As far back as when they started playing youth sports in kindergarten, it was clear that the girls in Amity's senior class were different.
The core group of Alyssa McMullen, Adie Nisly, Eliza Nisly and Kylie Wilson immediately dominated in soccer, and when they started playing organized basketball in the third grade, the results were the same..
“They hate to lose. They love to compete,” said Amity girls basketball coach Jed McMullen, Alyssa's father. “For a long, long time we've had a pretty good idea that this was a special group. They won a lot of games. You could probably count on both hands the number of games they lost in youth sports.”
That group helped deliver Amity its first girls basketball state championship last season, finishing with a 30-0 record. And they were integral in Amity capturing its first state title in girls soccer this year.
Now, they are looking to go out on a high note together by repeating their 3A basketball title. The Warriors, No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 3A coaches poll, opened the season with their own Warrior Classic last weekend by defeating Elmira 54-12 and No. 4 Creswell 44-34 to extend their winning streak to 32.
“Everybody is gunning for us,” Jed McMullen said. “We're approaching it from a different mindset this year. We just want to really have fun and enjoy this final ride. I keep telling them that we're playing with house money. We don't need to prove anything. We've just got to play and have fun, and if we win a back-to-back title, then so be it.”
It's the kind of outlook that paid off for the Warriors last season. Coming off a 77-51 loss to Corbett in the 3A final in 2024, they needed a mental shift after high expectations began to weigh on them.
“If we didn't beat somebody like we thought we should have, we'd be mad, myself included,” Jed McMullen said. “We had to learn how to have fun. They put a lot of pressure on themselves. But they're getting better at playing and having fun, enjoying the moment.”
Amity capped last season with a hard-fought 43-41 win over Banks in the 3A final. McMullen (team-high 14.0 points per game) and Adie Nisly made the 3A second team, along with forward Saralynn Grove, who graduated.
The Warriors carried the momentum into soccer, finishing a 17-1-1 season by defeating Valley Catholic 2-1 on penalty kicks in the 3A/2A/1A final. Eliza Nisly (32 goals), Adie Nisly, McMullen and Wilson (goalkeeper) were 3A/2A/1A first-team selections.
Seven players from that soccer team are on the basketball roster in Adie Nisly, Eliza Nisly, McMullen, Wilson, seniors Lilyana Rideout and Haley Miersma and junior Grace Ulloa. Three of them are returning starters in McMullen and Eliza Nisly at wing and Adie Nisly at guard.
The team must compensate for the loss of two starters in Grove and point guard Mya Haarsma. Without the 6-foot Grove, an elite rebounder, the Warriors need a better collective effort on the backboards. And they will miss the calming influence of Haarsma, a four-year starter.
Miersma, who transferred to Amity as a junior after starting for Western Christian's 2A title team in 2024, has taken over at point guard. The 6-0 Wilson and Rideout are sharing the starting spot vacated by Grove.
Adie Nisly scored a team-high 16 points against Elmira on Friday and McMullen led the way with 13 points against Creswell on Saturday. The Warriors' balance makes them difficult to defend.
“You take one away, we're going to try to take advantage somewhere else,” Jed McMullen said. “They're so unselfish. They've always been unselfish since they were little.”
The extended soccer season cut into the team's preparation for basketball. The Warriors had to dig deep to turn back Creswell, which threatened to take the lead in the second half.
“Creswell brought it,” Jed McMullen said. “That's going to be a Coos Bay team, in my opinion. They were tough. It reminded me of the title game last year, as far as physicality. It was good for us.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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