“Fab 5” beaten at the buzzer

Ouch…

With the score knotted and Clackamas controlling the ball, Cougar sophomore forward Johanna Paine sank a shot from the right key in the Mt. Hood gymnasium with 0.3 seconds remaining, almost Dirk Nowitzki-like, and drew the foul. The 6-foot Oregon City native then sank the “and-1”,  which iced the cake.

The arch-rival Cougars (4-2 in the South Region, and 13-6 overall) headed back to Oregon City with a 65-62 victory over the Saints (0-6, 5-12) in hand.

Saints sophomore guard Jesse Morris threw up a desperation shot at the buzzer, but the damage was done and the shot came up short. The Saints kept their heads held high, though they had just let a close game slip away from them.

Prior to that wild ending, the Saints led for most of the game, but Clackamas kept chipping away, going on big runs, including an 8-0 stretch at the 4:15 mark in the third quarter. Mt. Hood built another big lead early in the fourth quarter, but from there the Saints saw their lead dwindle yet again, eventually turning to a 62-59 deficit. That is, until Morris stroked a triple in the right corner to tie the game, inside the final minute.

Then it was Paine’s turn to take over. She was the only Cougar to finish in double figures. Before coming to Clackamas, Paine spent one season at Division I Santa Clara where she started all 30 games and averaged 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

The Saints are now riding a nine-game skid, mainly due to the fact that they still only have five players physically able to suit up for each game, while two players nurse injuries.

“I really felt for them last night,” said Saints head coach John Hawley Thursday morning. “We just came up a little bit short in the last three minutes, but kudos to (our girls) for their effort, especially with having only five players for the past 10 or 11 games. That’s pretty amazing in and of itself.”

No denying that notion.

Heading into the half, the Saints had a comfortable 39-26 lead, but as the game continued, the five players started showing signs of having “heavy legs,” according to Hawley.

“Again, it’s tough with five girls,” said the first-year Saints coach. “It’s the same thing, like most of these games (recently), we haven’t been able to finish down the stretch, but I am real proud of these girls for their efforts. This isn’t an easy task. This is the first time I have had to coach like this.”

While the Saints lost, credit goes to Paine, who finished the contest with a season-high 43 points while shooting 14-for-25 from the field, including a perfect 7-for-7 from behind the arc. She also shot 8-for-11 from the charity stripe. Hawley credited Paine and her effort and was kind of in awe when the game ended and he checked the stat sheet. Paine put on quite a clinic and had the Cougar fans on their feet after every made shot, especially when it mattered most. Clackamas ended up outscoring the Saints 23-8 in the fourth quarter.

Paine is second in the NWAC with an average of 22.6 points per game and was instantly greeted by teammates giving her hugs and high fives as they helped her up after being fouled. She also ranks fifth in the NWAC with 11.5 rebounds per game.

“Jo was obviously huge for us,” said Cougars head coach Jim Martineau. “We struggled playing fast all day, so when the game became a grind, she took over. She made almost all of the plays the last four minutes.

“We had a baseline out-of-bounds (play) and we said if the lay-up was there we would take it. If not, hold for the last shot. The lay-up was there and we missed it, but we rebounded the miss and that set up the last shot. We just cleared the side for (Paine) and she got herself to a good spot on the floor and knocked it down.”

Hawley was impressed with Paine’s performance, especially in the clutch. “She came alive in the fourth quarter and she was knocking down some big threes. She just took over.”

Four Saints finished the contest in double figures. Sophomore Lacey Weddle led the way with 18 points, while sophomores Delanee Martin finished with 16 points. Morris and fellow sophomore Madison Weaver chipped in with 13 points a piece.

Hawley said the only thing that left a bad taste in his mouth was the fact that his team had a chance to come away with the upset over their chief rival.

“The worst part about it was giving them three opportunities with them getting offensive rebounds,” said Hawley. “We got to get to those boards, but those things happen when you’re fatigued. We kind of hit a wall.”

Once again, Hawley kept his smile even during a rough season, as he knows this isn’t an ideal situation to not have an available sub.

“They never complain and always remain real positive,” he said of the Saints. “They’re really embracing the situation.”

Saturday, the Saints travel to Eugene for a game with the red-hot Lane Titans (7-0, 20-0). The game is slated for 2 p.m.