Oak Harbor edges North Whidbey in rival games | Middle school girls basketball

The Oak Harbor Middle School girls seventh- and eighth-grade basketball teams finished their seasons with narrow wins over rival North Whidbey Thursday, March 5.

By Jim Waller • March 9, 2015 12:25 pm
Kristianne Ballesteros (23)
Kristianne Ballesteros (23)

The Oak Harbor Middle School girls seventh- and eighth-grade basketball teams finished their seasons with narrow wins over rival North Whidbey Thursday, March 5.

The seventh-grade Panthers nipped the Cougars 29-27, while the eighth-graders pulled out a 31-29 win in double overtime.

In the seventh-grade game, North Whidbey gave Oak Harbor a tougher time than in the first meeting between the schools this year when the Cougars fell 23-12.

This time around, Oak Harbor built a 13-6 halftime lead and then hung on as North Whidbey rallied back.

Leille Salinger scored 19 points for Oak Harbor. Halle Lemme added four, Mia Wyman three and Willa Weinsheimer two.

The Cougars’ Mikhaela Cortez led all scorers with 20 points. Miriah Boler finished with six points and Becca Blazich one.

In the eighth-grade game, Oak Harbor’s Samantha Olson drained a bucket 15 seconds into the sudden-death second overtime to help the Panthers avenge a 35-28 loss to North Whidbey earlier this season.

The Cougars led 27-22 with two minutes remaining in regulation. At that point, their top two scorers fouled out just seconds apart, and the Panthers came from behind to send it into overtime.

Oak Harbor’s Miranda Wilson hit a free throw with 14 seconds remaining to tie it at 27-27 to force the extra period.

Both teams connected on a pair of free throws in the first overtime.

Wilson topped OHMS with 15 points, Olson had eight, Emily Petty four, Emily Gough two and Danielle Lonborg two.

Kynzer Hernandez poured in 21 for North Whidbey. Taylyn Boop had four points, Mackinzee Street two, Kaitlinn Scheer one and Brenna Rothman one.

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Photos below by John Fisken:

First photo: Oak Harbor’s Samantha Olson reacts to her winning basket in the eighth-grade game.

Second photo: NWMS’s Kynzer Hernandez (10) drives on Jessica Vester. Hernandez finished with 21 points in the eighth-grade game.

Third photo: The Panthers’ Miranda Wilson (3) scores two of her 15 points in the eighth-grade game while Emily Gough (25) and Brenna Rothman look on.

Fourth photo: OHMS’s Leille Salinger puts in two of her 19 points in the seventh-grade game.

Fifth photo: North Whidbey seventh-grader Makhaela Cortes (25) hits a bucket on the way to scoring 20 points.