Despite graduating the 4A girls basketball player of the year in guard Annie Campos, reigning state champion Henley has reinvented itself to remain a contender.
Makayla Schroeder, a 6-foot freshman post, has made an instant splash. She is averaging team highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth-ranked Hornets, who are 16-2 overall, 6-0 in the Skyline Conference.
“She's fit right into our lineup,” coach Randy Denson said. “We've never really had a true big post. Just having a bigger post presence, we look like a different team compared to last year.”
Just how Henley compares with other 4A contenders remains a bit of a mystery, though. The Hornets have not played a team currently ranked in the top 10 of the OSAAtoday 4A coaches poll. The Skyline went to three rounds of conference play this season, limiting Henley's nonleague opportunities.
So the Hornets will have to wait to find out how they stack up against powers such as No. 1 Philomath, No. 2 Stayton and No. 3 Cascade, teams that regularly see one another in the rugged Oregon West Conference.
“I'm comfortable seeing them later,” Denson said. “In another world, if we lived closer, it would be nice to see if we could schedule those.”
Henley returned three starters from its title team in senior forward Anna Harper, junior wing Lily Fussell and sophomore point guard Prestyn Schade. The Hornets suffered a giant loss in Campos (15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 4.2 steals as a senior), who now plays at Oregon Tech, but began to adjust last summer when they played about 40 games with Schroeder.
“We kind of got it figured out early in June,” Denson said. “We had a good idea of what we were going to be going into the season.”
The 5-10 Harper, a 4A honorable mention pick last season, and Fussell are averaging about 11 points per game. Schade has responded nicely to added responsibility in the backcourt, averaging four assists.
Schroeder, an all-conference volleyball player, has been a force. Big, strong and physical, she commands attention in the paint, allowing the Hornets to better match up with imposing frontlines.
“Right now she's just a traditional post,” Denson said. “We don't really need her outside. But she's good with her feet – quick feet – and she is just relentless on the boards. If she doesn't make it the first time, she's getting rebounds on her shot. Second- and third-chance points is where she lives.”
The addition of Schroeder has diversified Henley's offense.
“We've got a couple players that can give us double figures every night,” Denson said. “We're still playing the hard pressure defense and out-rebounding most of our opponents. That's usually how we turn that into wins.”
Both of Henley's losses came on the road against 5A teams. The Hornets fell to No. 1 Crater 83-54 on Dec. 17 and to No. 6 Redmond 72-59 on Jan. 7.
The loss to Crater came during a two-week period when Harper was sidelined with a foot injury. On a positive note, Schroeder shined against the Comets, putting up 18 points and 19 rebounds while dueling inside with 6-4 senior Lydia Traore.
Henley made a strong showing against Redmond, a game that was tied after three quarters. But the Panthers blew the game open in the fourth quarter, when they made five of their 11 three-pointers.
The Hornets defeated No. 5 Cascade Christian 53-44 and Valley Catholic 61-58, teams that lead the 3A Southern Oregon Conference and 4A Lewis & Clark League, respectively. They also beat 5A No. 9 Summit 53-49 and 3A No. 2 Banks 60-53.
Denson said his team showed grit against Banks, coming back from a seven-point deficit.
“With the experience we have from last year, this group's played in a lot of close games,” Denson said. “Our team is pretty good at relaxing and not overthinking it, and just competing.”
Stanfield perseveres
No. 1 Stanfield made a strong first quarter stand up for a crucial 34-29 win at No. 4 Weston-McEwen in a 2A Blue Mountain Conference game Tuesday.
Senior Saira Arellano made two three-pointers in the first quarter as Stanfield built a 17-4 lead, but the Tigers scored only 17 points the rest of the way as both teams struggled with turnovers and poor shooting.
“Buckets were hard to come by,” Stanfield coach Dan Sharp said. “I'm proud our girls stuck it out to the end. We'll have to play smarter the next time we play.”
Mazie Reeser, a 5-11 senior, led the Tigers with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five steals. Sophomore Kayla Monkus had eight points, seven rebounds and six steals and Arellano added seven points and six rebounds.
Stanfield shot 30.4 percent (14 for 46) and held Weston-McEwen to 16.1 percent (9 for 56).
The Tigers (16-5, 7-0) extended their lead over the second-place TigerScots (19-4, 5-3) in the conference standings. Stanfield has won both meetings with Weston-McEwen this season, prevailing at home 62-49 on Jan. 17.
Tualatin dispatches West Linn
No. 2 Tualatin stands alone atop the 6A Three Rivers League after a 55-30 home win over No. 8 West Linn on Tuesday night.
Freshman point guard Love Lei Best scored 18 points to lead the Timberwolves (16-1, 6-0), who have won eight in a row since a two-point loss to No. 1 Clackamas.
Junior Ries Miadich and freshman Kendall Dawkins scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, and senior Jordyn Smith added eight points and 13 rebounds.
Tualatin led 18-6 after one quarter and 29-17 at half in turning back the Lions (12-7, 5-1), who had won six in a row.
“This was a huge win for us,” Timberwolves coach Wes Pappas said. “West Linn has really turned into our biggest rival. It's always heated. We know they have a couple of superstars over there, and how well coached they are, so getting them by 25 tonight gives us great confidence going forward.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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