Wilsonville girl’s basketball faces off vs Putnam in OT thriller

A battle for league, a high-scoring showdown, a thrilling comeback. Friday night’s varsity girl’s basketball game was one of the best we’ve seen in a long time.

On Friday, Wilsonville and Rex Putnam girls basketball teams met in the WVHS gym in a basketball battle for the ages. Both teams came into the night poised for a tough fight, and the game certainly did not disappoint. Putnam got out to an early lead in the first half, holding a 7 point advantage over the cats going into halftime. Out of the halftime locker room, Wilsonville got to work, chipping away at the Kingsmen’s 37-30 lead. Despite their best efforts, at the end of the 3rd quarter they had only been able to reduce their deficit by 2.

The scoreboard read 48-53 Putnam, and with less than 3 minutes left to go the Kingsmen led by double digits. However, the girl’s basketball team proved their ferocity and willpower, going on a terrific run to bring them within 3 of Putnam. With time ticking off the clock, Gabby Moultri sank a deep 3 pointer to tie us at 66 a piece and take us into overtime! Unfortunately, the cats were not able to keep pace with Putnam in extra time, falling just barely short in a 72-79 loss. While it can be heartbreaking to come so close to victory for it to ultimately slip away, the cats put on one of the greatest performances we’ve seen at Wilsonville this year!

For the future of Wilsonville girl’s basketball, WVHS students have much to look forward to. For starters, the team is very young. Their starting lineup is headlined by majority underclassmen. The team is extremely talented, led by sophomores Audrey Counts and Gabby Moultri. The sophomore duo shines on the offensive side of the court, combining for the majority of the cat’s points. Once the team has spent more years practicing and playing alongside one another, that combination of talent and experience will be lethal!

Friday’s showdown was nothing short of electric, Wilsonville girl’s basketball demonstrated great perseverance in the face of adversity. They were able to claw their way back into a game that would’ve been lost for most teams. What this game makes absolutely certain is that the future is bright for Wilsonville girl’s basketball.

Teddy Skylar