M-P, Oak Harbor play a classic

Published 11:29 pm Thursday, January 10, 2008

MARYSVILLE — It had the making of an instant classic.

Two teams fighting for playoff positions. Two buzzer-beating, score-tying 3-pointers. Two overtimes and a ton of good offense. Unfortunately for both teams someone had to lose.

The Oak Harbor Wildcats came out victorious in the Western Conference North Division girls basketball game Thursday night, defeating Marysville-Pilchuck 79-75 in a double-overtime thriller at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.

Oak Harbor guard Jessica Denmon scored 23 points, 18 on six 3-pointers, including the game-clinching free throw with 3.3 seconds remaining to lead the Wildcats. Denmon’s free throw, however, wasn’t her biggest shot of the game.

That basket came at the end of regulation when Denmon — falling away — hit a 3-pointer from nearly 4-feet behind the 3-point arc tying the score at 60-60 and putting the came into overtime.

“Neither team wanted to lose,” Oak Harbor coach Brett McLeod said, “both teams showed a lot of heart.”

Denmon opened the first overtime with another 3-pointer as Oak Harbor opened up a four-point overtime lead.

Marysville-Pilchuck (4-4 in league, 9-4 overall) bounced back, cutting the lead to 65-63 on an offensive putback by junior Britt Harris, then tied the score on the game’s second buzzer-beating shot, a 3-pointer by senior Jessica Masters, that sent the game into a second extra frame.

Both Masters (10 points and 11 assists) and Harris (season-high 32 points and 14 rebounds) finished with double-doubles for the Tomahawks.

“Jessica distributed the ball so well … Harris keeps getting better and better every game,” Tomahawks head coach Julie Martin said.

Harris’ 32 points were six better than her previous season-high set Tuesday against Arlington.

In the second overtime, it was all Oak Harbor (6-2, 9-3) as the Wildcats built an eight-point advantage.

Four-foot-11 guard Cheyenne Tubo scored the first five points and Denmon added an offensive putback putting the Wildcats up 74-66.

That didn’t stop the Tomahawks from pushing for a third OT.

Masters hit a 3-pointer that cut the lead to five and Nicole Peterson followed with a second 3-pointer cutting the Wildcats lead to 74-72. Marysville’s Shaelei Lucas drained the third Tomahawks 3-pointer of the overtime, cutting the Wildcats’ lead to 76-75. The Tomahawks remarkable comeback ended after two turnovers in the final 19 seconds and Smollack and Denmon put the final touches on an Oak Harbor victory by sinking 3-of-4 free throws.

“I feel worn out,” McLeod joked after coaching his first overtime game in six seasons at Oak Harbor.

Despite the loss, Martin praised the way her Tomahawks played saying, “What a game. It’s a huge step for us, as a team. I’m so pleased with how they played. Even though we came away with a loss it was huge because we played better as a team. We fought really hard.”

The Tomahawks jumped out to an 11-0 first-quarter lead and led comfortably for most of the second quarter before two Denmon 3-pointers late in the second quarter sent the Wildcats down 24-22 at the half.

Harris scored 14 of her 22 second-half points in the fourth quarter as the teams battled back and forth down the stretch.

“By the fourth quarter, when it started to get even, (the game) began to feel like playoff atmosphere,” McLeod said.

Smollack added 24 points and 10 rebounds for Oak Harbor.

Lucas and Peterson both contributed 13 points for Marysville in the loss.

At Marysville-Pilchuck H.S.

O. Harb.7151325613—79

M-P186162069—75

Oak Harbor — Baeyen 13, Denmon 23, Henrickson 2, Jansen 5, R. Smith, Smollack 24, Thiel 2, Tubo 10. Marysville-Pilchuck — Enberg 4, Fordon, Harris 32, Heckendorf 1, Lucas 13, Masters 10, Peterson 13, West 2. 3-point goals — Baeyen 4, Denmon 6, Tubo 2, Lucas 1, Master 2, Peterson 3. Records — Oak Harbor 6-2 league, 9-3 overall. M-P 4-4, 9-4.