By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

STAYTON, Ore.– The Stayton girls team started the game well and played the second half with the same intensity.

But, it was the second quarter that set the pace for the Eagles game versus Seaside as the Seagulls took a 49-33 victory from host Stayton.

“At some points we played good basketball,” said Eagle Head Coach Melissa Hollenbeck,  “But also in other points we didn’t play our very best and make good decisions.”

But Hollenbeck knows that facing a Top 10 team like Seaside is at number eight, it’ll play dividens come Oregon West Conference time in a few days in terms of knowing how they can improve against teams like the Seagulls.

“It’s good to face a team like this in our preseason and get a game under our belts with a tough team,” she said.  “(To) be able to know that we got to make changes and we got to adapt.  We got to be able to handle ourselves on the court.

“There were glimpses of it but I would want us to do a little bit better of taking care of the basketball.”

For most of the first quarter, both teams battled for the ball and were trying to get the upper hand either on the ground, by the hoop or reading and reacting to the other team’s passes.

Up 10-5 the physical environment enter the second quarter, Seaside used turnovers from their trap defense to help set up a 16-7 second quarter to enter halftime up 26-12.

Hollenback cites mental focus and it leading to poor decisions while on offense.

“We just had mental lapses, making poor decisions,” described Hollenbeck on the second quarter. “Seaside has always done that same trap since Matti Utti been there.

“They do it very nice and their tough and we got to be able to adapt to that.  Seeing that is good for us now to help us out later on in the season.”

Utti is the Seagulls 5’10 junior guard and set the pace in the second frame as she finished with 29 points in the contest.

Making adjustments in the second half, the Eagles were back in full strength with by the fourth quarter with their game plan and following the motto of never giving up and finishing as strong as you can.

“That’s been one of our big mottos, no matter what the score is your never going to give up,” said Hollenbeck.  “That’s with everything in life, you can’t give up.

“You’ve got to show that on the court.  The girls came out and I was impressed with how much they still have left to put forth.”

The Stayton girls matched the Seagulls 10 points while their aggressive play on defense held them to their output of the first quarter as they now turn their focus to the third place game of the SCTC Holiday Tournament Wednesday afternoon at 3pm.

BOX SCORE

1st       2nd       3rd        4th      Final

Stayton           5          7           11        10        33

Seaside           10       16          13        10        49

Stayton:  Alyssa Lindemann 12, Doran 9, Hendricks 4, Shelton 3, Anderson 2, Ikea-Mario 1 E. Lindemann.  Total:  33

Seaside:  Maddi Utti 29, Ideve 7, Bodner 4, Brown 3, West 2, Westerholm 2, Villegas 2,Smart, Ideve, Trott.  Total:  49

3pt Goals: Seaside : Utti 2.  Stayton; Doran 3, A. Lindemann 1.

Jeremy McDonald is a professional sports journalist in the Salem/Portland area and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalist in Oregon with B.S. degrees from Southern Oregon University in Journalism (2011) and Health/PE (2013).  Got a story idea? Email him at jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com or on Twitter at @J_McDonald81!

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