Stayton did not score a single point in the fourth quarter, and Seaside had chances to win it in the final minute, but Stayton managed to hold on for a 34-33 nonleague girls basketball win Dec. 6 at the Gulls’ Nest.

The Eagles held a 34-28 lead after three quarters and went 0-for-5 from the free throw line in the final 21 seconds of the game, but a young Seaside team could not take advantage and lost for the second time in three days.

Stayton was coming off a 55-13 win over Estacada two days earlier, while the Gulls were trying to rebound from a 45-33 loss Wednesday at Cascade.

Stayton built a 19-10 lead in the first half, and increased the advantage to 34-23 late in the third quarter.

The Gulls rallied behind a 3-pointer from freshman Caleigh Peterson, a layup and two free throws by Lilli Taylor and cut Stayton’s lead to 34-32 early in the fourth.

And that’s where it stayed for much of the final period, as both teams struggled to score over the final seven minutes.

Seaside managed to hit one free throw with 7.2 seconds left, and came up one point short on the scoreboard.

Stayton senior K.J. Nyquist led all scorers with 15 points, followed by sophomore Miley Mitchell with eight.

Peterson hit four 3-pointers on her way to a team-high 14 points, while Taylor had 12 points and seven rebounds before fouling out. The Gulls were 5-of-16 from the 3-point line, and 5-for-23 on two-point field goals.

“Things got better as we figure out who we are,” said Seaside coach Mike Hawes. “We’re not deep — we go with about six to seven kids right now — so they’re learning a ton as they get into game shape.”

In Friday’s loss, “we had lots of opportunities, but we let them get just a bit too big a lead,” Hawes said. “Lilli filled the stat sheet, and Caleigh Peterson hit some nice shots and scored some points for us.”

Cascade 45, Seaside 33

Cascade managed to withstand a furious second half comeback by Seaside in a girls basketball season opener Dec. 4 in Turner.

The Lady Gulls rallied from a 24-8 deficit late in the first half, outscoring Cascade 23-18 in the second half, but the Cougars escaped with the win, 45-33.

Sophomore Lilli Taylor scored 10 points to lead the Gulls, but six-foot senior Abbilgail Cordero countered with 12 for Cascade, with Ariel Tobiasson adding eight.

The points were hard to come by in the first half for the Gulls.

Before they could even get settled into the new season, Seaside trailed 10-0, as the Cougars took advantage from three straight baskets from Tobiasson to open the game, followed by buckets from Cordero and Camryn Boyles.

Taylor and freshman Caleigh Peterson had first quarter scores for the Gulls, who trailed 17-4 after eight minutes.

Cascade struggled from the free throw line in the second period, while Seaside picked up scores from Taylor and freshman Kaylee Snyder, but still trailed 27-10 at halftime, after Cascade’s Bailey Pedersen hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Senior Ruby Douglas scored nine points for the Gulls, all in the second half.

Following a score by Taylor, a 3-pointer by Douglas had Seaside within 35-23 late in the third period.

Taylor, Elissa Blodgett and Tristyn McFadden had baskets to open the fourth, and a jumper from Snyder cut Cascade’s lead to 43-31, before the Gulls ran out of time.

Taylor added 11 rebounds and four blocks, while McFadden dished out three assists. The Gulls were 14-of-44 from the field, 1-for-15 from the 3-point line.

With the youngest roster in the Cowapa League, Wednesday’s game “was a case of ‘welcome to varsity basketball,’“ said Seaside coach Mike Hawes. “Cascade, as we knew, would throw all kinds of pressure at us — run-and-double, three-quarter zone press, half court trap, double our best ball handlers … it took us at least a quarter if not the first half to find our balance, adjust to tempo and pressure.”

In the second half, “we were more poised and played them pretty well,” he said. “This is our process. Probably good for us to face this type of pressure now.”