Audrey Adams puts up a shot after grabbing an offensive rebound for Woodland Thursday at Columbia River High School. Adams finished with 11 points and 18 rebounds for the Beavers, but the Chieftains won 51-46.
Although the Woodland High School girls basketball team couldn’t keep Columbia River from grabbing sole possession of second place in league Jan. 30, the Beavers did everything they could to try and win the game.
Kaija Olson, Kaily Christensen and Payten Foster netted 3-pointers to get Woodland within five points of Columbia River during the final minute, but the Chieftains prevailed 51-46. Foster led the Beavers with 12 points, but they couldn’t stop Columbia River’s Sydney Flores-Tucker and Jordan Ryan. Flores-Tucker delivered 18 points on four threes and Ryan added 16 points to go with six blocks.
“We found our groove toward the end. I wish that would have happened the whole game, but we’ll get them again,” said Woodland senior Audrey Adams. “If there’s something about our team, our heart defines it. Us loving to play together in the one thing we all have in common.”
Adams grabbed 18 rebounds to give the Beavers a lot of second and third chances. She scored most of her 11 points from the foul line. Nicole Guthrie notched 11 points and 16 rebounds for Woodland.
“I’m obviously not that tall,” said the 5-foot, 7-inch Adams. “That’s a big motivation. Get those boards and kick it back out. That’s where we get most of our points.”
Woodland jumped out to a 9-3 lead at the start of the game, but several turnovers allowed Columbia River to tie the score before halftime. The Chieftains outscored the Beavers 30-21 in the second and third quarters and led by as many as 12 points in the fourth.
“We love to push the floor and move fast,” Adams said. “Sometimes, things like that happen.”
The Reflector went to press before Monday’s league games. As of deadline, Columbia River (7-4) stood all alone in second place, Woodland (6-5) was third, and Hockinson (5-6) and Ridgefield (5-6) were tied for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Adams hopes the Beavers get one more game against Columbia River in a tiebreaker for second place. She’s making up for lost time on the court after studying abroad in Brazil for eight months during her junior year.
“Basketball is my favorite thing. I didn’t get to play last year so this is the highlight of my senior year,” Adams said. “I just love to play. Ideally, I would never stop.”
