Going into Tuesday night’s highly contested match up, the La Salle Prep Falcons had not lost a league game in 7 years – they were 83-0 over that time span.

The Wilsonville Wildcats had one goal in mind – put an end to La Salle’s undefeated reign.

And that they did.

A fast paced first half was full of offense from both sides, and La Salle relied heavily on their star studded duo. Emily Neibergall poured in 13 of La Salle’s 14 first quarter points, and Addison Wedin turned it on in the second, scoring all 14 of her points in the period.  

Down three at half time, the Wildcats caught fire and went on a 19-3 run to start the third quarter, shutting down La Salle’s offensive weapons. Sophomore guard Sydney Burns, who ended the game with a team-high 18 points, sat the majority of the third due to foul trouble.

While Burns sitting would typically be dangerous for Wilsonville, the Wildcats were helped by the Falcons, who were forced to sit Wedin due to foul trouble as well. With a star on the bench for each side, Wilsonville managed to pull ahead due to their depth, while La Salle struggled without Wedin on the floor.

The fourth quarter was all about controlling the game and maintaining the lead. The Wildcats shot 13 free throws in the fourth and made 9 of them, which helped them to ensure their victory.

Beating a powerhouse like La Salle has great implications for Wilsonville, who have held firm grip on first place in the 5A standings all season.

However, this inspiring victory came at a tremendous cost. Senior wing Reese Timm went down late in the fourth quarter with a suspected ACL tear. This injury will greatly impact the Wildcats, as Timm is a starter and incredibly important to the team. Wilsonville already lost senior wing Emily Scanlan earlier in the season to an ACL tear, and while the team has been able to utilize their depth thus far, losing another player may prove to be a difficult challenge for the Wildcats.