Oregon (OSAA) 5A girls basketball state tournament: Matchups, what to know for each of Thursday's quarterfinals
The OSAA 5A girls basketball state tournament begins Thursday at Linfield University in McMinnville. Here is a breakdown of each quarterfinal matchup.
BRACKET
Photo by Leon Neuschwander: Avery Andrews and Mountain View take on Springfield at the 2023 state tournament
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No. 8 Mountain View vs. No. 1 Silverton
Records: Mountain View 19-6, 13-2 Intermountain Conference (second); Silverton 21-4, 17-1 Mid-Willamette Conference (first)
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Mountain View is in the state tournament for the second consecutive year under head coach Jon Corbett. The Cougars survived a round-of-16 war with Crescent Valley — the 2022 state champion and 2023 runner-up — to make it to Linfield. Senior point guard Kasey Booster, a Saint Martin’s signee, was voted Intermountain player of the year, and fellow senior Avery Andrews earned first-team honors. Mountain View received a tough quarterfinal draw, but the battled-tested Cougars are playing with loads of confidence after vanquishing Crescent Valley.
Silverton, winner of the past four full-season Mid-Willamette titles, is making its ninth consecutive state tournament appearance. The Foxes haven’t won it all since 2016, and this season’s group could be the one to break the streak. Senior point guard Kyleigh Brown — a Portland State signee — is one of the state’s best guards, and players such as Grace Hayashida and Justina Semerikov have shined in supporting roles. With 5A’s second-best scoring defense at 40.4 points allowed per game, Silverton will be tough to beat at Linfield.
No. 5 Redmond vs. No. 4 Wilsonville
Records: Redmond 21-4, 14-1 Intermountain Conference (first); Wilsonville 20-6, 13-1 Northwest Oregon Conference (first)
Time: 3:15 p.m.
Redmond has made a leap under first-year head coach Alex Carlson, going from 13 wins a season ago to 21 this season. Before defeating Putnam in the round-of-16, the Panthers hadn’t won a postseason game since 2009. They are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2003. Redmond is a young squad with first-team all-Intermountain guards Dylan Cheney (junior) and Mylaena Norton (sophomore) and second-team guard Azlynn Ure (junior). The Panthers lack tournament experience, but the IMC champions have won 18 of their past 19 games.
Wilsonville didn’t look like a tournament team at the beginning of the season during a 2-4 start that included lopsided defeats to top 6A teams Jesuit, McMinnville and Willamette. The Wildcats regrouped and cruised to the state tournament with a 55-21 rout of Summit in the round-of-16. Point guard Gabi Moultrie is one of the best sophomores in Oregon, and juniors Audrey Counts and Payton Ratcliffe have been strong contributors all season. The Wildcats haven’t played a state tournament game since defeating Lebanon in the 2020 quarterfinals, and head coach Justin Duke’s rising squad is eager to secure another trophy.
No. 6 South Albany vs. No. 3 Corvallis
Records: South Albany 20-6, 14-4 Mid-Willamette Conference (third); Corvallis 21-5, 15-3 Mid-Willamette Conference (second)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
South Albany is back at the state tournament after going two-and-out last year. Sophomore forward Taylor Donaldson is the go-to player for the RedHawks, averaging a double-double at 21 points and 10 rebounds per game. Fellow sophomores Maddie Angel and Kaylee Cordle are key contributors, and South Albany has some senior leadership with Ryleigh Parker, Millie Moss and others. The RedHawks have fared well against Corvallis this season, going 2-0 with a couple of double-digit victories.
The Spartans were the only team to defeat Silverton in Mid-Willamette Conference play this season, but losses down the stretch to the Foxes and South Albany knocked Corvallis out of title contention. The veteran club bounced back strong by blowing out rival Crescent Valley to close the regular season and routing Canby in the round-of-16, 75-40. Corvallis returned nine players from last season’s playoff team, including seniors Taylor Brasfield, Marlee Hammer and Holland Jensen and junior Kate Rueck. The Spartans have the talent and experience to make a run — if they can get past South Albany.
No. 7 Springfield vs. No. 2 Crater
Records: Springfield 18-8, 10-2 Midwestern League (second); Crater 24-1, 12-0 Midwestern League (first)
Time: 8:15 p.m.
Springfield finally got over the hump last March, knocking off Crescent Valley in the championship game to claim the program’s first state title since 2012. The Millers had finished second four times after going back-to-back with Mercedes Russell, including a loss to the Raiders in 2022. Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam, a two-time 5A player of the year, is the leader of Springfield’s offense. Junior Diamond Wright and sophomore standout Darissa Romero-Ah Sam received first-team all-Midwestern honors this season. Springfield went 0-2 against Crater during conference play, but both matchups were competitive.
Crater brought back all five starters from last season’s team that fell to Springfield in the semifinals and wound up placing fifth. The high-flying Comets love to run and trap and lead 5A in scoring offense (69.2 points per game) and scoring defense (31.3). Junior guard Sage Winslow is the head of the spear and shared Midwestern player of the year honors with Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam. Addison Dippel, Lydia Traore and Abigail Winslow were first-team all-league selections for a Crater team in search of the program’s first state title.
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