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

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The Apollos were tough in the early going too, getting two hoops from Lauren Eickelberg and points from five other players to lead 13-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Sunset kept that up in the second quarter too. Santucci got Southridge back to even at 13-13 with a three-point play early in the period, but the Apollos answered with a six-point run that included four straight points from Potter and two Olson free throws to make it 19-13 with 3 minutes, 25 seconds left in the half.

But Southridge put the brakes on Sunset’s fun then and there. Sunset turned the ball over five times in the final two minutes of the half and scored just three more points, while Southridge got two McKenzie Dalthorp free throws, a three-pointer from Johnson, a fastbreak hoop by Aubrey Ashenfelter, an Allison Greene foul shot and a Johnson steal and breakaway for a 23-22 lead at halftime.

The Skyhawks kept that roll going in the third quarter too, opening the half on a 14-8 run that extended their lead to 37-30 when Greene hit once from the free throw line with 3:21 to go in the period. Included in that run was an inside hoop by Dalthorp, two Kaley Vincent free throws, another Johnson “three,” two Greene foul shots, a Santucci putback and another Johnson steal and breakaway.

“Once someone got a steal, we fed off that energy and kept going,” Johnson said.

“We slowed down. We had fewer turnovers and we were smart about what we were doing,” Santucci said. “We just got into a rhythm – things were rolling.”

“We played a great first half, but there was a three or four-minute run there where they pressed and we had turnovers and they got a six or seven-point lead,” said Sunset coach Bill Priester. “With a talented team like that, after being ahead so long, it made it tough to come back.”

Sunset was still within five points late in the third quarter, but boosted that edge to 10 — at 47-37 on Allie Brock’s inside bucket on the first possession of the fourth — and never led by less than eight points the rest of the way.

For the game, Johnson hit 7-of-14 shots from the floor (including two “threes”) and 1-of-2 free throws, and added five steals and three assists. Santucci went 5-of-8 with two three-point plays. The Skyhawks turned the ball over 17 times and forced 20 Sunset TOs.

For Sunset, Potter connected on 3-of-8 shots from the field and 6-of-9 foul shots, and Olson made 3-of-6 shots from the floor and 4-of-5 foul shots.

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