Klamath Union girls basketball stunned Mazama at Pel Court Wednesday night, 54-53. The Pels beat the Vikings for the first time since a Feb. 19, 2019 matchup, only the second loss longtime Mazama head coach, Joy Lease, suffered to KU in her tenure at the school.
Wednesday's victory, which was the 100th meeting between the two teams, is only the second victory over Mazama in the last 11 years when KU beat Mazama during the 2012 basketball season, according to MaxPreps.
KU junior Dianara Pena-Hutchinson did not shy away from the moment.
It was her two 3-pointers which helped elevate her team to beat the Vikings for the first time in four years. With her team behind by two points in the final 15 seconds, Pena-Hutchinson could have easily tied the game but decided to take a shot from beyond the arc, which she sank. The Vikings scrambled in the final seconds but were unable to attempt a decent shot to win the matchup.
"I was under so much pressure but all my teammates supported me and I felt like I could do it and I did it. I was just thinking about my seniors, and I just wanted to win that game so bad. I knew I had to come through with the shot. I do not know how to explain this feeling ... it is just so exciting," Pena-Hutchinson said. "You do not really think about things; you are just in it. You trust each other. We are all flowing, connecting and it felt like practice. We are all together."
Alex Slaven is one of four seniors for the Pelicans along with Emma Langley, Jenny Serrato and Lina Derry.
Slaven is the head captain and was a voice in keeping her team focused in the heat of the moment.
"We are not going to backdown from anything. We have resilience. Nothing can stop us," Slaven said. "As captain, you have to sure everyone is composed on the floor. You feel all the noise, everybody in your face; you have to keep your composure or you are done. Whenever they came back, we came back harder. We were not stepping down."
Here are photos from the night.
