Pleasant Hill are set to face Creswell for fourth place after rebounding from a quarterfinal loss. They secured their place with a 74-53 win over St. Mary’s. The game is scheduled for Saturday at Marshfield High School.
Melvin’s Record-Breaking Performance
Landen Melvin of Pleasant Hill had a stellar performance in the win over St. Mary’s. He set a 3A tournament record with 37 points. Melvin shot 15-for-19 from the floor.
Pleasant Hill coach Luke Jackson praised Melvin’s determination. Jackson noted that Melvin, a returning starter, “didn’t want to lose.” Melvin himself said he was driven by playing for his teammates. “Nobody wants to come down and lose two games (in a row),” he said.
Melvin’s performance included a fast-break dunk in the first half. This was set up by a pass from Jacob Neely.
Turning Point in the Third Quarter
Melvin beat the third-quarter buzzer with a rebound hoop. This gave Pleasant Hill a 50-44 lead. After a 3-pointer by Cooper Anderson of St. Mary’s to start the fourth, Pleasant Hill went on a 17-0 run.
The run included a layin and a dunk by Melvin. Then, there were consecutive 3-pointers by Luke Melvin, Cole Jackson and Landen Melvin. Landen Melvin highlighted the importance of the third quarter, stating, “We knew we had to bring it,” and, “We set the tone in the third quarter. It was the defensive mentality.”
Offensive Outburst and Defensive Shift
Both teams started strong offensively. Pleasant Hill shot 64 percent from the floor in the first quarter. This included 3-for-6 from 3-point range, building a 21-16 lead. St. Mary’s also shot over 50 percent.
Pleasant Hill cooled off in the second quarter, missing all six of their attempts from long range. St. Mary’s took advantage, with Tai Zimmerman’s 3-pointer at the buzzer giving the Crusaders a 35-32 halftime edge.
Overall, Pleasant Hill shot 50 percent from the floor and made eight of 24 3-pointers. St. Mary’s shot better from long range, hitting 9-for-22, but worse overall at 40 percent.
- Landen Melvin scored 37 points, setting a 3A tournament record.
- Jacob Neely had four of Pleasant Hill’s 3-pointers and scored 14 points.
- Isaiah McFarlane had 14 points to lead St. Mary’s.
Coach Luke Jackson acknowledged the team’s shooting performance. “We’re tough to beat when we are hitting shots,” Jackson said. “Yesterday we laid an egg. I am so proud of these kids for digging in and gutting out a win.”
Pleasant Hill will now face Creswell in the fourth-place game.