Lady Vikings fall to Pirates, defeat Falcons

June 16, 2021 — Last week, Siuslaw’s girls’ basketball team played two games, traveling to Marshfield on Tuesday, June 8, and falling to the Pirates 25-46, but returning home on Thursday, June 10, to play Elmira for a rematch. They defeated the Falcons soundly 46-14 in their highest scoring game of the season.

“Our defense was really good on Tuesday, and we knew we had to keep that up,” said Coach Ashlee Cole. “Going into the day, we knew we were a better team and the last time we played them, it should have been a bigger deficit. So, we knew we couldn't drop down to their level, which I think we did a really good job of in this game. We played our own game, and we just put the pressure to them.” 

The girls came out with everything they had from the get-go, wasting no time getting out in front of the Falcons early on.

“Before the game they wrote on the board, ‘high intensity,’ so that was one of the main keys that they were looking for today,” said Cole. “And they definitely brought it. That was the second time we ran that press, and tonight, it looked like we ran it for three years. We knew we could beat them with it, so we figured, why not? And it definitely worked in our favor.”

The girls were ahead at the end of the first quarter 9-2, with 5 points coming from Gracie Perkins, who had a beautiful three-pointer at the start of the quarter.

They continued the fight into the second quarter, never letting up on the gas and maintaining the pressure on Elmira throughout. 

“Normally we’re a second-half team, but we really pulled through in the first half this time,” said freshman guard Jane Lacouture. “Everyone on the team had a great game.”

Siuslaw was ahead 27-6 at halftime, with Gracie Freudenthal picking up 12 points in that quarter alone from the low post.

In the second half, the Lady Viks pushed on and increased their lead by another 10 points in the third quarter, finishing 41-10. Freudenthal had 6 points and Brea Blankenship scored 7, including a three-pointer.

With Siuslaw’s lead being over 30 points, the Mercy Rule kicked in for the fourth quarter, prompting the clock to run for the remainder of the game. Blankenship scored the last 5 points for the Lady Viks with a steal that led to a fast break for a layup, and another three-pointer leading to the final score being 46-14.

“It was the best all-around game we’ve had, and there was a lot of good teamwork,” said Lacouture. “Everyone got a lot of playing time, and there was no one MVP on the team; everyone worked hard and played their best.”

In addition to Blankenship, Freudenthal and Perkins’ points, Haylee Cole had 2 points and Makayla Freeman and Jasmine Bledsoe each had 1.

“This was Gracie’s fourth double-double in a row,” said the coach. “She had 20 points and 10 rebounds tonight. Brea also had a killer game and a double-double as well with 17 points and 10 steals. She was definitely working hard for it.”

The two seniors will be dearly missed after finishing this week’s remaining games.

“Brea and Gracie are two peas in a pod, and they have really stepped up,” said Coach Cole. “They're taking these kids under their wing, and we’ve got a young team, so that's what they need. They're really stepping up and being the leaders that the team needs. It's really good to see!”

The Lady Viks played Junction City on Tuesday with results coming in after printing deadlines. Their final games are at home on Thursday, June 17, against Cottage Grove at 5:45 p.m. and on Friday, June 18, against Bandon at 1:30 p.m., which will be their Senior Night celebration.