It was a shock to just about everyone in the state last season when the Banks Lady Braves hoisted the 2022-23 3A Girls Basketball State Championship, besides them. The Lady Braves had a belief within their locker room that they could claim their first ever Girls Basketball State Title, and they did just that. Once they knocked off Lakeview on a buzzer-beater in the Quarterfinals, the ball got rolling and Banks cruised to hoist the coveted blue trophy. We were one of many who slept on the Lady Braves, and they woke us up. This season, the Braves will rebuild, which opens a strong possibility for a new State Champion.
Teams to look out for in 2023-24
Corbett – Nobody in the state outside of Sutherlin has felt what the Lady Cardinal have felt the last two seasons. Falling in the 2022 4A State Championship and the 2023 3A State Championship, Corbett will hope the third time’s the charm in 2024. Returning all but 5’1 guard Maddie Lanter, this team is going to be a FORCE to be reckoned with this season. Returning for the Cardinal is Ally Schimel (1st Team All-State), Ella Holwege (2nd Team All-State), and Lily Schimel (Honorable Mention All-State) who will all contribute in massive proportions. The one thing this group loves to do is shoot the three, which when they’re hot puts them on a pedestal nobody can reach. However, when they’re off, you get results like they have in their two previous title matchups. We expect Corbett to diversify its game in 2024, and have very high hopes for this group.
Amity – One team with the ability to match Corbett’s strong guard play are the Lady Warriors of Amity. With a plethora of young talent, an early exit in the 2023 Tournament will motivate this group in 2024. Returning nearly their entire team (Ellie McMullen dealt with an ACL injury for the bulk of 2023), Amity is prepared to challenge for the State Championship. Alyssa McMullen, and the Nisly twins (Adie & Eliza) will headline this group after all three were freshmen last season. With the valuable experience they gained in Coos Bay, we expect this team to use that to make the next step. We know the backcourt will hold up for the Warriors this season but we need to see how the frontcourt can step up to know they can rival Corbett for the top spot.
Sutherlin – Call us crazy, but when Micah Wicks was off the floor for Sutherlin in Coos Bay last year, we began to fear what Sutherlin may be able to achieve. After relying on the star guard for so long, Wicks got into foul trouble which allowed us to get an early look at what Sutherlin would look like this season. What we saw was more chemistry and ball movement which will only get better with time in 2024. While Wicks ultimately will be difficult to replace, as will great on ball defender Ava Gill, what we saw has led us to believe this team will compete for a title. It seems as if the Bulldogs have been the bridesmaid year-in and year-out since 2020, but perhaps this is the year they get over the hump. Addyson Clark has the potential to be a top-five player in the classification, but we haven’t seen her graze the ceiling yet. In the meantime, veterans like Paige Edmonson, Madison Wagner and Josie Vermillion will play a major role for this squad.
Vale – After flying under the radar in 2023, the Lady Vikings are poised to break out in 2024. You got the sense that last season they were just a year away, as they had six defeats by single digits to teams ranked in the top-five of their respective classification. Led by Halle Peterson (3rd Team All-State), Vale returns all but one player from last year’s team. One thing that is a lock with this group is that they’re going to play elite level defense. If they’re able to establish a consistent offensive attack to accompany their ability on the other end then it could be a quick rise to the top for this Eastern Oregon bunch.
Pleasant Hill – Last season, we saw Claire Crawford emerge as a star at Pleasant Hill. The 5’10 sophomore now junior recorded a double-double in every game at Coos Bay last season, and with her on the floor, this team has a chance to win a lot of ball games. Now we have our question marks with Kylie Campos (now at Bushnell) graduating, Cheyenne Green (Oregon St VB commit) opting out of the season, and first year Head Coach Paxton Miller taking over, but at this level a player like Crawford can carry this team far. Brooke Weimer will be able to take a lot of pressure off Crawford, but the other returners will need to step up for us put the Billies as a Title favorite.
Other teams to look out for: Burns, Westside Christian, Nyssa, Lakeview, Valley Catholic, Cascade Christian, Coquille
Other players to look out for in 2023-24:
Sara Grove (Amity)
Akylah Kaino (Burns)
Ashley Wright (Burns)
Jordynn Jones (Cascade Christian)
Holli Vigue (Coquille)
Lauren Bailey (Creswell)
Alexis Docktor (Horizon Christian, Tualatin)
Gretchen Orton (Jefferson)
Kenna Stratton (Lakeview)
Sofia Zendejas (Lakeview)
Clarita Arizmendi (Nyssa)
London Hartley (Nyssa)
Emma Yenchik (Santiam Christian)
Nyla Cabine (Westside Christian)
Preseason Top-10
- Corbett
- Amity
- Sutherlin
- Vale
- Pleasant Hill
- Burns
- Westside Christian
- Nyssa
- Lakeview
- Valley Catholic
Considered: Banks, Santiam Christian, Creswell, Coquille, Cascade Christian
Leave a Reply