Vale made a case to be the frontrunner in 3A girls basketball by taking down reigning champion Amity in the Green bracket final of the Crusader Classic on Saturday at Salem Academy Charter School.
The Vikings, semifinalists the last two seasons, prevailed 31-27 in a defensive struggle, handing the Warriors their first loss to a 3A team since the 2024 state championship game.
As a result, the teams traded spots at the top of the OSAAtoday 3A coaches poll this week, Vale (9-1) moving to No. 1 and Amity (7-2) dropping to No. 2.
“For our program, it's a great win,” Vale coach Randy Seals said.”But we definitely know that they're still kind of the gold standard in girls basketball at the 3A level. I still consider them the favorite, but it's still a good thing for our girls to see that we can compete at that level.”
Trailing 26-21 after three quarters, Vale held Amity to one point in the final eight minutes. The Vikings pulled even at 26-26 with 3:50 left and took a one-point lead on a free throw by senior post Izzy Maag. A three-point play by senior forward Kesley Stepleton down the stretch gave the Vikings the winning cushion.
“We pride ourselves on our tough-nose defense,” Seals said. “To hold such a talented Amity team to that many points was a great testament to how hard our girls have been working.”
Stepleton led Vale with 16 points, 12 rebounds and four steals, shooting 5 of 9 from the field and making 6 of 10 free throws. Senior guard Elli Jacobs made two three-pointers and added eight points and three steals.
Senior wing Eliza Nisly had seven points and three steals to lead Amity. The Warriors shot 10 of 39 from the field, including 2 of 19 from three-point range.
Amity had won 35 consecutive games before falling to 6A No. 8 South Salem 55-37 in the Capitol City Classic on Dec. 22. The Warriors defeated 1A No. 7 Crane 67-26 and 2A No. 2 Western Christian 44-35 in the first two rounds of the Crusader Classic.
Amity coach Jed McMullen said the Warriors “looked a little bit gassed” in the loss to Vale, but liked to see them get pushed.
“It's why we play in this tournament, to get good games against good teams and prepare us down the road,” McMullen said. “Our end-game is March. Win or lose here isn't really going to change what our end-game is, it just makes our path a little bit different. We'll learn from it.”
Vale has won four in a row since falling to 4A No. 4 Henley 60-44 on Dec. 20 at La Pine High School. The Vikings advanced to the bracket final by beating 2A No. 7 Crosshill Christian 49-31 and 2A No. 5 Stanfield 56-31.
Stepleton is leading Vale in scoring at 14 points per game. Last season, she was the Eastern Oregon League co-player of the year and a 3A second-team pick.
“She's a very versatile player,” Seals said. “She can post up, but she's also a very good shooter. She's very quick and good at attacking the rim. She's a threat from everywhere.”
Stepleton is one of four returning starters from a team that finished 26-2. The others are Jacobs (3A second team last season), Maag and senior point guard Bailey Blake.
Blake has taken on more ballhandling duties after the graduation of point guard Bella Johnson.
“We had some questions on whether we could handle pressure, and Bailey Blake is doing a great job at that,” Seals said. “We have a lot of seniors, and a lot of them have played good varsity minutes since they were freshmen.”
-- Jeremy McDonald contributed to this report
'Culture' propels Clackamas
Despite graduating a talented class that was largely responsible for 104 wins in four seasons – including a 6A title in 2023 – Clackamas is more than holding its own.
The Cavaliers (7-2) posted their sixth consecutive win Friday by beating 5A No. 8 Lebanon 71-58 at home. That win came after Clackamas won the eight-team Pearl bracket in the POA Holiday Classic.
The Cavaliers lost eight players and all five starters from last year's state runner-up team, including all-American forward Jazzy Davidson, now at USC.
“The girls want to continue a culture here,” coach Korey Landolt said. “They don't want it to be all about the Class of 2025. They're really taking it to heart that they want to continue the tradition. For them to believe in themselves, and show what they can do, I'm here for it.
“They were in the gym with some really good players the last couple years, so they got some experience that I think they are building on a little bit.”
The Cavaliers are making nine three-pointers per game, led by 5-11 junior wing Savannah Dahl, a transfer from Forest Grove. Dahl is averaging a team-high 19.0 points and 6.5 rebounds, making 33 of 89 three-point attempts (37.1 percent).
“She's been a piece that's fit right in,” Landolt said of Dahl, who scored 37 points in a win over No. 10 Century. “She's helped us out a lot. She probably brings the most experience as a varsity player to this team.”
Junior guards Lily Oien (18.0 points) and Tatum Landolt (11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists) have moved into the starting lineup after seeing limited varsity action last season.
Clackamas lost to 6A No. 2 West Linn 74-43 and 5A No. 1 South Albany 77-63. The Cavaliers have made steady progress since the season-opening loss to West Linn.
“We've shown growth in our composure and shot selection,” Korey Landolt said. “Against West Linn, we were jacking stuff up.”
Redmond streaking
Redmond, No. 4 in the OSAAtoday 5A coaches poll, extended its winning streak to nine games Friday with a 69-43 home rout of 6A Oregon City.
Senior guard Mylaena Norton, the Intermountain Conference player of the year last season, scored 24 points and had six steals to lead the Panthers (9-1). Redmond jumped to a 13-0 lead and went on to deal the Pioneers (8-2) their first loss to an Oregon team this season.
It was the Panthers' closest game in their winning streak other than a 54-51 victory at 5A Silverton (5-4) on Dec. 13. Their only setback was a 71-69 season-opening loss to 4A No. 4 Henley in the Central Oregon Tip-Off Classic on Dec. 4.
Beating Silverton was a breakthrough of sorts for Redmond, which lost to Silverton in the 2024 state semifinals and twice last season, including a consolation game at the state tournament.
“We are trying to take that next step as a program,” Norton told the Bend Bulletin. “We have been so close and right there with them, but we went out there and took it from them this time. We had great composure in that game and didn’t let anything else get to us.”
In winning all three of its games in the South Coast Les Schwab Tournament Dec. 18-20 at Marshfield, Redmond forced 37 turnovers per game and held opponents to 28-percent shooting.
Freshman guard Kodee Kimball is averaging a team-high 16.2 points per game. Norton is putting up 14.8 points, 3.6 assists and 2.9 steals.
Redmond has won back-to-back conference titles, reaching the state semifinals both seasons.
jerryu@osaa.org
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