The Regis girls claimed their first state championship in 12 years Saturday by defeating Stanfield. (Photo by Andre Panse)

PENDLETON -- For the first eight minutes of the game, Stanfield played step for step with Regis, but the top-ranked Rams quickly pulled away in the second quarter for a 55-35 victory Saturday night in the final of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 2A girls basketball tournament at the Pendleton Convention Center.

It was the first title for the Rams (29-1) since 2014.

“I am super proud of these girls,” Regis coach Tim Manning said. “They have worked so hard all season. We were fortunate to close it out with a win and make the blood, sweat and tears this season worth it.”

Stanfield (20-7) equaled the best finish in school history. The Tigers also were second in 2023.

“You look at where we started to where we ended, we were written off as a maybe,” Stanfield coach Dan Sharp said. “We knocked off a couple of good teams to get to the championship game. It’s never fun to lose, but the journey was great.”

Regis led 12-8 after the first quarter, which saw ties of 2-2, 4-4 and 6-6.

The Rams scored eight of the first 12 points of the second quarter for a 20-12 lead, but a 3-pointer by Taylor Sperr pulled the Tigers within 20-15.

Regis would go on a 13-4 run to close out the first half with a 33-19 lead.

“They got offensive rebounds, putbacks and free throws,” Sharp said. “We stood around watching at times instead of getting after it. Their two guards (Clara Persons and Frankie Koehnke) are super tough, and No. 30 (Hadley Foster) was the X-factor. She got the offensive rebounds and second-chance points.”

The Rams hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter to take a 52-31 lead in the fourth quarter.

Stanfield outscored Regis 4-3 in the fourth, but it didn’t make a difference.

“Stanfield is a scrappy team with really good shooters,” Manning said. “They play good defense. Our goal was to drive to the hoop and make some free throws.”

Foster led the Rams with 21 points and 15 rebounds, while Koehnke had 16 points, five steals and four assists, and Lexi Lulay added eight points and seven rebounds.

“Hopefully there is more to come with this group,” Manning said. “It is very talented. We hope to be back in the future.”

Kayla Monkus finished with 14 points, five assists and nine rebounds for the Tigers, with Kahleigha Haney adding nine points, and eight rebounds, and Sperr six points and 10 rebounds.

“Taylor and Kayla had great tournaments,” Sharp said. “Kahleigha puts her heart into everything.”