Grizzlies stun No. 3 West Linn in 2nd round

PORTLAND - Kylee Arzner's breakout performance propelled the 14th-ranked McMinnville girls basketball team to a massive 57-53  upset of third-seeded West Linn Friday night on the Lions' home court. Arzner tallied a career-high 31 points in the second-round win, including a pair of free throws in the game's final moments.

"Kylee was focused and driven," said Mac head coach Sean Coste.

'We needed her at her best and she was."

While Coste noted his team entered the matchup with confidence, the underdog's victory still resulted in, "pure joy," for the Mac players.

'Everyone was . . . it was emotionally incredible," he remembered. "We weren't shocked by the result, as we thought we had a fighting chance. It was joyous - we have a bunch of happy kids."

Mac led by two points at halftime, but a spirited stretch by the Lions swung the third-quarter momentum in their favor.

Trailing by nine points, the Grizzlies responded with an impressive run. Gretchen Sorenson hit a jumper, Laney Hyder scored on a driving lay-up and Arzner showcased her complete arsenal of weapons to knot the score at 40.

In the fourth period, the Grizzlies maintained their composure and defended two- and four-point leads.

West Linn's opportunity to tie the game at 55 fell short in the final minute.

Arzner canned two foul shots on the other end and the state tournament's lowest-ranked remaining team celebrated its monumental triumph.

"Our defense was good enough," noted Coste. "We got stops at critical moments."

Arzner added six rebounds to her game-high 31 points. Sorenson tacked on eight points, while Grace Bliven and Emily Boggs both scored seven.

Mac (18-8, 9-3 Pacific) plays sixth-seeded South Salem Wednesday night at the University of Portland's Chiles Center; tip-off is 6:30 p.m.