By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SHERWOOD, Ore.–  It wasn’t a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination, but the West Salem Girls Basketball team finally got over the hump and got their first win of the season.  Squeaking by Sherwood 31-29 on the heels of three tough games previously.

Both squads’ defenses played solid.  Offense was at a premium.  The two didn’t crack 20-points until the fourth quarter, the Titans leading 21-19 going into the final frame with the Bowman following soon after.

Communication was big points Lizzy Bennett, who led West Salem with 11 points.  With how close the game was throughout the night, it came down to just staying with it for the full 32-minutes.

“It was close the entire game.  We just had to make sure we stayed in every play, communicated with each other, and kept each other active.  Just communicating was a big part of the game for us,” said Bennett.

Not having a tall team, that communication is key.  Defensively, it was there for the help side defense.  The Titans held Ava Heiden to three points, a key vocal point in their game plan in Wednesday’s game.

“I think that was the main reason why we won,” Bennett starts.  “We weren’t scoring very much and our shots weren’t falling, so we knew we had to get it back on defense.  Every play just communicating and going hard was important.

Baylee Butler, who finished with ten points in the victory, was the difference maker in the two-point victory.  Scoring four of her five fourth quarter points in the final 18.7 seconds of the game to help lift West Salem to their first victory of the season.

Knowing how big the win is, the Titans too know they have a lot to work on moving into their game Saturday against Sheldon at the Moda Center in Portland at 2pm.

“It was a low scoring game and we have a lot of things to work on,” Butler said.  “But we just needed to get that chip off our shoulders of not winning in three games and get this one and move on to the next one.

“We just need to know what we’re doing on offense.  We’re running into each other and it shows how much spacing is a big thing in our offense.  We just need our heads up, look, get up and get the best shot for our team.”

Olivia Garland scored four points, Mya Adams and Madi Diaz each contributed two each.

Photos By Jeremy McDonald