Last summer, when Ben Brown took over as coach of Western Christian's girls basketball team, the Pioneers seemed perfectly set up for a 2A repeat title.
The entire starting lineup, including the 2A player of the year in senior guard Runon Muroya, was eligible to return from a team that finished 30-1.
Unfortunately for Western Christian, three starters and a key rotation player transferred to other schools. Suddenly, Brown and the Pioneers had to re-calibrate.
“That was definitely not ideal,” Brown said. “But we had some talented younger girls that were coming up. They were kind of thrown into different roles.”
Western Christian not only has survived, but thrived. The Pioneers are 11-2 overall and 5-0 in the Tri-River Conference, tied for first place with Salem Academy (12-2, 5-0). Remarkably, they are No. 1 in the OSAAtoday 2A coaches poll.
“They really started coming into their own as far as getting confidence,” Brown said. “They went into fall thinking they were going to be back-ups, and they're starting and getting big minutes and making big plays for us.”
Brown – who coached Salem Academy's boys to the 2A title in 2023 before spending last season assisting the South Salem boys under his brother, Travis – sensed that the Pioneers were going to be competitive as they prepared for the season.
“I knew that defense was part of their identity,” said Brown, whose team is holding opponents to 31.6 points per game, second in 2A to Clatskanie (29.8). “So as long as they had the willingness to play defense, I knew we'd be within touch of any contest we'd get in.”
Zuroya has been outstanding, averaging a team-high 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. The 5-foot-8 Zuroya is a threat as a three-point shooter but also can get to the basket and finish in traffic.
“She's just a senior. You can tell she has the basketball IQ of somebody who's seen a lot,” Brown said. “She's quick off the dribble. She has good size, so she can get inside and finish over girls who are thicker and taller.”
Haley Ferry, a 5-10 senior post who was second-team all-state last season, is the other returning starter. She is averaging nine points, seven rebounds and three assists.
The key for the Pioneers has been filling the gaps left by the transfers.
The three Herber sisters – two former starters in sophomore Avery and senior Alexis and a rotation player in sophomore Addison – now attend South Salem. Junior Haley Miersma, third-team all-state last season, landed at 3A Amity. The 6-2 Avery Herber and 6-1 Addison Herber provided size and the speedy Miersma led the team in steals.
The Pioneers have been starting three sophomores in guards Savannah Newman (5-4) and Kinsey Wark (5-6) and forward Allison Chastain (5-8). Freshman forward Kylie Sommer (5-11), a mid-season transfer from 6A West Salem who has had a 29-point game, also has started.
“We got quite a bit deeper and got a little bit more length with that,” Brown said of adding Sommer.
The Pioneers' most impressive victory came in the opener of the Capitol City Classic on Dec. 19, when they knocked off 4A No. 4 Cascade 40-37. The Cougars made the state semifinals last year.
“That was our best win,” Brown said. “I think Cascade wasn't ready for us. They knew what we lost. They might have overlooked us a little bit.”
Western Christian lost its next two games against 6A teams at the Capitol City Classic, falling to Newberg 48-35 and South Salem 44-33. Brown said the team learned valuable lessons in the tournament, which it originally scheduled believing it had last year's starting lineup intact.
“I wasn't going to bail on the Capitol City just because we lost girls,” Brown said. “The girls wanted to play in it. The physicality will help us in the playoffs.”
It is Brown's second head-coaching stint with a girls team. He went 127-17 in five seasons (2014-19) with Salem Academy's girls – reaching the state final in 2015 and 2018 – before going 58-13 in three seasons with Salem Academy's boys.
Brown, who works in construction, took the Western Christian job after Bryan Martin resigned as coach to spend more time with his two young children. Martin has remained on the staff as Brown's assistant.
Big week for Vale
Vale, No. 3 in the OSAAtoday 3A coaches poll, knocked off two ranked 4A teams in the past week.
The Vikings (13-1) avenged their only loss with a 48-34 home win over No. 5 La Grande (9-2) on Jan. 11. Junior Kesley Stepleton scored 13 points and senior Brynlee Hartley made two three-pointers and finished with 10 points and three assists.
“I really thought we executed our game plan well,” said Vale coach Randy Seals, whose team held La Grande to 3-for-23 shooting from three-point range. “It was one of our better defensive games of the season so far. We started fast and got off to a great start, which really made the difference.”
In the teams' first meeting at La Grande on Dec. 17, the Tigers won 40-28.
The Vikings topped No. 6 Baker 42-39 at home on Thursday, their second win over the Bulldogs (20-6) this season. Hartley's three-pointer with one minute left turned out to be the difference for Vale, which extended its winning streak to nine.
Stepleton had 13 points and seven rebounds, making all five of her free throws. Hartley hit two three-pointers and had 12 points for Vale, which forced 25 turnovers.
The Vikings also posted a 51-26 home win over Burns (8-4) on Tuesday in a key Eastern Oregon League game.
Orton hits 1,500
Gretchen Orton, a senior guard for 3A No. 9 Jefferson, reached a milestone Monday when she passed 1,500 career points.
Orton scored a team-high 26 points in a 67-36 win at Dayton, raising her career total to 1,512. She reached 1,500 points in the second quarter and was recognized for the feat prior to the start of the second half, receiving an ovation.
“I think it's a big thing for a small town,” Orton said. “Everyone, when they get to high school, they try to get to bigger schools and everything like that. I think staying with your community and everything, building a legacy is important for small schools.”
For the season, Orton is averaging 20.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists for the Lions (11-3, 6-0 PacWest Conference).
Jefferson extended its winning streak to 10 on Wednesday with a 72-44 home win over Taft (11-3, 5-2). The Lions are tied for first place with No. 1 Amity (14-0, 6-0).
-- Jeremy McDonald contributed to this report
jerryu@osaa.org
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