The Philomath High girls basketball team opens its season Tuesday against Marist Catholic with championship aspirations but also an acknowledgment that building a new team identity takes time.
The Warriors went 23-6 last season and reached the Class 4A championship game before falling 47-38 to Oregon West Conference rival Stayton. That loss still stings for head coach Ben Silva and his returning players.
“It creates a little bit of hunger to get so close and end up just short in that championship game against a team that we know so well,” Silva said following a practice session last week. “It was a successful season but it hurts to lose that last game, so it’s something that sticks with you a little bit.”
The path back to the title game won’t be easy. Philomath graduated five seniors from last year’s squad, including three starters from the championship game — Anneka Steen, Aspen Russell and Cali Cannon. A couple of top players off the bench, Zoee Howard and Mica Boynton, also departed.
“It takes time to establish that as a group, especially when we’re coming in after having five kids graduate last year,” Silva said. “We have a mix of a lot of talented basketball players that are coming in — some returners and some who this will be their first time getting significant varsity time.”
The Warriors are ranked No. 2 in the Class 4A preseason coaches poll behind Stayton, though Silva maintains his focus regardless of rankings.
“It doesn’t change my mindset or my approach,” he said. “We have a lot of pieces that can make us a very good team but we’ve got to put in some work to get to that point.”
Leading the returners is junior Reagan Heiken, who was named Co-Player of the Year in the Oregon West Conference last season.
“She’s continuing to do a fantastic job … we want her to continue pushing herself and pushing her teammates to improve in little ways here and there,” Silva said. “She’s looking to be more aggressive inside and out a little bit, which will be a good addition to her game.”
Heiken finished with averages of 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 2024-25.
“We’re running a little bit different look on the offensive end and so we’re putting her in different positions to be successful and she’s really buying into that so far,” Silva said.
Joining Heiken among the returners are seniors Shaylee May and Isabelle Muir, both all-conference honorable mention selections last season. Junior Annaleise Brown, sophomore Reagan Nuño, junior Jordyn Hood and sophomore Libby Kramer return after seeing spot minutes on varsity a year ago.
Three seniors — Abby Harwood, Parker Maxey and Khali Toombs — are also on the varsity roster. Sophomore Bethany Cannon is in the picture as well.
“The overall feel this year has been good, positive energy and I think that starts with our seniors,” Silva said. “All of them are buying in, which has been great.”
If the Warriors have a team identity emerging, it centers on defense, which has been a program hallmark under Silva.
“I hope that we continue to play good defense and they’re tough on the defensive end,” Silva said. “It’s kind of been our bread and butter the last eight years but I also think we’re going to be able to score with the ball a little more effectively this year. I think we have quite a few threats from both the inside and outside.”
The Warriors participated in a jamboree last week against Churchill, Crescent Valley, Santiam Christian and Corvallis, giving Silva an early look at his team in game situations.
“We got out and shared the ball really well and we were able to get down the court and score pretty effectively in transition,” Silva said. “But we’ve also got some things to work on. We’re in a really good spot right now … but we also have a lot of room to grow, which we should be excited about as well.”
Silva believes his players understand the opportunity ahead of them this season.
“We’re pretty tough right now starting off in a pretty good spot but we also have a lot of room to grow as a group since we have some new pieces and players in different parts,” Silva said. “They seem excited to take on that challenge — that’s what makes it fun.”
The program has 23 girls participating, enough to bring back a second junior varsity team. John Hanson will serve as the JV head coach and Abigail Brown steps in to coach the JV2 squad.
Silva anticipates another competitive landscape in Class 4A. Three Oregon West teams reached the final four last year — Stayton, Philomath and Cascade.
“A lot of those teams in the final eight bring kids back … there were a bunch of teams that didn’t graduate players,” he said. “So I think 4A’s going to be a tough level this year.”
Philomath opens the season Tuesday at home against Marist Catholic with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m. The Warriors also host West Albany on Thursday with a 5:30 p.m. start.
The Warriors have two tournaments on the schedule this month — Dec. 19-21 at the Spartan Holiday Showcase at Corvallis High and Dec. 26-30 at the Surf City Holiday Classic in Huntington Beach, California.