Soraya Ogaldez, North Thurston only remaining unbeaten 3A girls basketball team, 3 takeaways
LACEY, Wash. - Junior Soraya Ogaldez scored a game-high 28 points, and eighth-ranked North Thurston jumped out to a 22-point lead on rival Timberline in the first 51/2 minutes of the game, settling for a 68-51 victory Thursday night.
With the victory, the Rams won their first 3A SSC title since 2021-22 - and at 17-0, remain the lone undefeated team in Class 3A girls basketball.
The Blazers, who trailed 24-2 after an Ogaldez 3-pointer at the 2:26 mark of the first quarter, were paced by Shayla Cordis' team-high 27 points - 17 coming in the second half.
Here are three takeaways from the North Thurston-Timberline game:
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BEST IN LACEY GO AT IT
Not only did the top two teams in 3A SSC go at it Thursday, but so did the city's top two individuals in Ogaldez and Cordis.
Heading into the matchup, they had nearly the same scoring average - Cordis was at 27.5 points per game; Ogaldez was at 27.4 ppg.
And yet, they are two very different point-guard playmakers at 5-foot-8.
Ogaldez, a junior, is pure downhill power. If she gets a step on you - you might as well enjoy the get-to-the-hoop show.
Cordis, a sophomore, is smooth, skilled and springy - and can score at all three levels.
"It is a battle," North Thurston girls coach Jackie Meyer said.,
Added Ogaldez: "It is fun. It pushes me to be better."
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CAN THIS BREAKNECK STYLE WIN IMPORTANT PLAYOFF GAMES?
The 32 minutes Thursday was full of nifty moves for baskets, knockdown 3-pointers - and a ton of turnovers.
Why? Both teams are relentless in their pace and pressure in 80-plus possessions.
The Rams caught Timberline flush in the first 5:34, scoring the first 10 points, then forcing a bevy of backcourt turnovers to grab a 24-2 lead - all before the Blazers made their first field goal.
"We dug ourselves a hole that was a little too deep," Timberline girls coach Liz Camright said.
But a game that appeared headed to a mercy-rule (running-clock) finish changed quickly as the settled-down Blazers cut it to 56-43 midway through the fourth quarter on a Cordis' bucket.
Grace Lee and Kaylin Henderson answered with back-to-back baskets, and the Rams were never threatened again.
"When you have that pressure (defense) and you are trying to go fast, there are going to be those errors," Meyer said. "We just let it roll."
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HEXED BY THE PUBLIC ADDRESS ANNOUNCER
After Ogaldez scored 18 first-half points, the home public-address announcer let the crowd know that the junior needed 18 more to become the Rams' all-time leading scorer.
Brooklyn Harn set the program mark at 1,347 points in 2019.
But after halftime, Ogaldez made just one of her first six field-goal attempts and had two turnovers in the first five minutes of the third quarter.
"It happens," Ogaldez said.
After that, the guard shifted into feeding post players inside to preserve the lead, then scored on back-to-back possessions midway through the fourth quarter to finish with 28 points - eight points short of breaking the record.
"She doe a really good job getting our posts involved … which opens her game a lot," Meyer said. "And then she will go on a roll.
"She is a tone-setter."
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