MARYSVILLE
Erin Feeney refused to fold under the pressure of a big game.
Feeney, the starting point guard for the Jackson girls basketball team, overcame a poor start and helped lead the Timberwolves into the 4A state tournament with a 51-46 win over Oak Harbor in the third-place game of the 4A District 1 tournament Feb. 27 at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
Oak Harbor (15-7 overall) was playing its second-straight game without 5-foot-11 junior forward Nicole Mowbray, who scored the game winner in a 52-51 Oak Harbor win on Feb. 18 at Jackson. Mowbray suffered a dislocated jaw against Kamiak in the tournament’s second round.
“I think it was big,” Oak Harbor head coach Brett McLeod said of being without his third-leading scorer. “There were definitely some matchup issues.”
Oak Harbor was eliminated from postseason play.
Meanwhile, Jackson’s Feeney struggled to set the offense and control her game. The 5-foot-8 junior turned the ball over a handful of times and was called for two offensive fouls in the first three quarters. But none of that deterred the floor general.
“I could tell she was frustrated,” Jackson head coach Jeannie Thompson said. “…I let her know she could do it … she helped lead us to the win.”
Feeney hit two big 3-pointers and relaxed to control the tempo in a crucial fourth quarter for the Timberwolves (20-4).
Behind 30-29 at the start of the fourth, Feeney hit a 3-pointer to give Jackson the lead 32-30, but she picked up her fourth foul a minute later with 5:53 remaining. Thompson opted to gamble and left Feeney in the game.
Thompson said she thought about taking Feeney out “for about a second.”
“I told her to play the smartest you’ve ever played,” Thompson said.
Feeney helped lead a 22-point effort in the fourth quarter. Teammates Chanel Sam and Leigh-Ann Haataja grabbed big offensive rebounds and gave Jackson multiple second-chance opportunities. Sam finished with a team-high 14 points, including six in the fourth quarter.
“In the second half, we needed that,” Thompson said of the extra looks at the basket.
Sam, Kristin Stoffel and Megan McArthur shouldered much of the scoring load while Feeney worked back into the game. Jackson benefitted from a 14-2 run, sparked by a McArthur 3-pointer, in the second quarter for a 21-15 halftime lead.
“I kept my head in it, it’s not all about scoring,” Feeney said. “It’s a team game and I know that.”
Asked if she was surprised when Thompson left her in the game after picking up her fourth foul, Feeney said she knew what was expected of her.
“In a way, yeah, but no – she (Thompson) wants me to be a leader,” Feeney said. “I’m glad she kept me in.”
Jessica Denmon, Oak Harbor’s leader, was a scoring machine in the first half. Denmon scored 11 of the Wildcats’ 15 first-half points; she finished the game with 18. Jennifer Jansen pitched in 14 points and 17 rebounds.
“She had some moments,” McLeod said. “That’s rough when you have to play the whole 32 minutes in such a big game.”
McLeod, glad that his team had overcome a season filled with adversity to make it deep into the tournament, said he wasn’t surprised by Thompson’s decision to stay with Feeney.
“I’ve seen them do that before,” McLeod said. “In a big game like this you want your best player on the floor … she hit some amazing shots.”
Mark Nelson writes for The Herald in Everett.
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