Ousted early last year, Oak Ridge is on a mission in Division I girls tournament
It was happening again.
A year after Davis knocked Oak Ridge out in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I girls basketball playoffs, the Blue Devils seemed to be up to their old tricks Tuesday night. Davis jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the first 2:30 of the game as four different Blue Devils scored.
Then the Trojans snapped out of it. The No. 3 seed went on a tear that never really ended as Oak Ridge advanced out of the first round with a 63-39 win over No. 14 Davis.
“It’s definitely a big deal to beat them,” Oak Ridge senior Erica Ingram said. “They knocked us out in the first round last year for the first time in years. So this is a big deal.”
The Trojans can thank their defense for preventing a repeat. Even when they weren’t making shots early in the game, the Trojans were earning turnovers. Oak Ridge had 10 steals in the first half alone. After that 10-3 deficit, the Trojans went on a 40-10 tear over the course of 16 minutes to salt away a playoff win by the middle of the third quarter.
Senior Megan McConnell remembers that loss to Davis last year and said defense is the calling card for this year’s Trojans.
“It’s something we work on every day in practice,” McConnell said. “We know we’re not the best 3-point shooting team, so we know we have to make up for it in different ways. We spend all of our practice doing that and we know our defense leads to our offense, so if we can stop the other team from scoring, that’s all you’ve gotta do.”
They certainly made it look that simple against Davis. Teagan Brown had 18 points, Ingram had 14 and Sophie Olson scored 11 for Oak Ridge. Oak Ridge finished with 16 steals, and that’s not counting the jump balls and balls knocked out of bounds as the Trojans smothered Davis.
Oak Ridge coach Steve White liked it. Hot-shooting teams can have a bad night and lose in tournament play. Good defense never sleeps.
“That’s gotta be our staple. We’ve gotta play defense, because there’s nights when it just doesn’t go in the hole and you’ve gotta be able to keep the score manageable,” White said.
Davis was led by junior Skylar Schouten’s 12 points. The Blue Devils, who finished 17-13, expect to be strong next year as they lose just one senior.
The Trojans turn their attention to the quarterfinals and a repeat date with Woodcreek on Friday, which beat Oak Ridge 49-41 in December.
No need to remind the Trojans of that. Oak Ridge is playing with a chip on its shoulder.
“We call it the revenge tour,” Ingram said. “Next is Woodcreek, they beat us in our Toss Up tournament a little while ago, so now our second revenge is getting back at them.”
McConnell also talked about revenge. She wasn’t talking smack; the Trojans just feel a little forgotten since they lost in the first round last year.
“We’re a team that plays together and we aren’t someone who should be overlooked,” McConnell said. “A lot of our games are low-scoring, but we are able to make it up in other ways.”
Sac-Joaquin Section Playoff Openers
Division I
St. Mary’s 114, Turlock 18
Granite Bay 77, Sheldon 58
Oak Ridge 63, Davis 39
Woodcreek 58, St. Francis 45
Folsom 66-Monterey Trail 60
McClatchy 80, Bear Creek 46
Franklin-Elk Grove 47, Lincoln-Stockton 43
Thursday quarterfinals, 7 p.m.
Edison at No. 1 St. Mary’s
No. 5 Granite Bay at No. 4 Franklin
No. 6 Woodcreek at No. 3 Oak Ridge
No. 7 Folsom at No. 2 McClatchy
Division II
Antelope 80, Wood 30
Modesto Christian 70, Grant 65
Lincoln 47, Rodriguez 42
Del Oro 53, Golden Valley 14
Sacramento 74, Atwater 45
Elk Grove 49, Roseville 44
Laguna Creek 65, River Valley 36
Vista del Lago 69, Cordova 54
Thursday quarterfinals, 7 p.m.
No. 9 Modesto Christian at No. 1 Antelope
No. 5 Vista del Lago at No. 4 Lincoln
No. 6 Sacramento at No. 3 Del Oro
No. 7 Elk Grove at No. 2 Laguna Creek
Division III
Placer 55, Patterson 49
West Campus 67, Sierra 29
Merced 58, Los Banos 30
East Union 59, El Capitan 36
Vanden 78, Mountain House 29
Kimball 63, Pioneer 54
Manteca 67, Nevada Union 61
Christian Brothers 72, Woodland 18
Thursday quarterfinals, 7 p.m.
No. 8 West Campus at No. 1 Placer
No. 5 Merced at No. 4 East Union
No. 6 Kimball at No. 3 Vanden
No, 7 Manteca at No. 2 Christian Brothers
Divsion IV
Argonaut 70, Galt 23
Dixon 68, Bear River 45
Hughson 55, Orestimba 48
Ripon 58, Union Mine 45
Highlands 52, Capital Christian 41
Thursday quarterfinals, 7 p.m.
No. 9 Dixon at No. 1 Argonaut
No. 12 Hughson at No. 4 Livingston
No. 6 Ripon at No. 3 Calaveras
No. 10 Highlands at No. 2 El Dorado
Division V
Holt 63, Waterford 36
Le Grand 45, John Adams 27
Rio Vista 45, Mariposa 42
Leroy Greene 61, Hughes 45
Thursday quarterfinals, 7 p.m.
No. 8 Leroy Greene at No. 1 Colfax
No. 5 Fortunes at No. 4 Futures
No. 6 Le Grand at No. 3 Millennium
No. 7 Rio Vista at No. 2 Golden Sierra
Division VI
Stone Ridge Christian 56, Waldorf 45
Stockton Christian 64, Turlock Christian 38
Thursday quarterfinals, 7 p.m.
No. 8 Stone Ridge at Valley Christian
No. 5 Faith Christian at No. 4 Ripon Christian
No. 6 Foresthill at No. 3. Sacramento Adventist
No. 7 Stockton Christian at No. 2 Forest Lake Christian
This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 4:00 AM.