In the OSAA Girls’ 2A tournament, the Central Linn Cobras faced the Bandon Tigers for 3rd place. While the teams were evenly matched, Central Linn’s Maya Rowland‘s spectacular performance proved to be the decisive factor in the 63-41 Central Linn victory.
The first quarter was electric. Bandon and Central Linn went back and forth down the court exchanging baskets. By the end of the quarter, the score was tied at 14.
The second quarter went much the same way, with the only distinguishable difference between the teams being in the 3-pointer shooting percentage.
The difference in 3-point shooting allowed Central Linn to built a 6-point lead by halftime.
While Rowland’s 14 first-half points was an impressive feat, her second half performance would be nothing short of legendary.
Rowland did not miss a single shot the second half, going 4-4 from the 3-point line and 6-6 from the free throw line.
Bandon could not find a way to shut Rowland down. When Bandon guarded Rowland close, she used the attention she drew to facilitate the rest of her team. This allowed Bri Beauchamp and Raleigh Nofziger to score 11 and 7 points respectively.
When Bandon guarded the middle of the floor, Rowland would inevitably sink a 3-point shot. There was no answer to her prowess.
Not only was Rowland efficient, but the junior guard made good decisions with the ball, only turning the ball over once the entire game.
But Rowland could not do everything herself. The Central Linn defense shut down the outside shooting of Bandon in the second half, holding the Tigers to 0-7 on 3-point shots and 5-20 overall.
Rowland shot 9-11 in the game from the field and scored 32 points. This makes her shooting efficiency 2.91 - meaning that Rowland essentially scored 3 points every time she shot.
"{Rowland} is a great player and leader," Central Linn coach Wendi Farris said after the game. "It's what you expect [from her]."
Rowland was stunned by her own performance. "I don't know what to say. I've never done that before, [but] I wasn't going to let us lose."
With the win, Central Linn claimed third place in the 2A division - the highest finish in school history. "It's not first place, but it's almost just as good," a smiling Rowland commented.
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