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Willows nips Orland at the buzzer, 54-63
By Tom Angel
of The Valley Mirror

Willows — A seven-foot shot with two seconds left by Willows sophomore Olivia Fleming propelled the Honkers to a 54-53 victory over visiting Orland Tuesday night.

After trailing by as much as 13 points Orland went ahead 53-52 on ninth grader Sophie Wackerman’s jump shot with 10 seconds left. Fleming’s last two points gave her 14 for the night, trialing teammate  junior Tina Soneouthay, who led with 15 points.

Willows is now 2-3 on the year and plays Williams at the Pierce tourney on Thursday.

Willows coach J.V. coach Nick Struyf, filling in for varsity coach Terris Holloway, said, “This is the best feeling in the whole world. My first year here and to have my first on a last second shot is just icing on the cake.”

Orland dropped to 2-4 and plays Durham Thursday in the Durham tournament. The Trojans were led by sophomore Savanah Sandate with 22 points and senior Whitney Otterson with16 points. 

Above: Otterson pulls down a rebound last night. Above right: Orland Sophomore Yesenia Godinez does battle with Willows sophomore Keara Tade while Orland junior Courtney Fichter looks on. Valley Mirror photos by Tom Angel.