Oregon (OSAA) 5A girls basketball state tournament: Matchups, what to know for each of Thursday's quarterfinals

By Bob Lundeberg | Photo by Amanda Loman

The OSAA 5A girls basketball state tournament begins Thursday at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis. Here is a breakdown of each quarterfinal matchup.

No. 9 Crescent Valley vs. No. 1 Willamette

Records: Crescent Valley 19-7, 13-3 Mid-Willamette Conference (tied second); Willamette 25-1, 16-0 Midwestern (first)

Time: 1:30 p.m.

Crescent Valley pulled off a mild first-round upset last week with a 52-41 victory at Northwest Oregon Conference champion Wilsonville. Junior guard Gabby Bland, a first-team all-Mid-Willamette Conference pick, had 17 points in the win. The Raiders, who placed sixth at the 2019 state tournament, split their matchups with rival Corvallis and lost both games to MWC champion Silverton.

Willamette is not just the 5A title favorite; it’s also one of the state’s youngest teams. Star guard Brynn Smith is one of several impact freshmen for the Wolverines, whose only loss came to 6A No. 3 seed South Medford. Willamette won its first league title in eight years and is back at the state tournament for the first time since future Duck Lexi Bando led the Wolverines to the 2014 title.

No. 5 Corvallis vs. No. 4 Ridgeview

Records: Corvallis 20-6, 13-3 Mid-Willamette Conference (tied second); Ridgeview 19-6, 9-1 Intermountain Conference (first)

Time: 3:15 p.m.

Coming off a perfect 15-0 spring season, Corvallis split its regular-season matchups with Silverton, Crescent Valley and West Albany to snag a share of second place in the Mid-Willamette Conference. Seniors Elka Prechel and Sevennah Van De Riet were first-team all-MWC selections. The Spartans went two-and-out in their last state tournament appearance in 2019 and are looking to win their first trophy since a third-place finish in 2017.

Ridgeview shared the Intermountain Conference title with Pendleton during the spring and won it outright this winter. Senior guard Jenna Albrecht averages 16.3 points per game and was voted IMC player of the year. The Ravens have also received a boost from junior guard Kyrah Davis, who moved to Redmond from Australia in January and recently became eligible. Daniels has played in seven games and is averaging 14.1 points.

No. 11 Putnam vs. No. 3 Crook County

Records: Putnam 19-6, 12-2 Northwest Oregon Conference (second); Crook County 21-3, 8-2 Intermountain Conference (second)

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Putnam proved itself in Northwest Oregon Conference play this season and stunned Crater, 45-39, in the round-of-16. Senior guard Maddie Olma had 15 points in the victory. Junior Emma McDonald is a threat from long range. The Kingsmen are making their first state tournament appearance since 2017.

Crook County surged up the Intermountain Conference standings this winter, clinching the program’s first winning season since 2012. The Cowgirls’ last state tournament appearance came in 1996. Senior post Emma Bales and junior guard Katelynn Weaver were first-team all-IMC selections for upstart Crook County.

No. 7 Springfield vs. No. 2 Silverton

Records: Springfield 19-7, 12-4 Midwestern League (tied second); Silverton 21-4, 14-2 Mid-Willamette Conference (first)

Time: 8:15 p.m.

Springfield fell 48-33 at Silverton in December, but the Millers are a much different team heading to the state tournament. Sophomore Danaeja Romero Ah Sam does a little of everything while freshman Juju Henderson is also scoring in double figures. Springfield has made five state finals since 2011, most recently in 2019. The Millers won back-to-back titles in 2011-12 with Mercedes Russell.

Silverton is making its seventh straight state tournament appearance, and head coach Tal Wold said this one was the hardest. The Foxes, who won their fourth consecutive full-season Mid-Willamette Conference title this winter, are a balanced group led by sophomore guard Kyleigh Brown and do-everything senior Paige Traeger. Both players were voted first-team all-MWC.