Jazzy Davidson, Clackamas outlast Annie Koenig, Barlow, tie Bruins atop Mt. Hood Conference standings

By Dave Ball | Photos by Dave Ball

CLACKAMAS — The Clackamas girls basketball team raced to a double-digit lead in the game’s opening minutes and pushed back every Barlow challenge to score a 65-58 home win in Wednesday’s clash of Mt. Hood Conference titans.

Barlow’s final tug on the rope came early in the fourth quarter when guard Annie Koenig used an up-and-under move to get past 6-foot-1 Jazzy Davidson for a layup that cut it to a one-possession game at 53-50.

“We worked really hard to get back into the game, but every time we tried to get over the hump, they came up with good offense and were able to knock us back down,” Koenig said.

A few minutes later, Davidson came up with a steal and dribbled down the middle of the court. She drew the defense as she approached the 3-point arc and fired a pass over the top that hit fellow freshman Reyce Mogel in stride for a layup.

The Cavaliers were back up 10 with 4:40 on the clock.

“It gets nerve-racking when a team that good closes in on you,” Davidson said. “We had to communicate and lock down on defense.”

Clackamas maintained its edge down the stretch when another freshman, Dylan Mogel, chased down a long rebound and headed the other way. She put on a hesitation move at the 3-point arc, split two Bruins defenders and continued unhindered to the hoop for an easy two.

Barlow got within 63-58 as the clock rolled under a minute when guard Kennedie Shuler tracked down an offensive board along the baseline, dribbled into the corner, twisted and fired a cross-court pass to Lindsay Barden, who buried an open 3-pointer.

Those proved to be the Bruins’ final points.

Davidson paced Clackamas with 28 points, putting up seven baskets in the second half.

“My teammates set some great screens and did a great job getting me into the open,” Davidson said.

The teams split the regular-season series with Clackamas improving to 17-2, while Barlow is at 15-3. They’re both 7-1 in conference play.

“It’s been awesome to see the girls progress over the past month since the last time we played Barlow,” Clackamas coach Korey Landolt said.

Clackamas started fast when Avery Peterson swatted loose a steal and found Dylan Mogel alone at the top of the arc for a 3-pointer. Moments later, Dylan Mogel lost her defender with a crossover move and drove the lane for a layup. The next trip saw Peterson spin through traffic to finish at the front of the rim.

Clackamas was up 10-0 with the game barely three minutes old.

“We had slow starts in both of our losses, so that’s been a focus for us over the past few weeks,” Landolt said. “We came out, executed and were running what we really wanted to do.”

The Bruins closed to within four points, but Clackamas opened it back up when Eliza Buerk rolled to the hoop for a layup that put all five starters in the scoring column early in the second quarter.

Liv Shackleton and Sara Barhoum each hit a 3-pointer late in the half to send the Cavaliers to the locker room up 38-30.

Barlow tugged close once again in the third quarter.

Koenig knocked down a 3-pointer from the right side, then absorbed a bump in the lane on the team’s next trip and added two free throws to bring the Bruins within four.

Koenig finished with a game-high 31 points.

“My teammates were doing a great job finding me, and we shared the ball well,” Koenig said. “This game will definitely be motivation for us to come out stronger every game.”

Clackamas answered when Ella Shackleton drove into the paint, lost the ball for a split-second, regained control and put up a shot backward over her head that found its way through the net.

“I lost the ball for a minute, but I didn’t feel anyone on me. I saw the basket, and I put the ball up there,” Shackleton said. “We know they have some good shooters and aggressive finishers, so anytime they got on a run, we knew we had to have an answer.”

The Cavaliers took a 53-45 lead to the fourth quarter.

Barlow was without starting guard Melanie Hiu, who missed the game because of illness.