‘Speechless.’ Barlow builds big lead against South Medford, hangs on for dear life late, clinches program’s 1st appearance in 6A girls basketball title game

By Paul Valencia | Photo by Taylor Balkom

The Barlow Bruins made school history Friday night.

Now, they want to be part of the state record book.

The Bruins never trailed in the state semifinals, but they also scared their fans throughout the fourth quarter as South Medford rallied to tie the score late in the Chiles Center.

No problem for the Bruins. They were clutch.

Annie Koenig made two free throws to put the Bruins up with 39 seconds to play and Lindsay Barden sealed the win with two more free throws with 10 seconds remaining. It all added up to a 44-42 Barlow victory in the 2022 OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A Girls Basketball State Tournament.

“That’s crazy,” Koenig said, thinking about what the Bruins just accomplished. “We worked so hard. I think each and every one of us put in so much work. This is really validating.” 

Koenig led the Bruins with 20 points. She was 4 for 8 from 3-point range. Kennedie Shuler added 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists. 

“It’s really crazy,” Barden added. “It’s something our school has never done, and for our team to be able to be here and be the team that makes it here … it is really big. We put in so much work, year-round, year after year, to get here.” 

Judging by seeding, not too many others saw the Bruins getting here.

In the past two nights, the No. 7-seed Bruins have topped No. 2 Jesuit and No. 3 South Medford. 

Up next for the Bruins? That would be No. 1 Beaverton. The teams, which split their two regular-season matchups, will play for everything at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. One program will win its first state championship. 

For a while Friday night, it looked like the Bruins were about to let this opportunity slip away. The patient Panthers kept working, kept playing defense, and eventually erased what was once a 15-point deficit.

Barlow tried to kill the clock for most of the fourth quarter. The Bruins were successful in terms of minutes fading away, but they also kept turning it over against the aggressive South Medford defense.

Get this: Koenig hit a 3-pointer with 7:31 left to give Barlow a 40-34 lead. That was the last official field goal attempt of the game for the Bruins.

The Bruins did not attempt a shot and hardly even got close to the basket in their next five possessions over six minutes, turning the ball over on each possession. 

“They made a bunch of stops and got us rattled a little bit,” Shuler acknowledged. 

South Medford chipped away at the lead. A couple free throws from Lottie Dillard made it 40-36 with 6:51 to play. Four minutes later, Donovyn Hunter scored to make it 40-38. After another Barlow turnover, Hunter scored to tie it with 1:24 left. 

Barlow had yet another turnover on the next possession. South Medford missed a shot.

And for the first time in 6 minutes, 52 seconds, the Bruins put up a shot toward the basket. Koenig was fouled (no official shot attempt) and went to the line.

“It’s a little nerve-racking, but it really is just you and the ball,” Koenig said. “You focus in, take a deep breath, and you do your best.” 

She also said that even when things weren’t going well for the Bruins, they never lost their composure.

“It’s a crazy situation, but we’re in it as a team, and we finish it as a team,” Koenig said.

“This whole game is leaving me speechless,” Barden said.

South Medford missed on its attempt to tie the score again. Barden was fouled with 10.9 seconds left. 

“You’re just stepping up there and doing what you can,” Barden said. “That’s what anyone who goes to the free throw line is thinking: You’ve got to make your free throws.”

Swish. Swish.

“They felt good,” Barden said.

South Medford scored in the closing seconds to make it a two-point game.

The horn sounded, setting off a Barlow-is-going-to-the-championship-game celebration that had never happened before Friday night.

“It means so much to us,” Shuler said. “We’re just playing so well together. This is an amazing feeling.” 

South Medford coach Tom Cole told his players to keep their heads up after that battle.

“It hurts. But there are a lot of things to be proud about,” Cole said. “I was really proud that they didn’t give up. They fought until the very end. The momentum shifted our way. Unfortunately, clock was not on our side.”

He wants his players to learn from this outcome.

“Gotta remember these moments and motivate you in the future,” he said.

South Medford (24-4) will face Clackamas for third place at 6:45 p.m. Saturday. 

Hunter had game-highs of 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Panthers.

Cole also noted that while the score was tied in the fourth quarter, the team’s slow start was as much to blame for the loss as anything that happened down the stretch. 

Barlow made four 3-pointers in the first quarter to jump out to a 15-5 lead. The Bruins pushed the advantage to 15 midway through the second quarter and led by 11 at the break.

The Panthers battled all the way to tie the score with 1:24 to play, but the Bruins, as Koenig said, got the job done.

Next for the Bruins is the third matchup of the season with Beaverton.

“Beaverton is a great, great squad,” Shuler said. “We just have to come out and play our game and do our best. I think we’re ready for it.”