Eagles fall to Hilanders after Tayla Woods fouls out

By Jesse Sowa

Albany Democrat-Herald

SALEM - There was no storybook ending on this night.

Santiam Christian had reached the 3A girls basketball state tournament for the first time in eight years and made it to the title game, but taking that last step wasn't to be.

The Eagles lost contact with Burns in the second half, eventually falling 42-32 in the 3A championship game at Willamette University.

It didn't help that junior guard Tayla Woods, SC's star guard, fouled out with 5:43 remaining and the Eagles trailing 31-24.

But SC (26-2) made a game of it, scoring seven straight and closing within 34-31 on Nicole Barton's conventional three-point play with 1:53 left.

Burns (24-2) pulled away from there, though, hitting five of six at the free-throw line in the last 35 seconds.

"The highs and lows, you just have to work your way through it, and I think tonight we were just a little late working our way through the lows," said Woods, who scored 13 points and was a unanimous first-team all-tournament selection by the tournament's coaches.

The game was full of highs and lows for both teams.

Santiam Christian scored the first six points, holding Burns scoreless for more than five minutes. The Hilanders answered with the last nine of the first quarter and the first four of the second to lead 13-6.

Then it was the Eagles' turn again, with Woods scoring six in a 10-0 run that put SC back ahead 16-13. Burns scored the last four of the half to take a 17-16 lead.

The third quarter was a slow one for the Eagles. They scored the first three points of the period in the opening three minutes but didn't score again until Woods' 3-point play with one second left made it 29-22, Burns.

Woods opened the fourth by blocking a shot on the defensive end and scoring from about 15 feet on the other.

But that was as close as SC would get. Woods entered the fourth with three fouls and quickly picked up her fourth and fifth. It marked the first time in three years on varsity she had fouled out.

"That was huge," Burns coach Alice Herauf said of Woods leaving the game. "We were trying to get the charges drawn because we'd try to get in front of her. She's a tremendous, tremendous player."

As hard as the Eagles battled from there, it was Burns claiming its third state title in the last six seasons. The Hilanders have now placed at state seven straight years.

"I'm super proud of them," SC coach Melissa McLain said of her team, which was ranked first in the 3A coaches poll most of the season. "They've been working hard all season. This season has not been about me, I wanted it so bad for them, and I'm just really excited they got here. But I just really hurt for them."

Woods was the high scorer in the tournament with 64 points in three games. She added four rebounds and three assists to her 13 points. Barton was selected to the all-tournament second team after scoring 10 points Saturday.

Mattea Zabala had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Burns.

McLain made the state championship game as a junior and senior at SC, in 1997 and 1998.

She reminded her underclassmen of that after the game and the feelings she had after losing the title as a player.

"It's not easy to come back, it's going to take a lot of work," she said. "It's not November to February, it's what you do in the offseason."

Senior Rachel Kubler, who had four points and seven rebounds, said she has confidence in the younger players to make it happen.

"They have that state experience, and they know how it works and they should be able to come back and do it better," she said.

Burns 42, Santiam 32

BURNS 9 8 12 13 - 42

SANTIAM CHRISTIAN 6 10 6 10 - 32

Burns: Mattea Zabala 18, Toney 10, Schouviller 6, Lee 4, Ribeiro 2, Higle 2; Siegner. Totals 14-33 13-16 42

Santiam Christian: Tayla Woods 13, Barton 10, Kubler 4, Boersma 2, Kummer 2, Davis 1, Herrold, Land, Janelle, D. Woods. Totals 12-39 8-13 32