FOREST GROVE — The final chapter in a series of three girls basketball battles between Class 4A’s two heavyweights unfolded Saturday evening with Stayton pulling away for a 47-38 win over rival Philomath.
Make no mistake — it truly was a battle with physical play under the hoop, players diving for loose balls and endless back-and-forth shifts in momentum. In the fourth quarter with Philomath still within striking distance, Stayton sophomore Breeci Hampton dealt a death blow by burying a 3-pointer to give the Eagles a 12-point lead with less than 4 minutes remaining.
Gallery: PHS girls basketball vs. Stayton (March 15, 2025)
A collection of photos from Philomath High’s 47-38 girls basketball loss to Stayton in the Class 4A championship game at Forest Grove on Saturday.
It’s a little easy to venture out into the weeds when trying to make sense of a game’s outcome. Following a postgame chat with the team, Warriors coach Ben Silva had a simple answer when it came to the biggest factors in the nine-point loss.
“They made more shots,” he said. “We still played well and we left it all out on the court. We were just missing shots.”
It’s always a difficult scene to take in when a team comes so close to winning it all. Several of Philomath’s players emerged from the locker room following the loss and hugged members of their families. There were tears, a lot of tears, while in the distance, Stayton celebrated by cutting down the net.
Senior Zoee Howard said it felt like a lot of people didn’t believe Philomath was a team that could advance as far as the state finals. But as a player grinding through a long season, the opportunity to play for No. 1 at the very end was deserved.
“We pushed ourselves every day at practice — five months is a lot of time to dedicate yourself in the gym,” Howard said. “Personally, I’m never going to be able to play another high school game again and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”
Warriors senior Aspen Russell, a tenacious defender who sacrificed her body diving for the ball even in the final few minutes when the outcome was no longer in doubt, had trouble finding the words after the disappointing loss.
“It was a good season,” she said. “We left it all out on the floor.”
The two teams traded jabs in the early going. Senior Anneka Steen scored Philomath’s first points on a layup and a short time later gave the Warriors a 3-2 lead on a free throw. Stayton’s sharp shooters found some success, however, on 3-pointers to take a 10-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. Sophomore Reagan Heiken hit a jump shot and made free throws on two separate trips to the foul line to account for Philomath’s points.
In the second, Stayton opened up a seven-point lead midway through the quarter as the Warriors struggled to find the hoop. Philomath’s scoring was limited through that stretch to a single free throw by Howard.
With 3:10 left in the first half, Heiken scored after being on the receiving end of a Russell pass. Forty seconds later, junior Shaylee May hit a 3-pointer from the corner. And with 1:54 left, Howard took an open shot from the top of the key and buried a 3-pointer of her own to give the Warriors a 16-15 lead.
Stayton counterattacked with a 7-0 run, which was stopped by May’s second 3-pointer of the evening. But the Eagles were able to take a 22-19 lead in at the half.
“I think nerves really got us in the first half,” junior Shaylee May said when asked for her take on the game. “A lot of nervous ball handling and couldn’t really handle the pressure that well.”
May knew the big finale against Stayton would be a tough assignment..
“We know what kind of team they are, we’ve played them multiple times,” May said. “It’s hard going against a team three times, especially a team that was in your league.”
In the third quarter, Stayton held a slim advantage most of the way and never trailed again. The pace on offense picked up a little with both teams starting to hit shots. Philomath got its deficit down to three points on four occasions over the first 3 minutes of the half. Heiken scored a couple of baskets and Steen found the hoop as well to keep pace with the Eagles. Then with 5:13 left in the third, Russell hit a long two-point goal to cut Stayton’s lead to 31-28.
The Eagles finished the quarter, however, with a 6-2 advantage to take a seven-point lead into the fourth. During this part of the game, Philomath scored just two points over 4:49 of clock time — that being an inside basket from Heiken.
The scoring drought continued for Philomath in the fourth quarter. Stayton sank a pair of foul shots for a 39-30 lead with 7:17 remaining but the Warriors had no answers on the other end. When Stayton’s Hampton hit a 3-pointer with 3:46 left in the game, her team extended its lead to 12 points. Fourteen seconds later, Russell was fouled on a three-point attempt and followed by making three straight foul shots.
Stayton countered with a basket to get its lead back up to 11 before Howard hit her second 3-pointer of the night. That brought Philomath back to within 44-36 with 1:29 left in the game but time was running out on the Warriors. Heiken scored Philomath’s final two points with 19 seconds left.
The game’s outcome differed from the two matchups during the regular season. Philomath pulled out a 27-26 win on its home court on Jan. 31 and Stayton returned the favor, 40-39, in its gymnasium on Feb. 21.
This game had a different feel, though. Neither team had home-court advantage, of course, and the battle occurred on the state tournament stage.
“I think we could have overthought a little bit and the atmosphere was different,” Howard said when asked what might’ve been different from those earlier games. “We never had this many people show up for a game. I’m still proud of us. We worked really hard.”
Beyond the mental parts of the game, the results out on the court separated the two teams. Philomath struggled with its shooting at just under 30% for the night. Stayton had double the points on second-chance baskets. The Eagles also found much more success in the paint with a 20-6 advantage.
Silva said that although the Warriors defense stifled Stayton in the early part of the game, the Eagles have the type of shooters that will more-than-likely start hitting the net. Sophomore Kathryn Samek finished with 18 points on 55.6% shooting from the field and 88.9% from the foul line.
But it was the inside game that especially favored Stayton.
They’re so physical and I was trying to get some fouls called on that but in this type of game, they’re probably not going to call it,” Silva said. “They’re long, they’re tall and they have a bunch of girls who can go get a rebound.”
Heiken, who was announced as Philomath’s player of the game, finished with 14 points to lead the Warriors in the scoring department. Steen had a team-high five rebounds. Heiken was a unanimous choice for the all-tournament team. Steen earned recognition on the second team.
Russell and Howard represent two of five from the PHS senior class that will be lost to graduation. Steen, a first-team all-conference pick, has played her last game in a Warrior uniform. Mica Boynton and Cali Cannon, two subs that were part of a deep bench, will also move on from the program.
“I can’t say enough about those kids,” Silva said. “They’re five great kids and I look forward to seeing what they do in the next steps of their life. I’ve spent probably as much time as I have with them than any other group. Most started really contributing as sophomores so we’ve been together for a long time.”
Silva believes the program will keep moving forward.
“They continued a tradition of excellence at Philomath High School girls basketball and we had enough young girls in the rotation this year that were able to see that,” Silva said. “They leave the program in good hands. In the four years that they’ve been here, we’ve gotten a first-place trophy, a fourth-place trophy, a fifth-place trophy and a second-place trophy. That’s a heck of a four-year stint.”
For Philomath’s seniors, there were plenty of good memories during their run with the Warriors.
“I made a lot of friends on the team,” Russell said. “I’ll always remember them and the support I got from them. Everybody has your back.”
Howard had similar thoughts.
“It’s just really hard knowing I’m not going to be playing with this same group of girls next year,” she said. “All of these girls are my best friends and I’ve played with them since I was a little girl. That’s hard.”
Several underclassmen figure to return next season, including five that saw significant minutes this season.
“We have a good core coming back,” Silva said. “We plan on being right back here.”
