Kingma (who else?) scores game-winner in Jackson win

Published 11:22 pm Tuesday, February 12, 2008

MILL CREEK — Oak Harbor had Jackson right where it wanted in a first-round Class 4A District 1 contest Tuesday night.

There were just two things standing in the Wildcats’ way — Kristi Kingma, and her four-year memory of sweat.

Combined, those two became heroic in the final seconds, as Kingma drained a 15-foot jumper with nine seconds remaining, giving Jackson a 55-53 victory and breaking Oak Harbor’s collective heart.

“When the ball went up in the air, I just thought, ‘Four years, four years,’” Kingma said. “I’ve put too much time in, the seniors have put too much time in, for us to lose. We had to get a win.”

Kingma showcased that refuse-to-lose attitude from the tip. She scored 16 points in the first half, then had all 11 of the Timberwolves’ fourth-period total, to finish with 34.

So, with the score tied at 53 and just 39 seconds left, the final decision for Jackson head coach Jeannie Thompson was a no-brainer. During a timeout, she instructed the Timberwolves to go to a 4-low offense, spreading the court for Kingma to simply do as she wished with the biggest possession of the night.

Oak Harbor was ready, but even two defenders couldn’t stop Kingma from spinning to the free-throw line and sinking her signature fade-away jumper.

“We have so much confidence in Kristi. We ran that so she could either knock down a shot or pass to one of her teammates,” Thompson said. “Either way, we felt good about the shot we were going to get.

“Anytime you hit a big shot to win a game, it makes your heart beat. I told them it was a good thing I was young, because that could’ve given me a heart attack.”

At several points in the game, it seemed unlikely Jackson would need heroics to win. The Timberwolves used a 7-0 run to start the second half and grab a 40-31 lead and were still ahead by six early in the fourth.

But Oak Harbor made its move at just the right time. After a Kingma jumper gave Jackson a 53-48 lead with 2:35 left, Clair Thiel got a putback and Janey Baeyen stole a pass and hit a running jumper to make it a 53-52 game.

The Wildcats had a chance to take the lead late, but as Mietra Smollack was fouled, she twisted an ankle. Hobbling at the free-throw line, she was able to make one of two and tie the game with 39 seconds remaining.

Kingma ran the shot clock all the way down, before hitting the game-winner. Jackson’s Chanel Sam then stole a long pass down court to thwart Oak Harbor’s final chance at the buzzer and allow Jackson’s seniors to sleep well tonight.

“Every game is exciting when you get a win. But being a senior and a playoff game, it definitely makes it more exciting,” Kingma said. “When that last shot went in, I just said, ‘Yes.’”

Kingma scored 34 points and was 14-for-21 shooting from the field. She was the only Jackson player to score in double figures.

Smollack led Oak Harbor with 14.

At Jackson H.S.

Oak Harbor1516913—53

Jackson17161111—55

Oak Harbor—Smollack 14, Denmon 11, Thiel 8, Baeyen 8, Jansen 6, Tubo 5. Jackson—Kingma 34, Feeney 9, Bruns 7, Kirton 3, Sam 2, Todd, O’Neal. 3-point goals—Kingma 3, Feeney 3, Denmon 3, Smollack 1, Bruns 1. Team records—Jackson 21-1 overall. Oak Harbor 14-8.