Shot of a lifetime: Ries Miadich’s clutch 3-pointer for Tualatin forever a part of Oregon girls basketball lore

The junior's late heroics in the OSAA 6A final propelled the Timberwolves past mighty Clackamas for the program's first state title

Tualatin junior Ries Miadich cuts part of the net after the Timberwolves’ 63-58 win over Clackamas in the Class 6A state championship game. / Dan Brood

PORTLAND — It was clutch.

It was crucial.

It was nothing short of being absolutely huge.

It might even have been game-changing.

It definitely was a very special moment.

And it all came courtesy of Ries Miadich.

In a game of big plays and big shots, Miadich, a Tualatin junior, had perhaps the biggest of them all with her late-game go-ahead 3-point basket that helped spark the Timberwolves to a thrilling 63-58 come-from-behind win over Clackamas in the OSAA Class 6A girls basketball state championship game Saturday at the University of Portland’s Chiles Center.

“It was amazing,” Tualatin freshman guard Love Lei Best said. “I’m just so proud of Ries and her performance tonight.”

Yes, the junior wing did turn in an impressive performance in the title game — capped by her huge 3-pointer.

Here’s the situation: Tualatin found itself facing a 19-point deficit late in the third quarter, but the persistent Timberwolves battled back.

Tualatin, which trailed 54-42 entering the fourth quarter, kept getting closer and closer in the final period. Four free throws by freshman Kendall Dawkins, two baskets from Miadich and a basket by Best cut the margin to six, at 56-50 with 4 minutes and 57 seconds left.

Tualatin tied the score, at 56-56, on two more free throws by Dawkins with 4:02 remaining.

Neither team scored the next two minutes. But soon, Miadich would strike — and strike big.

Dawkins started the play, driving in a hurry up court. She got the ball to junior Alex Padilla, who passed the ball to Miadich in the right corner of the court, behind the 3-point line.

What happened after that, well, to Miadich, it all was a blur.

“I don’t even know how to describe it,” Miadich said with tears of joy running down her cheeks. “I don’t know. I was open, so I had to shoot the ball.”

She shot, and the ball found the bottom of the net, giving Tualatin its first lead, at 59-56 with 1:53 remaining.

After the ball went through the net, Miadich ran back down the court with a huge smile.

Tualatin junior Ries Miadich yells as she runs down the court after her go-ahead 3-point basket in Saturday’s Class 6A girls basketball state championship game. / Dan Brood

“In my head, I was saying, ‘We’re back in it, we’re back in it,’” Miadich said.

It turned out the Timberwolves were more than ‘back in it.’ They never relinquished the lead after Miadich’s huge 3-pointer. In fact, they pulled away to wrap up their first state championship.

A big reason, Miadich’s 3-pointer.

“That just gave us a bunch of momentum,” Tualatin junior Maaya Lucas said. “We were so hyped after that. At that point, we were saying, ‘Let’s keep this going; let’s keep this momentum!’”

“That sparked us big-time,” Dawkins said. “She knocked it down and everyone went crazy.”

“I think that gave us so much motivation, so much confidence,” Timberwolves senior Jordyn Smith said. “That turned the energy.”

Tualatin junior Ries Miadich shoots a 3-pointer in the first half of the Timberwolves’ 63-58 win over Clackamas in the Class 6A state championship game. / Dan Brood

While the go-ahead 3-pointer might have been the shot of the game, Miadich contributed much more than that.

She scored 18 points (including seven in the fourth quarter), which trailed only Best’s 26 points. Miadich was 4 for 6 from 3-point range and caused all sorts of problems on defense.

“Ries played great today. She stepped up,” Tualatin coach Wes Pappas said. “I think Ries summoned something deep inside. She is a heck of an athlete, but she was moving even faster tonight. When everyone was kind of worn down, she was just out there causing all kind of havoc and, obviously, hitting some big shots.”

“Ries has been a huge player for us,” Smith said. “She really just stepped up for us tonight, and it was amazing to see.”

“We needed that from her,” Best said. “We had 100 percent confidence in her.”

Ries Miadich had plenty of support in the Chiles Center during the Class 6A girls basketball state championship game. / Dan Brood

During the postgame bedlam, there were plenty of personalized signs supporting Miadich in the Tualatin cheering section.

“Yeah, that’s my family,” Miadich said with a smile.

As for Miadich, the tears just kept flowing.

Tualatin junior Ries Miadich wipes away tears of joy after the Timberwolves’ 63-58 win over Clackamas in the Class 6A girls basketball state title game. / Dan Brood

“These are tears of joy,” she said. “I just wanted this really bad. It feels so good to finally get it.”

More girls basketball

•

Tualatin was extra motivated to send senior star Jordyn Smith out on top: ‘I just love her so much’

•

Tualatin girls basketball team made history in 2025: ‘There’s just something magical about this group of girls’

•

Vote: Who should be High School on SI's Oregon Team of the Week (3/17/2025)?

•

Vote: Who should be High School on SI's Oregon Girls Basketball Player of the Week (3/17/2025)?

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App