Hawks fly past scrappy Sunset

Sunset challenges early but fades under Southridge’s intense pressure

By Miles Vance

The Beaverton Valley Times, Feb 4, 2010

FLAT OUT — Southridge’s McKenzie Dalthorp (center) dives for a loose ball while Sunset’s Candace Richard (left) and Nora Rost also give chase in the Skyyhawks’ Metro League victory at Southridge High School.

Miles Vance / Beaverton Valley Times

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BEAVERTON – There are no easy nights among the best teams in the 2010 Metro League girls basketball race.

And a bad quarter can kill just as quickly.

Sunset’s girls found that out the hard way on Jan. 27 when they saw a six-point first-half lead wiped out in a disastrous eight-minute stretch that allowed Southridge to roar back and win 56-46 at Southridge High School. The victory — along with a 79-38 win over Aloha on Friday — kept the Skyhawks in sole possession of first place in league at 7-0 (14-2 overall).

“The first half we didn’t have any energy whatsoever,” explained Southridge senior Dominique Johnson, who led all scorers with 17 points. “In the second half, we brought up the tempo and just got all over them and kept going with it.”

“We just came out in the second half, tried to get after people, tried to play hard and keep doing what we were doing,” added Skyhawk senior Nicole Santucci, who added 12 points in the victory.

Sunset, meanwhile, lost again on Friday in a 53-43 upset by Westview and fell to 3-4 in league (8-8 overall) and a third-place tie with Beaverton and Westview.

Southridge played “hard 32 minutes and we go really hard for five minutes, and then maybe we get tired and we’re off for maybe two minutes, so we just need to be more consistent with how hard we go,” said Sunset senior Lexie Olson, who scored 10 points in the loss.

“In the second half, they were more successful because they figured out what we were doing, what our strengths and weaknesses were, and I think they have more depth than we do,” added Sunset senior Samantha Potter, who led her team with 12 points.

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