South Salem might not be the favorite to win the OSAA Class 6A girls basketball tournament, but the Saxons made one thing crystal clear Wednesday: As long as they have Evina Westbrook, they remain a dangerous opponent.
On Thursday, Westbrook put on the kind of sterling performance in the brightest spotlight that has become her signature as she led second-seeded South Salem to a 55-48 victory over No. 10 Sunset in a quarterfinal game at the Chiles Center. The two-time defending champion Saxons will return to the semifinals, where they will meet Oregon City at 8:15 p.m. Friday.
When the Saxons (23-3) needed points Thursday, Westbrook delivered 25. Rebounds? Sure, she grabbed seven. A timely pass? She had four assists, and had several others set up that weren’t finished.
Defense against Sunset’s dangerous three-point shooter, Maddie Muhlheim? Pencil Westbrook in.
In December, Muhlheim scored 39 points and made nine three-pointers against South Salem in a nonleague game that the Saxons won 79-77. Westbrook, the returning Class 6A player of the year who has signed with Tennessee, started Thursday’s game guarding Rose Pflug, Sunset’s other first-team all-Metro League player, but then Muhlheim made two early shots.
“We knew coming in that Maddie, she’s an all-out shooter,” Westbrook said. “We definitely wanted someone to guard her, never come off of her. But she hit a couple and I was like, that’s not going to work. I switched, I guarded her. I didn’t want her to get hot.”
Muhlheim finished with 14 points, but shot 2 for 8 from three-point range.
Sunset, a veteran team making its first trip to the tournament since 2008, played physical defense on Westbrook. In the second quarter, Westbrook took a knee in her upper hip and labored to get up, but kept right on playing.
“Whenever you get hit, you gotta come back up and continue to play hard,” she said. “That’s one thing I continue to stand by. Just because you’re hurt doesn’t mean you need to come out of the game. I never want to come out of the game for injuries.”
With 2:48 left in the third quarter, and South Salem holding a 36-23 lead, Westbrook took an elbow in the nose and started bleeding heavily. She immediately ran to the back with her hands cupped under her nose.
“It was a like a pool of blood in my hands,” she said.
Immediately, Muhlheiim hit a three-pointer, igniting a run by Sunset. By the time Westbrook jogged back onto the court, Sunset had cut its deficit to 39-35 as Amanda Carpenter completed a three-point play 53 seconds into the fourth quarter while Westbrook was at the scorer’s table.
Immediately, Westbrook turned the momentum back in South Salem’s favor, driving for a basket on the ensuing possession. Dani Harley and Westbrook followed with three-pointers, and just like that, the Saxons’ lead was up to 47-35.
“I’m not worried, but when I come back in, I know what I have to do,” Westbrook said. “I have faith in them. At least they can keep the lead and work hard while I’m gone, and that’s what they did. We weren’t down at all. My part was easy.”
Pflug finished with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block, and Carpenter added 13 points for Sunset (20-6). The Apollos labored to score at times and shot 37 percent from the field.
Harley, a senior, added 15 points and shot 3 for 5 on three-pointers.
-- Mike Tokito
mtokito@oregonian.com
@mtokito