A thrilling finish at the jamboree

For a second or two on Monday night I thought back to Magic Johnson’s rookie year.

Magic’s teammate, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, had just scored with his patented hook shot to win a game early in the season and Magic showed his exuberance by mobbing Abdul-Jabbar with a hug.

Abdul-Jabbar later said something to the effect that Magic needed to calm down because it was just one game.

It may have only been an early-season game, but the passion and excitement that Magic played with is part of what made him such a good basketball player.

So when Kayla Laney’s excitement was evident when she hugged Katie Schrock at the end of the postgame handshake line after Schrock buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Corvallis High girls basketball team to a 23-20 win over Sheldon in a jamboree, I thought back to the moment some 28 or so years ago.

Sure the game didn’t count in the standings, but it was still an exciting time for Laney and her teammates.

And it was good to see them celebrate a little, something that took some time to happen last year for a team not used to success.

All-in-all it was a solid night for the Spartans, who open the season for real on Thursday with a home game against 6A opponent West Salem. The Titans played at Crescent Valley on Tuesday night.

“It was really nice to get my jitters out and finally go out on the court with confidence that we are one of the best teams in the state and that we can execute those little plays,” Laney said. “Especially last year, we had a hard time executing those last-minute plays and to do that was really awesome.”

The Spartans played two 12-minute quarters against two teams on Monday.

Coach Joe Williamson was glad the Spartans had a chance to play in the jamboree because of the nerves that always come with first games.

“I think what I like about the jamboree is we get the girls a chance to get out and get the butterflies out which we had a lot of the first game,” he said. “We missed a lot of layins, a lot of open shots. So I like that chance to get it in a non-counting game.”

Despite the tough start, the Spartans still managed a 26-11 victory over Cottage Grove, which is ranked No. 2 in the state at 4A.

Then came a thriller against Sheldon, ranked eighth in the 6A poll.

The Spartans trailed early, then took a 12-11 lead on Gabe Johnson’s 3-pointer.

A free throw by Syree Gerner and Whitney Redberg’s three from the top of the key gave CHS a 16-11 lead.

Laney then followed a missed shot with a rebound bucket and Johnson’s driving bucket made it 20-12 with 4:10 left.

But after doing a good job on the boards early, the Spartans gave up a few offensive rebounds and Sheldon cut into the lead.

Sheldon went to the line with 18 seconds left but missed both free throws. However, the Irish were able to get the rebound and score to tie the game with 12.7 seconds left.

The Spartans called time out to set up the final play.

Schrock, who was on the bench, entered the game and inbounded the ball to Johnson, who gave it right back to her. Schrock’s long-range 3 was perfect and the Spartans celebrated.

“We were up eight points and they make a run and we withstand that and execute a play at the end to win. We actually learned a lot from that game,” Williamson said.

The players noticed a difference between the first game and the second — especially when it came to fouling or being called for fouling. The Spartans were whistled for more than 10 fouls in the first game, but only a couple the second.

“I think we just got into the flow of the game and we got the rhythm of it and started playing as a team and realized that we can’t play sloppy like that,” Laney said.

Added McKenzie Redberg: “I think we just moved our feet better and actually sat down (on defense). We got our nerves out and stopped being lazy.”

And it was nice to just play against someone other than the JV team.

“It was actually great because I got my nerves out and (it was nice to) just run something they don’t cheat on every time,” Redberg said of the JV team knowing all the plays.

Now it’s time to focus on a real game.

“I’m excited to play a full game and see what we can do for a full game,” Redberg said. “I’m ready to play.

Added Laney: “I’m pumped.”