Oregon’s best high school girls basketball players: Meet the top stars in the 6A Metro League
We’re taking a conference-by-conference look at some of the state’s top high school basketball players. Here’s the Metro League girls list.
Every league has numerous standout players, and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive. Let us know which other players you think should be added to the list.
Halle Hageman (Mountainside) photo by Taylor Balkom
—
Beaverton
F Lainey Spear, jr., 6-1
Spear is one of the best all-around athletes in Class 6A. The 6-foot-1 junior was averaging 17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, three steals and 1.1 blocks per game at midseason. At the POA Holiday Classic, she was the primary defender on Clackamas star Jazzy Davidson. The Beavers held Davidson to eight points. “Lainey is extremely strong, quick and explosive,” head coach Kathy Naro said. “She is a tremendous defender who can effectively guard any position. Her defense and rebounding is off the charts. … Offensively, she is a slasher and can score at all three levels.”
G Zoe Borter, jr., 6-0
A crafty, dependable player, Borter is putting up 14.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a junior. Naro said Borter is deadly from long range and has a great feel for driving to the basket and finishing. “Her intelligence, poise and calm demeanor help everyone flourish,” Naro added. “Her ability to use her length and smarts on the defensive side allows her to guard posts or guards. … She is a multidimensional player and a joy to coach.”
G Madison Naro, jr., 5-9
Madison Naro is a true point guard who is a leader for the Beavers. She plays with joy and intensity and is averaging 10.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. “She handles the ball very well under pressure and does little things to set up passes for her teammates,” coach Naro said of her daughter. “Her ability to break a press and get us into our offense is awesome. She makes everyone around her better with her basketball intelligence, enthusiasm and energy.”
Jesuit
G Emma Sixta, jr., 5-10
A two-time all-Metro selection, Sixta is a veteran point guard who is leading the Crusaders in scoring (17.4 points) and assists (three). The left-hander can score at every level and has improved each season under head coach Jason Lowery. “Emma is extremely gifted offensively,” he said. “She is having an outstanding season with a number of big-time performances so far.”
P Kendra Hicks, so., 6-1
Hicks is a powerful 6-foot-1 post who is already one of the state’s top rebounders as a sophomore. She is averaging 9.8 points, 13.3 rebounds (5.7 offensive), one assist and 1.3 steals per game. “Kendra has put up some monster rebounding games this season and is a major presence in the paint on both ends,” Lowery said.
G Avery Edwards, jr., 5-10
Another talented young star for the Crusaders, Edwards is putting up 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game this winter. Lowery has been impressed with Edwards’ development as a shooter. “Avery is shooting it tremendously well from three-point range and has really worked on her off-the-dribble game as well,” he said. “She is having a great junior year.”
Mountainside
G Halle Hageman, sr., 5-7
A four-year varsity contributor, Hageman is a veteran point guard who received all-Metro recognition following each of her first three seasons. She is averaging 14.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists as a senior. “Halle is quick off the dribble and has three-point range,” head coach Glen Lee said. “She has led us in a number of statistical categories over the last three years.”
P Lindsey Wilson, sr., 6-0
A three-time second-team all-Metro selection, Wilson is Mountainside’s anchor in the middle. The Lewis-Clark State commit is putting up 16.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. “Lindsey is a player that has been ruling the paint for us for the past three years as a starter,” Lee said. “She is a power post down low with soft hands and great passing ability, as well as mid-range skills.”
G Carly Stone, sr., 5-8
Stone is a smooth outside shooter who is averaging nine points per game while shooting 40 percent from long range. The senior guard has committed to play for Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. “Carly has great ball-handling skills, is a phenomenal passer and brings aggressiveness on the defensive end,” Lee said of Stone, who has also started since her freshman season.
F Shaylee Gonzalez, sr., 5-9
Another senior in her fourth year of starting, Gonzalez is a standout defender for the Mavericks. “She has great defensive instincts with her ball pressure and uses her length to her advantage, averaging around five-to-six tips per game,” Lee said. “She’s a slasher to the basket and is a gamer.”
G Ava Shandy, sr., 5-0
Shandy is an energy player who contributes on both ends of the court. “She brings energy every day,” Lee said. “Her aggressiveness is tenacious and contagious. She crashes the boards and has a nose for the ball.”
Southridge
G Audrey Meek, so., 5-7
Daughter of Portland women’s basketball head coach Michael Meek and sister of UP freshman guard McKelle Meek, Audrey Meek is a sophomore captain for the Skyhawks. Southridge coach Michael Bergmann said the younger Meek is a strong competitor with a high basketball IQ. “She is a good outside shooter who also finishes well around the rim,” Bergmann said. “She is a tough player who makes her teammates better.”
G Katelyn Stellingwerf, jr., 5-6
Stellingwerf is a junior guard and team captain who gets it done on both ends of the court. Bergmann said Stellingwerf has improved every season she’s been in the program. “Katelyn is a good on-ball defender and shoots well from outside,” he said.
P Bella Loitz, so., 6-1
Loitz is a talented 6-foot-1 post who moves very well for her size. “She is a good rim defender and has good shooting range,” Bergmann said. “She is a great teammate … and has great potential in a very tough Metro League.”
Sunset
F/P Sloane Chase, jr., 5-10
Chase is a versatile junior who is averaging eight points and five rebounds per game. Also a lacrosse player, Chase excels at scoring in the paint. “Sloane is still getting used to the varsity level of play, but is getting better with each game,” head coach Tim Ehlers said last month. “She will find a way to score and adds solid defense to our lineup.”
G Hannah Leffler, so., 5-7
Leffler is Sunset’s main point guard and is growing into a leadership role, Ehlers said. She is averaging more than five points and three assists per game. “This is a new position for her, and adjustments are being made with her coming from the JV program last year,” Ehlers said. “She is still very young and is improving each game.”
W Riley Morris-Rexford, so., 5-9
Primarily a wing, Morris-Rexford is averaging more than six points per game while pulling in nearly 10 rebounds. “She is the team’s leading rebounder,” Ehlers said. “And again, with her being young and coming up from JV, there is still a lot of room for growth.”
Westview
P Alison Kanntor, sr., 6-3
Kanntor is a senior leader for the Wildcats and one of the top interior presences in the Metro League. The 6-foot-3 Kanntor has committed to play for Colorado School of Mines. “Alison is a skilled post player that can play inside and out,” head coach Kevin McElroy said. “She can stretch the defense with her ability to shoot from the perimeter, and she is a good passer out of the post as well.”
G Claryn Keeney, sr., 5-11
A captain alongside Kanntor, Keeney is a senior leader who also has a strong inside-outside game. “Claryn creates well for her teammates off the dribble and is a good passer,” McElroy said. “She is a good shooter and finisher around the basket.”
G Jalay Harris-Burns, sr., 5-6
Harris-Burns is a senior point guard who leads Westview in assists and steals. “Jalay is our most skilled ball-handling guard who can create for her teammates and has good court vision,” McElroy said. “Defensively, she can disrupt the opposing team’s offense with her ball pressure.”
