After a double digit comeback and close finish against the Eagle Point Lady Eagles last Thursday, the path did not get any easier for coach Schofield and the Lady Bruins hosting the 7-4 Nyssa Lady Bulldogs in the first round of the 3A Girls varsity basketball championship tournament.
Nyssa, a small town of about 3,200 people bordering the Snake River in mid-eastern Oregon, made the trip to Brookings Tuesday featuring a 7-4 overall record and a listed 6’5″ center. Coach Schofield and the Lady Bruins had to neutralize the center as much as possible with out getting into foul trouble as well as be productive on offensive and defensive rebounding.
“Again, just like the Lady Eagles the week before and the Lady Bruins themselves, Nyssa played a 2-3 zone with a trap out of the press, but the Lady Bulldogs ran out of defensive misses, throwing over the transition defense for fast break opportunities, capitalizing on missed shots to take an 6-13 at midway point of the 1st period first period.
The battle down low was fierce, from whistle to whistle as both teams battled for position under the basket and tried to break down eaches interior defenses driving to the basket. The Lady Bruins had 3 shooters on the scoreboard in the first led by senior forward #00 Sierra Fitzhugh who hit two baskets and free-throw for 5 points, senior Shelby Jirsa #5 hit a 3 and sophomore Ashlyn Schofield #44 scored.
Starting the 2nd trailing 10-13, the Lady Bruins upped the tempo, pressing the Lady Eagles who continued to throw over the top for fast breaks and finding the outside shot out of their base offense. The 6’5″ Lady Bulldog center Gracie Johnson #3 hit three baskets off of rebounds and the Nyssa guards hit three 3 pointers in the 2nd period.
Unlucky bounces and shots rolling off the rim plagued the Lady Bruins in a period where with the exception of a senior #1 Lexi Schofield free-throw, Fitzhugh led all scorers in the period after dropping a 3 pointer, a basket and going 4 of 6 from the foul line. But the 15 points from Nyssa sent the Lady Bruins to locker room trailing 20-28 at the half.
In the 3rd, coach Schofield made his adjustments, and the Lady Bruins executed, closing off the inside to the Nyssa center, and holding the Lady Bulldogs to just 8 points from two Nyssa scorers.
But again, the Lady Bruin shooting woes continued, however sophomore Ashlyn Schofield and sophomore Marissa Scott #34 forced the Lady Eagles to deny the inside basket and Ashlyn Schofield stepped behind the arc and hit a 3, forcing the defense to respect her outside shot as well, allowing her to hit inside for 5 points in the period. However Nyssa had no answer for Fitzhugh but to beat her up on her way to basket and send her to the foul line after she led all scorers again in the 3rd with two baskets a 3 pointer and 3 of 4 from the foul-line for 10 points in the period.
Now tied at 36-36 to start the 4th, a frantic defensive battle broke out in the paint as every rebound and shot could mean the game. Missed shots and rebounding by both teams dominated the 4th as both teams worked to a 43-43 tie with less than a minute to play. A 3 pointer and basket from Fitzhugh with a free-throw matched the Lady Bulldogs down to the final 10 seconds.
Excellent Lady Bruin defense would stop a Lady Eagle shot, but an out of bounds call would give the Lady Eagles the ball back on their baseline with seconds left where they would hit a 3 pointer to take a 43-46 lead with 2.5 seconds left in the game.
The final play of the game would go to Fitzhugh, who led all scorers in the game with 29 points. Fitzhugh worked the ball across the half way line and got off a challenged 3 point attempt with less than a second on the clock, that rolled off the rim as time ran out, sending the Lady Bulldogs on to the next round.
Talking with a disappointed but proud coach Schofield after the game, he told the Compass “I was proud of our girls and their effort. We really struggled to find any rhythm offensively in the first 2 1/2 quarters.” he said. “Kids on both sides made some huge plays and shots. We missed too many free throws. And had four or five shots roll in and out. They just made one more at the worst time for us. It was a tough way to lose,” he continued, “but I couldn’t be prouder of a group of girls. They were strong and resilient all year long and made a great season in the midst of all this craziness.”
Congratulations to the Coach Schofield and the 2021 Lady Bruin Basketball team.
