The Tualatin girls basketball team is known for its swarming defense, and the Timberwolves have been unrelenting on the defensive end through the start of Three Rivers League play.
Tualatin has won its first five league games as of our press deadline, and the Timberwolves haven’t given up more than 27 points in any of them. In their most recent two wins, Tualatin held rival Tigard to 19 points and then went on the road and kept St. Mary’s Academy in single digits. Yes, single digits. Tualatin beat St. Mary’s 72-9, holding the Blues to just two points in the second half.
In those five league games, Tualatin’s average margin of victory is 54 points.
Tualatin has won two straight Three Rivers League titles and as of right now, its biggest competition for a third straight league title looks like West Linn. The Lions are next up on Tualatin’s schedule, as Tualatin will host West Linn on Feb. 4 at home for the first of two meetings between the teams this season.
The Timberwolves are getting contributions from up and down their roster through the hot start to league play, from experienced all-league players to freshman seeing the court a ton in their first year of high school ball.
Jordyn Smith, the team’s lone senior, opened up league play with a double-double, putting up 21 points and 10 rebounds in the win against Oregon City.
Junior Maaya Lucas followed that up with a double-double of her own in Tualatin’s win against Lakeridge, netting 12 points to go with her 10 rebounds.
Lucas continued her strong play with back-to-back 20-point games, dropping 21 in the win against Lake Oswego and 23 in Tualatin’s win against Tigard.
Tualatin is also getting strong play from its trio of freshman: Love Lei Best, Kendall Dawkins, and Bella Amens. Earlier in the year, Tualatin Head Coach Wes Pappas said the three are perhaps his best freshman class ever.
Best and Dawkins have been starting for the Timberwolves and Amens is usually one of the first players off the bench for the Timberwolves, so all three have gotten a ton of playing time already this year. As the Timberwolves head into the final stretch of league play and the postseason, all three should be major factors as Tualatin looks for a third straight league title, a return to the Chiles Center, and a shot at the state title.
