5 takeaways from No. 1 Clackamas’ win over No. 2 Benson in girls basketball showdown: Are they destined to meet again in March?
Back and forth.
Up and down.
Momentum switching sides over and over again.
And, when that thrill ride finally came to an end, the Clackamas girls basketball team, the top-ranked squad in the Class 6A Oregon coaches poll, rallying from a six-point third-quarter deficit and fighting off a late-game Benson rally to earn a 69-64 win over the No. 2-ranked Techsters in an Open Division game at the Portland Office Automation Holiday Classic, played Friday at Franklin High School.
“It was a pretty rough game for us. But it was super fun,” said Clackamas junior Jazzy Davidson, who led all scorers with 24 points. “It’s always fun playing a super gritty team, which is super well-coached. We know we’re always going to get their best effort, so we have to put forth our best effort as well.”
“I think we did well,” said Clackamas junior Allie Roden, who had 17 points. “We executed what we wanted to do. It’s always difficult playing a good team like that. They’re physical, they’re skilled.”
Benson, while disappointed with the hard-fought loss, also was happy with its performance in the December showdown.
“I think it went well,” said Benson senior guard Mauriana Hashemian-Orr, who scored a team-high 21 points. “We had kind of a tough game last night (a 54-43 loss to Willamette), so this was our bounce-back game. We got back to how we play. It was a tough game, but I think we did good.”
“We lost, but it was a good fight,” said Techsters senior guard Eboni Clay, who scored 19 points. “I thought we all played really well, and we’ll get them next time.”
Clackamas improved to 4-1, while Benson moved to 3-2.
Here are five takeaways from Friday night’s matchup:
Cavaliers come back strong
For Clackamas, the Class 6A state champion, having to bounce back after a loss isn’t exactly a common occurrence.
In fact, before this season, the Cavaliers’ last setback was a 70-68 loss to Camas, Wash., on Dec. 29, 2022, at last year’s POA Holiday Classic.
But Clackamas tasted defeat again Thursday, when it fell 71-42 to California power Etiwanda. And, like they did last year, the Cavaliers were looking to respond in a positive way to a rare loss.
“Yeah, it was a big thing,” Roden said of coming back strong from the setback. “We couldn’t get down on ourselves. Yesterday was kind of humbling, but we knew we had to come back together as a team and play really well today.”
“This was super important,” Davidson said. “It’s a show of character, after getting whopped by 30. It really shows someone’s character how they respond the next day. So, yeah, it was really important for us to bounce back.”
Clackamas showed its determination to come back strong during a second-half run. After facing a 48-42 deficit with 4 minutes and 45 seconds left in the third quarter, the Cavaliers responded with a 19-3 run which covered the remainder of the third quarter and the first 2:32 of the fourth quarter.
Davidson had seven points and an assist during the run. Roden and junior Sara Barhoum each scored five points and junior Dylan Mogel added a basket during the scoring spree, which ended with Clackamas holding a 61-51 advantage.
Mogel and Davidson each went 2 for 2 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds to wrap up the win.
For Clackamas, closeness is the key to success
Trying to repeat as a state champion is likely never easy, especially when every opponent will be fired up to take you on. But the Cavaliers know that in that quest, just like last season, there’s one thing they can count on — each other.
“Both teams were great. We all love each other,” Roden said of last season’s Clackamas team and this season’s squad. “We’ve all known each other for so long, and we’re so close. We always say that we’re better together than anything else.”
Davidson agrees.
“We care for each other a lot. We’re super charismatic, and we’re super competitive,” she said. “We’re all like sisters. We love each other; we’re all playing with each other and for each other. It’s everything. Without our chemistry, we wouldn’t be winning any of these games.”
It also doesn’t hurt having so much talent.
“We have so many weapons,” Roden said. “Just making sure we’re all on the same page — that’s really key for us. Playing to how we play is really key for us in being successful.”
Clackamas showed its weapons in the win over Benson.
Davidson had five assists and three steals to go with her 24 points. Roden had six rebounds in addition to her 17 points. Mogel had 12 points, five rebounds and two assists. Barhoum added nine points, six rebounds and two assists, and junior guard Avery Peterson scored six points.
Benson boasts plenty of talent
The Techsters showed, even in defeat, that they have an abundance of talent and versatility.
“All of us contribute in our own way,” Clay said. “We have good shooters, we have good drivers, we have a really good ‘big’ (senior Mahogany Chandler-Roberts, a University of Central Florida commit), and we all just connect really well.”
The sharp-shooting Clay certainly seems to be one of the main contributors for the Techsters. She shot 3 for 7 from 3-point range in getting her 19 points.
