard played solid defense and quietly took care of the ball. The junior added 5 points, all in the final quarter, and 4 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With little time remaining, [player_tooltip player_id='832046' first='Love' last='Forde'] scored the game's final points inside to put Nelson ahead by 3. Forde netted 8 points in the final frame and ended the game with a double-double—15 points and 13 rebounds. She posted up, battled for offensive boards, and was explosive to the basket inside with a soft touch to finish at the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nelson (16-6, 11-0) stands at the top of the Mt. Hood Conference, three games clear with three league games remaining. The Hawks host David Douglas on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, Clackamas (16-5, 8-3) is tied with Barlow for second with three league games left. The Cavaliers host Sandy on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->