The Philomath High School girls basketball team put up 25 points in the first quarter and never looked back in a 63-23 nonconference rout at Marist Catholic Tuesday evening.
The Warriors were tough on defense for the second straight game to start the season by holding Marist to a 13.3% shooting percentage and forcing 19 turnovers. The Spartans made 6 of 45 baskets — half of those 3-pointers — and were shut out in the fourth quarter.
Philomath, meanwhile, built an early lead with five players contributing points. Sophomore Reagan Heiken scored eight of her 16 points in the first quarter alone. Plus, in the opening quarter, senior Anneka Steen scored six of her 11 points and junior Shaylee May scored six of her nine points.
By halftime, the Warriors were out in front by a 39-14 margin.
Philomath, which entered this season ranked No. 1 by 4A coaches, continued to dominate in the second half while getting a lot of players on the floor. In addition to the points scored by Heiken, Steen and May, sophomore Annaleise Brown came off the bench and scored eight. Junior Isabelle Muir and sophomore Jordyn Hood, two other non-starters, finished with seven and six points, respectively. Steen and freshman Reagan Nuno had 3-pointers and the Warriors shot 73.3% from the foul line.
Sophomore Talia Tyner had a team-high eight points for Marist (1-1), a team that was ranked No. 8 in the OSAAtoday coaches poll.
Philomath (2-0) is scheduled to play at 5:30 p.m. Friday at 5A West Albany. The Bulldogs are off to a 3-0 start, which included a pair of tournament victories over 6A opponents.