“I’ve been working on my shot,” Clay said. “Coming into this game and into this season, I just wanted to play free and hard. That’s kind of my style of play.”
“I think that means a lot to us,” Hashemian-Orr said. “Having Eboni in a scoring role really helps out. It opens up shots for me and opens up shots for Mahogany.”
Hashemian-Orr herself put on quite a show in Friday’s game, be it driving hard to the hoop to shoot or kick the ball out, or pulling up to sink a 3-pointer.
“I finally know what I’m capable of,” she said. “I feel like if I just keep on going, I can play a big role for our team. I’m just getting more in an aggressive mode.”
Hashemian-Orr got her 21 points on an 8-for-16 shooting night from the field. She had eight rebounds and five assists.
Sophomore guard/forward Samarah Massey also stepped up for Benson. She tallied 16 points, including 14 in the first half, and she had eight rebounds. The 6-foot-2 Chandler-Roberts had eight points, four rebounds and two blocks in addition to standing tall on defense.
“I think we haven’t gotten to our potential yet,” Hashemian-Orr said.
Techsters just want to be happy
A positive attitude could be a big thing for Benson this season.
Clay, for one, puts it in simple terms — the team just needs to be happy.
“We can’t get down on ourselves,” she said. “When shots aren’t falling, we tend to get down on ourselves. But when we’re playing happy and shooting well, we do really well. Being happy is a big thing for us. When we come into the games happy and our shoot-arounds are good, then we play good.”
Make that happiness and strong chemistry as key factors for the Techsters.
“It’s our chemistry, really. Our chemistry now is just amazing,” Hashemian-Orr said. “I think that the chemistry is way better than last year. Last year, we did have some difficulties. This year, it’s been really good. We work hard in practice.”
The Techsters showed that chemistry, and being able to not get down on themselves, in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game.
After Clackamas went on its big second-half run to take a 61-51 lead with 5:28 left, the Techsters didn’t put their heads down — instead, they battled back.
Benson, getting a 3-pointer by Clay off an assist from Hashemian-Orr, two baskets by Chandler-Roberts and a basket on a hard drive to the hoop by Massey, trimmed the deficit to 65-62 with 1:13 remaining before Clackamas put the game away with its late free throws.
“This year, we have some really good seniors,” Clay said. “Everyone is super excited. We all love each other, and we love playing with each other.”
A possible rematch — on a big stage
The Clackamas and Benson squads, after Friday’s uptempo thriller, both said they wouldn’t mind doing it again — maybe the next time at the Class 6A state tournament.
“Yeah, I think there could be a rematch,” Davidson said. “For sure, that would be fun. They’re a really good team.”
“For sure, definitely,” Roden said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
So are the Techsters.
“I feel like we’re going to see them again,” Hashemian-Orr said. “We’re the top two teams in the state right now, and it’s going to be a battle each time. We enjoy it. We love games like this.”
“Yeah, we hope to see them again in the playoffs,” Clay said.
That makes sense, as both teams have lofty goals — very lofty goals.
“Winning state,” Hashemian-Orr said. “We have a lot of seniors on our team. We went out in the second round last year, so that was pretty tough. Losing two key players (to graduation), like Malaya (LeSueur) and Onna (Brown), that was big, too. But we’re stepping up. We want that state title.”
“We want to win it all,” Clay said.
Clackamas would say the same.
“That’s the goal for everyone,” Roden said. “Definitely, that’s the goal for us.”
—
Clackamas 69, Benson 64
Benson – Hashemian-Orr 21, Clay 19, Massey 16, Chandler-Roberts 8, Alex, Hinick, McKelvey. Totals 27-61 3-3 64.
Clackamas – Davidson 24, Roden 17, D. Mogel 12, Barhoum 9, Peterson 6, R. Mogel 1. Totals 23-47 14-16 69.
Benson 14 23 14 13–64
Clackamas 22 13 21 13–69
Fouled out – Alex. Technical fouls – none. 3-point goals – Benson 7 (Clay 3, Hashemian-Orr 3, Massey). Clackamas 9 (Roden 3, Peterson 2, D. Mogel 2, Barhoum, Davidson. Rebounds – Benson 30 (Hashemian-Orr 8, Massey 8). Clackamas 25 (Roden 6, Barhoum 6). Assists – Benson 5 (Hashemian-Orr 5). Clackamas 12 (Davidson 5). Turnovers – Benson 10, Clackamas 10.
Photos by Leon Neuschwander
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Photo by Leon Neuschwander
