Defense key for Mustangs and Blue Bulldogs - Sutherlin wins 28-26 with last 4 free throws, for their only lead!

The Hidden Valley Mustangs (23-4) ride the state’s top defense into the title game, against the Sutherlin Blue Bulldogs (22-5), who gave up only 32 to upset top ranked Cottage Grove, and 19 to Stayton.

The Mustangs held Marist to 32 points, and have given up only 90 in 3 post season games, all against ranked opponents.

The Bulldogs are riding a 13 game winning streak into the title game, despite not having a senior on the team.

The post players, the Mustang's Haley Fikso and the Bulldogs' Far West Player of the Year Tess Bennett, both juniors, anchor their teams, but the athletic Fikso and the powerful Bennett are complete contrasts. Which one will prevail in setting the style?

And finally, it's feeling like a state tournament as the Bulldogs and Mustangs come out!

1st. qtr.

Tip HV; Ashley Seal puts back the miss for the lead. Megan Swanson picks up the first foul, but a Bennett pass is picked off, and HV goes to the attack.

Even the Bulldog mascot plays D!

Foul on Bre Garcia, and Jamie Richardson makes it 3-0 @ 6:25.

Bennett is playing point; teams trade the ball in the middle.

Laura Silva takes advantage of Amanda Hutchings' foul for a 5-0 lead @ 5:47.

Travel Sierra Terrel-Perez. Time out Bulldogs @ 5:23.

Fikso makes it 7-0 down on the baseline; Randi Kostner stops the run; HV misses.

Bennett gets rolling, and its 4 straight for the Bluedogs.

Fikso misfires; Bennett can't get by Fikso. How is a tie up between 2 Bulldogs a tieup?

3 to go, HV finds Sam Edwards underneath, but she gets it blocked.

Misses both ways, Bennett blows by Fikso, but Laura Silva shuts it off.

Turnovers all around, HV attacks with 1 to go, but can't get in, so they pull out, hold for 1, and the BlueBulldogs don't come out.

The lights dim, and Edwards's jumper rims off. HV 7-4 after 1.

2nd. qtr.

Mustang ball, but Silva's 3 is an air ball out of bounds.

2 looks get a foul on Fikso @ 7:32, but Hutchings misses both. Bennett puts it back.

Block by the Bulldogs, Fikso almost with the steal, but out of bounds.

Steal Richardson, but she loses control of the dribble. So do the Bluedogs.

HV walks up @ 6:30, Fikso misses, foul Seal, and then Richardson, for HV. Time out Mustangs @ 6:14.

Steal Seals; foul Destiny Cowan. But Richardson misses both. RB Hutchings.

Lob in doesn't work, but still Sutherlin ball. Bennett fires an air ball; HV walks up 5:25 to go.

Travel Fikso. Bennett is trapped in backcourt, 10 second call.

Silva misses a 3, and HV is rewarded for a tackle with a possession. Back to the Bulldogs, but steal Richardson. Basket Seal, that doesn't go up for a minute.

Sutherlin can't connect, HV attacks with 3:30 left.

Megan Swanson's 3 misses, but another Richardson steal. Foul Jaqui Gilman for Sutherlin, turnovers both ways, then Richardson scores, and T-P fouls Fikso after another steal.

HV pulls it out and stands for almost a minute. Working it under a minute, and HV timeout with 47.2 to go.

HV is faster 1-5 than Sutherlin at this point.

HV holds for the last shot, but a Hutchings block forces a shot behind the backboard. Mustangs up 11-6 at the half.

Bennett and Seal lead scoring with 4(!). Again, first (or only) team to 20 probably has it in the bag. Just the defensive brawl that was advertised.

Sutherlin does have a 13-6 rebounding edge, but also 13 turnovers, 10 on HV steals, while HV has only 4 turnovers against them. That's Richardson's speed; she has 5 of the steals.

3rd. qtr.

Blue Bulldog ball, HV knocks it out. Twice. And kicks it. T-P cuts it to 11-8. HV foul on Silva, but steal Richardson.

Foul Bennett, Swanson makes only the second.

Kayla Evans goes coast to coast around a Kostner pick for 2; Richardson answers. Seal gets her second foul., ans so does Swanson. Tie up to HV.

Heather Webber gets a foul fighting thru a pick, but Bennett boards, and a 3 pulls the Blue dogs within 14-13.

