As time expired, they danced on the court and embraced one another. No one on the Corbett girls basketball team, not even the 11 seniors, had before experienced what it felt like to beat Portland Adventist. That all changed when the Cardinals beat the Cougars 38-36 on Tuesday.
Portland Adventist entered the fourth quarter with a four-point lead, but Corbett played its most complete eight minutes in the final frame. A series of baskets by Simone Ballard tied the game with about a minute to play.
With the game on the line, Ballard again penetrated to the rim. This time, she kicked it out to senior Sophia Raglione who tossed in a jumper from 12 feet out.
The Cougars missed a free throw at the other end to give Corbett the victory that keeps the Cardinals in second place in the Lewis & Clark League.
The Cardinals (9-2) host third-place Rainier (8-3) in a key battle for playoff position at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29.