Clackamas stars Jazzy Davidson, Sara Barhoum ‘proud’ of season, ‘grateful’ for memories

Disappointing finish in no way tarnishes what special senior class was able to accomplish with Cavaliers

Clackamas senior Jazzy Davidson's injury late in the third quarter was a turning point in Saturday's OSAA Class 6A girls basketball state championship game. / René Ferrán

The Clackamas girls basketball players knew that win or lose, their final postgame in the Chiles Center locker room would be a tearful one.

The eight seniors who had gone to battle together the past four seasons would play their final game together Saturday evening against Tualatin in the OSAA Class 6A state final.

And for 22 minutes, it looked as if this merry band of Cavaliers would get the happy ending they craved.

Jazzy Davidson, their all-world senior, buried a 3-pointer from the left wing off a feed from Avery Peterson, and with 2:32 remaining in the third quarter, they led 54-35, seemingly on their way to a second state title in the past three seasons.

Then, two things changed the course of the game.

First, during a media timeout, Timberwolves coach Wes Pappas switched his defense to a 1-3-1 halfcourt trap.

Second, and worse from the Cavaliers' perspective, Davidson turned her left ankle while guarding Tualatin’s Jordyn Smith in the post with 30 seconds left in the third quarter.

Suddenly, everything unraveled for a team that many observers had written in the champion’s line pre-tournament. 

The Timberwolves were nearly flawless down the stretch, smothering Clackamas’ vaunted lineup of future college players and forcing seven turnovers they turned into 15 points during a closing 28-4 run.

And Davidson couldn’t do much to stem the tide. She emerged from the trainer’s room with 6:16 to play, but she clearly couldn’t play at her usual whirlwind speed.

Even when the Cavaliers broke the Timberwolves’ pressure, the looks they converted in the first three quarters no longer fell. They went 1 for 14 until Reyce Mogel’s short jumper with 3 seconds left produced the final 63-58 score in Tualatin’s favor.

“Everything just started feeling really hard,” Cavaliers coach Korey Landolt said. “Credit to them and their defense. They definitely applied the pressure a lot more. The momentum shifted, and then we just couldn’t hit shots, either. We didn’t get too many good looks.”

So, what to make of one of the finest collections of talent on one roster in state history, led by a player in Davidson who might challenge Grant legend Cindy Brown for the moniker of the greatest in state history?

“All these kids are going to go off to college and do amazing things,” Landolt said. “They’re all incredibly amazing kids with high character, and I’m just super proud that I got a chance to be a part of their experience and coach them for these three or four years that they were with me.”

The octet of seniors who formed the Cavaliers’ core won the first state title in program history two years ago, reached the semifinals all four seasons and concluded their run by reaching the final for the third time in program history.

“I’m just really proud of my team,” Davidson said. “I’m proud of how our season went. I think there’s a lot of learning experiences. I’m super proud of all the girls on my team, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, honestly.”

Sara Barhoum, who tied the Class 6A state record for career 3-pointers with her fourth midway through Saturday's third quarter, echoed her best friend’s sentiments.

The message she shared with them during their final goodbye was “just how awesome it’s been being able to play together and how special it’s been. I mean, we’ve been best friends and sisters for as long as I can remember, since we were 8 years old. We came to this program, and we put it all on the line, and we fought for each other and had each other’s backs every single day.

“We went through hell together, and I feel like this is a bond that’s going to be kept for the rest of our lives. It was just super special to be a part of this program, and I’m forever grateful for them and my teammates.”

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