Another HV steal, and turnover. Second foul on Richardson for HV.

Steal Seal, but 2 misses. HV timeout exactly at 4:00, up 14-13.

HV hung out on the perimeter, Seal misses a 3. Ball out of bouns, HV doesn' drop back, Richardson steals!

HV holds under 3 minutes to go. Richardson misses, but foul on Cowan with 2:16 left. Fikso makes only the second one.

T-P misses everything, HV holds for a minute, and Silva misses a 3, but third foul on Cowan on the RB. Steal Cowan, strip HV. Bennett ties it on the give and go. HV holds for 1, unchallenged, until they attack, and Richardson draws a foul on Weber with 1.3 left. Both fts fall for an HV 17-15 lead with 1 to go.

4th. qtr.

HV ball, and they hold for over a minute, and Swanson scores. Bennett answers fast.

HV works, works, works, down to 5:10, and Weber gets a foul inside. Silva's 3 misses, Hutchings fouls, and with 5 to go, Fikso is at the line in the bonus. Both go down. T-P with a putback the other way. HV's defense is now their ball control offense, as the Bulldogs have cracked the Mustang D. But they need the ball to do that.

Seals scores as we go to 3:40, foul the other way on Fikso. Weber sinks one, making it 23-20, and Sutherlin calls time. Weber sinks the other.

Bluedogs press, HV breaks it, and sets up again, as we go under 3. Bennett forces a 5 second turnover.

Bennett and Hutchings miss, but Bennett ties it. Richardson answer, and makes it 26-23 on Weber's foul.

Third foul on Fikso @ 2:09.

T-P puts back Kostner's miss, and a foul on Silva will give the Blue dogs a chance to tie it after the timeout @ 1:58. Tied at 26!

HV works to Silva, but she misses! Kostner ribs down the board! Time Out Bulldogs with 1:15 to go. Bluedogs have 1 time out left, HV 2.

Under a minute, Sutherlin works the perimeter. They are going to hold for 1. Foul Richardson with 23.3 left; Weber puts the Bluedogs up 28-26.

Time out HV with 19 seconds left.

Silva misses! Buzzer! Sutherlin wins 28-26!

Amanda Hutchings, one of 3 co-leaders on the boards, said "I don't even know what to say!"

Tess Bennett, the player of the game, who led the Bulldogs with 10 points, declared the feeling as "Amazing!"

Randi Kostner explained "The state championship is everybody's goal, but I did not even imagine this. We never dreamed of this this year!" 

Coach Josh Grotting said of the Blue Bulldogs' first ever girls State Championship, "These girls are amazing! Too bad Hidden Valley had to lose; it was such an intense game. But these girls deserve it."

As to whether the Bulldogs could complete the comeback, Coach Grotting explianed "We were down to Baker with 5 minutes to go too. I said then, and tonight, lets not beat ourselves. And the girls did something about it."

Neither Sierra Terel-Perez, who tied it with 2 free throws, nor Heather Weber, who gave the Bulldogs their only lead of the night with the winning free throws, admitted any pressure. T-P said "We just practice this every day. We knew we could do it." Weber said the winning free throws "Came natural. We work on this all the time."

Terel-Perez also credited the team "Working all summer." 

Hidden Valley Coach Mike Schaefer admitted "We just didn't execute. I should have called a timeout. But we had a good shot, it just didn't fall. Credit to Sutherlin, they finished the way they should."

Coach Grotting admitted "We were scared to death of their press! Initially, they had us stopped. Then we went with a different set, trying to free up Hutchings and Bennett for some give and gos. But then, everytime we would get close, they would come up with a huge shot!"

And it wasn't just the free throws. Kostner's rebound off Silva's missed jumper with the game tied was required, or there would have been no winning free throws. Kostner explained "I knew I had to have it, and hold on to it! Had to work hard for it!" 

And the victory was even more special, in the aftermath of school counselor Lindi Riley, who was lost last weekend. Coach Grotting explained "I probably had 25-30 messages today, expressing how much people appreciated what the team has done for the community with this week."

Bennett credited the win to "A lot of heart by our defense. And at half time, we said 'Let's do it for Lindi Riley.'" Coach Grotting commented "Maybe Lindi had something to do with those free throws."

Weber was sure of it, declaring "She was with us the whole way. We know she was." 

And with the entire team back, the memory of Lindi Reily might be in for another ride to the tournament next year!