BOISE, Idaho – Jamie Loera imagined finding familiarity and contentment when she transferred from Arizona State back to her home state to play at Eastern Washington.
She also probably imagined, during her childhood growing up in Moses Lake, Washington, hitting a game winner. We all do it, counting down the clock, imagining the scenario, drilling the shot, becoming the hero.
But it’s hard to fathom making that scenario become reality in a hostile environment, kissing a fadeaway off the glass to win at the horn for a banner-hanging walk-off win at the Brick.
And it’s even harder to imagine that game-winning shot sealing an outright Big Sky Conference title and essentially sewing up league MVP honors for Loera, Eastern Washington’s unflappable and incomparable point guard.
When Loera nailed a game-winner to break Montana State’s collective hearts on the final Saturday of the regular season, the clutch bucket ensured Eastern Washington would win its first outright league title since 2010 and hang a banner for the second time in school history.
“That’s one of those shots that you are growing up in your back yard, you are counting down for the championship, ‘five, four, three, two, one’…it’s just a huge memory for her, for our program, our team,” said Eastern Washington head coach Joddie Gleason, who earned Big Sky Coach of the Year honors after leading the Eagles to a school-record 26 regular-season victories.
“We’ve shared it as a group, that collective human experience. That Bozeman shot, that Bozeman locker room, is something none of us will ever forget. It was awesome.”
Loera is a steady and unflappable pure point guard who makes up with her lack of size (she’s listed at 5-foot-9 but likely isn’t quite that tall) with a tenacious attitude and a sharp focus that makes her the best late-game floor general in the conference.
Her heroics in Bozeman served as the most recent big moment in a season that saw her control games, especially late, and help the Eagles run through the Big Sky. The Eagles entered this week’s Big Sky Tournament as the top seed after winning 16 of 18 league contests.
“Incredible, electric, unforgettable,” EWU senior Jacinta Buckley said when asked to reflect on Loera’s game- and title-winning buzzer-beater. “As soon as it left her hands, everyone knew that was absolute money. I can’t even explain the feeling. I’m so happy and proud of her. It’s always different winning in Montana as well. I can’t explain it but that shot was amazing, what a moment for our team.”
Eastern Washington certainly had some lopsided victories during its historic run through the Big Sky. But it was the ability to win close games that made the Eagles into champions during a season that saw Northern Arizona, the defending league champions, set a school single-season record for wins and the Lady Griz of Montana, long dormant, start reclaiming some former glory.
EWU took control of the league title race with a 67-42 win over NAU in Cheney on February 22, avenging an 89-81 loss to the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff, Arizona, on January 27 that snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Eags.
The Saturday after that NAU win, Loera masterfully helped EWU close out a 68-63 win over Northern Colorado to stay in the driver’s seat. Then during the last weekend of the regular season, Eastern pulled out a one-point win over the Lady Griz in Missoula plus the win at the horn in Bozeman.
“One of the reasons they have finished so many close games is they have a well-oiled machine in their point guard,” said Tricia Binford, the 19th-year head coach at Montana State who was once an all-conference point guard herself during her playing days at Boise State before going to the WNBA.
“They know exactly what they are going to do in end-game scenarios. They know exactly who they are going to go through. To me, championships come down to how you finish quarters and how you finish games and they have Loera. Nobody else does.
“You put the ball in her hands and let her go. She’s won a lot of games for them.”
Eastern Washington led the league in scoring defense during the regular season, using an aggressive and physical style to hold opponents under 55 points per game.
Loera spearheaded the resistance, leading the league in steals and earning Big Sky Defensive MVP honors for the second year in a row.
And although Loera is clearly aggressive while guarding on the ball, it’s her cerebral abilities that helps her head coach trust her so much, especially late in close games.
“Getting Jamie before last season was huge for our program,” Gleason said. “She’s a special player that just makes everything different.”
“Her calm demeanor, she and I are on the same wavelength. She reads my mind most of the time. She will play call on her own a lot of the time and when it’s a dead ball, I’ll play call.
“We’ve been in a lot of tight games last year and we were in a lot in the preseason. Just being in those situations, that’s the experience you need and the only way to get that experience is to be in it. And a lot of it has to do with Jamie. She’s so calm.”
EWU got a scare, at least for a moment, in its first game here in Boise. Weber State led by nine points midway through the third quarter.
Like they have all year, Eastern finished strong, leaning on its depth, balance, team chemistry and sense of belief. The Eagles ran away with the fourth quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 24-12 in the final frame to emerge with a 71-58 victory.
“That last weekend of the regular season, to finish it like that, we are super proud of ourselves but the mindset that we aren’t done yet, we are still hungry and we are going to take it one day at a time,” Loera said last week. “We soaked in the moment after we knew we won the league, took the night to celebrate and be there with each other but we understand we have to lock down and bring some urgency to Boise.”
Loera was predictably the catalyst, scoring 14 points and dishing out eight assists as five Eags finished in double figure scoring. Jaleesa Lawrence scored 15 points, Aaliyah Alexander added 13 points, and Jaydia Martin had 12. Buckley added 10 points and nine rebounds.
That core, outside of Loera, has been together since Gleason took over three years ago. The group took its lumps in Gleason’s first season but showed flashes last year, advancing to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals. Loera was a huge part of what EWU was missing.
Entering this season, the Eagles were expected to be a contender. They were the preseason pick to win the league by the media and the Big Sky coaches.
To exceed those expectations was a tall task, but the Eagles did it. Every win — including the comeback against Weber on Saturday, their 27th of the season — continues to extend the school record. Their 16-2 mark in the regular season was one of the best during an 18-game league schedule in school history.
This Eagles team is already among the greatest in school history. Eastern Washington is in search of its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1987 and just the second in school history.
That will take two more wins in Idaho’s capital city. Following the lead of a super senior point guard who’s the Big Sky’s MVP, its Defensive Player of the Year and its unquestioned alpha is a great place to start for the Eagles.
“We are super proud of the season we’ve had and the history we’ve been making, but what’s also super cool about this team is we don’t allow the external pressure to affect us,” Loera said. “When you come into the season and you are ranked first by media, you don’t want to play with too much pressure with a target on your back.
“We’ve done a great job of taking it one day at a time and we are where we are because of the mindset that’s been instilled into the program. Kudos to our coaches for keeping us neutral all season. At the tournament, we need the same sense of urgency as we had Monday night or the first night of the season. Definitely ready to take on the rest of the season and do what we do.”
