PREP BASKETBALL: Shoni Schimmel's late heroics lift Franklin over Clackamas

By Stephen Alexander

The Portland Tribune, Mar 6, 2010

Jude Schimmel (left) celebrates with sister and Franklin teammate Shoni Schimmel after the Quakers beat Clackamas on Friday to earn a spot in the eight-team Class 6A girls basketball state tournament.

L.E. BASKOW / THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE

On Friday night, the packed Franklin gym witnessed the Shoni Schimmel Show.

With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Clackamas went up 51-50, giving the Cavaliers their first lead since the opening quarter of the Class 6A second-round playoff game.

Enter Schimmel with a slashing drive to the basket for a layup. Schimmel then scored the Quakers' next 13 straight points, taking over the game in breathtaking fashion. The Quakers went on to win 67-57.

“I just wasn’t taking losing for an answer,” Schimmel said.

The game was as close a nail-bitter as high school basketball fans are likely to see. The PIL 6A No. 1-seeded Quakers (17-3) took the lead early in the first quarter. The margin reached 11, their biggest of the game, on their opening possession in the third quarter.

But the game would never open up more than that and the Three Rivers :eague's No. 2-seeded Cavaliers (21-3) stayed within single digits of the Quakers nearly the entire time.

For all of Schimmel’s heroics in the fourth quarter, the game did not start out that way for her. The Cavaliers played a man-to-man, collapsing defense on her. While Schimmel was able to provide key sparks for the Quakers with steals and assists, she was effectively taken out of the game as a scorer. She put up only eight points in the first half.

Shoni’s sister, junior guard, Jude, turned into the de facto point guard. Jude ran the offense brilliantly all half. She scored 12 points and spread the ball around the floor.

“I’ve done it before,” Jude said. “I actually did (like it). It’s fun to try something different, and it worked.”

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