FOREST GROVE — It’s become an annual tradition come state tournament time — the Philomath High girls basketball team posing for a photo with its latest addition to the trophy case.
In six of the past seven years, the Warriors have earned hardware with a state title, two runner-up finishes and fourth or fifth on three other occasions. The only year without a trophy occurred in 2020 when No. 1 Philomath and the rest of the field were not allowed to play because of the pandemic.
Gallery: PHS girls basketball vs. Marist Catholic at 4A tournament (March 13, 2026)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 52-37 girls basketball victory over Marist Catholic in the 4A playoffs on Friday.
So when the Warriors took to the court on Friday morning in Forest Grove for a consolation semifinal against Marist Catholic, extending the trophy streak was on the line. With a loss, Philomath would be eliminated.
Not a chance. The ninth-seeded Warriors pulled away in the first half en route to a 53-27 rout over the fourth-seeded Spartans.
“I just went into the Stayton game with an open mind and either way, we knew we would have a game tomorrow,” PHS junior Reagan Heiken said, referring to the team’s opponent in the quarterfinals. “Obviously losing was a bummer and I knew we would have to have a quick turnaround. The only thing you control is your attitude.”
Philomath will now play in the fourth/sixth-place game at 9:45 a.m. Saturday against a familiar foe in Cascade. The Oregon West Conference rival advanced with a 62-44 victory over third-seeded Seaside.
“There are all kinds of different versions of success and there’s only one team that wins it all,” PHS coach Ben Silva said after chatting with his players in the locker room. “But there’s only a couple of teams that get to win two games — only a couple of teams that get to win their final game. We have an opportunity to do that.”
The Warriors got off to another slow start in the early going against the Spartans, a team that Philomath defeated 47-27 in its season opener. The team’s first basket didn’t occur until 3:41 remained in the first quarter with senior Shaylee May scoring on a layup in transition. By the end of the quarter, the team added two more fast-break hoops with juniors Jordyn Hood and Annaleise Brown scoring and led 7-4. Brown also hit a free throw during that early stretch.
“It was pretty physical in both directions and that makes it hard to score,” Silva said. “But I thought we did a good job of settling in there partway through the first and through the second quarter and built a lead.”
In the second quarter after the Spartans had pulled back to within two points of the lead, the Warriors responded with a 3-pointer out of the corner by sophomore Bethany Cannon. That shot sparked a 7-0 run, including a steal and a hoop by Libby Kramer and a basket inside by Reagan Nuño.
“We had a hard time setting it up,” Heiken said. “We like to hurry in transition but sometimes we just don’t find a play and just run around. But I think we did a pretty good job of setting it up today.”
Marist broke the scoring streak but Philomath went on an 8-0 run over the final three minutes of the first half. May drove for two, Heiken hit on an in-bounds pass and later hit a couple of free throws, and Brown finished a fast break with an assist to Hood for a 24-9 lead at halftime.
“We finally got a little bit of rhythm, although it was kind of hard just with the physicality of the game,” Silva said. “We were able to show what we’re capable of doing a little bit better.”
Marist tried to create havoc through a relentless trap defense.
“They’re just trying to speed up the game and get turnovers,” Silva said. “Early on, we had a couple of passes there that were too long but overall, we did a pretty good job of handling that pressure.”
May said the players adjusted.
“Their pressure was really good but we figured it out, how to break it with the skip passes and just seeing the court,” May said.
Philomath opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run to erase any thoughts of a Marist comeback. May and Heiken both scored, Hood buried a 3-pointer and Brown hit a foul shot for a 32-9 Warriors lead. The Spartans showed no signs of giving up, however, and even hit back-to-back 3-pointers to trail 36-18 heading into the fourth.
Over the final eight minutes, Philomath scored 17 points. Heiken had a strong finish with seven of her team-high 15 points coming in the fourth. Heiken was especially effective at the free-throw line with a 7-for-9 performance.
The 26-point lead at the final buzzer equaled the largest of the game.
In addition to Heiken’s 15, Brown also hit double digits for scoring with 12. Both of those players shared team-high honors for rebounds with six apiece. May finished with eight points. Heiken had three assists.
Philomath needed to find a way to respond after the disappointing loss to No. 1 Stayton on Thursday afternoon.
“We had a tough first-round matchup and I think they’re going to be tough for everybody, we’ll see how it all shakes out,” Silva said. “But I thought we showed some resiliency today to be able to come out for an early morning game. It’s a rough time to get up and down here to play at 9 but the girls did a good job.”
May said the team was able to work through the loss and bounce back.
“It really just came down to attitudes and shifting our perspective,” May said. “I think all of us really wanted to win it, especially since it was a redo of the state championship game. But I think it’s how we came back to it, which really affected how we played today.”
As for Saturday’s matchup, Philomath and Cascade split during the regular season — each team winning on the opponent’s court.
From talking to a couple of players after the win over Marist, a sense of pride exists among them for the program’s string of accomplishments. At the same time, they wish more folks would show support for a team that’s become one of the best in Class 4A.
“It’s just like the norm for us to get here and play well,” May said. “Some people in Philomath are like, ‘oh, we won’t come down unless you guys are playing in the state championship’ and I don’t think anyone really realizes how hard it is to get to that position.”
Heiken indicated that the team tries to turn the situation into a motivating factor out on the court.
“I think Philomath takes girls basketball for granted a little bit because it’s not normal to go to state and we’ve been here eight years in a row,” Heiken said. “It’s a little frustrating that it’s overlooked, our accomplishments, and that they expect so much of us but I think it pushes us. I know that we want it for ourselves, too, so we’re trying the best we can.”
Philomath 53, Marist Catholic 27
Friday, March 13, at Viking Gym, Forest Grove HS
PHILOMATH (53)
Reagan Nuño 1 1-2 3, Annaleise Brown 4 4-6 12, Shaylee May 3 2-2 8, Jordyn Hood 2 0-0 5, Reagan Heiken 4 7-9 15, Isabelle Muir 0 0-0 0, Libby Kramer 1 0-0 2, Bethany Cannon 1 3-4 6, Khali Toombs 1 0-1 2, Parker Maxey 0 0-0 0, Abby Harwood 0 0-0 0, Sienna Bushnell 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 17-24 53.
MARIST CATHOLIC (27)
Katelyn Shoemaker 1 0-2 2, Talia Tyner 1 1-2 3, Rayana Iverson 0 0-0 0, Rowan DeLee 0 1-4 1, Ashley Powell 2 3-4 7, Lila Bray 1 0-0 3, Lexi Hudson 0 0-0 0, Kegan Delee 0 0-2 0, Kendall Skinner 0 0-2 0, Bridget Stephenson 3 1-1 9, Caylee Brunson 1 0-0 2, Sienna Malekzadeh 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 6-17 27.
Team 1 2 3 4 F Philomath (16-11) 7 17 12 17 53 Marist Catholic (19-8) 4 5 9 9 27
3-Point Goals—Philomath 2 (Cannon, Hood), Marist Catholic 3 (Stephenson 2, Bray). Fouled Out—None. Total Fouls—Philomath 13, Marist Catholic 21. Technicals—None.