COOS BAY – The situation was this: 4.7 seconds remained in the championship game between top-seeded Amity and second-seeded Banks at the 2025 OSAA / OnPoint Community Credit Union Girls 3A State Basketball Championships.
Amity led 43-41.
Banks had the ball just before midcourt.
It was Saturday evening and the towns of Amity, located in Yamhill County near Newberg; and Banks, located in Washington County near McMinnville; were empty. Their citizens had all traveled south, along the Oregon coast, to stuff the gym at Marshfield in support of their teams, which were trying to do something amazing.
Amity had been No. 1 in the state since the pre-season. The Warriors responded to the pain of losing to Corbett in the 2024 state championship game by winning every one of their 29 contests leading up to this game. ,
Banks had been No. 2 practically the entire season. The 2023 3A state champions carried a 26-3 record into this matchup. The Braves had continued to win despite the adversity of losing All-League forward Jordyn Maller to a knee injury in the league championship game.
The teams huddled before the final frenzy.
Banks wanted to get the ball to speedy sophomore Nylah Vanthom while moving towards the Amity goal. Clarissa Shurts was waiting to set a screen to free Vanthom up to attack the basket. Failing that, Vanthom could draw contact and go to the line hoping to tie; or use her speed to separate and score.
Amity coach Jed McMullen knew that only seconds stood between his team and a title the entire town had anticipated five times before without satisfaction. If only the Warriors could hold on!
The message to those on the floor was simple: “Don’t foul. Play good defense. Don’t reach. Try to force them into a bad shot.”
The referee whistled the ball in play and handed it to Banks. Vanthom moved forward, as instructed.
It was on!
***
For most of the game – indeed, for virtually the entire season – it didn’t look like it would come down to one shot for Amity to defend, with the game, and Oregon basketball history, in the balance. The Warriors broke open a close first quarter with a bucket in close from Eliza Nisly and a wing three from Alyssa McMullen to snag a 16-9 lead after eight minutes in a closely contested game characterized by aggressive defense. Amity kept Banks guessing by switching from man to zone and throwing in a three-quarter court trap at times. Banks relied on its in-your-face, overplaying man-to-man defense to force one difficult possession after another.
The comfortable margin after one period was to be expected. Since January 1, Amity had beaten each of its opponents by 19 or more points, except when it played league foe Jefferson. Those games ended with Amity winning by 10 in mid-February and by nine on Friday in the state semifinal. With the Amity lead already at seven, the prediction Banks coach Nick Rizzo saw online of an Amity blowout win seemed to be coming to fruition.
The second quarter started and, twice, Amity extended its lead to nine on buckets by Adie Nisly, who scored a game-high 13 points in the first half. Banks – twice – closed to with five points, on a wing three from Maylis Crowell and a McKenna King bucket in the key.
Those were the exceptions. For most of the second quarter, a shot clock violation or turnover was as likely as a shot attempt. That’s how high the defensive intensity was. Everyone was selling out.
Amity’s lead after two quarters was 25-19. Rizzo said that he felt fortunate to be that close.
“It was incredibly intense,” he observed. “I was so thrilled to manage that first half and only be down by six. It was so loud! They were changing defenses up left and right. It was just a challenge to get through that.”
The third quarter started and Banks, whose trademark defense yielded just 31 points per game this season on average, ratcheted to another level. Amity got a little tentative on the offensive end and opportunistic Banks sensed an opening. The Braves cut the Amity lead to three on two Jade Janecek free throws and then scored two more when Vanthom put back an air ball to just one, 27-26, midway through the period.
Amity responded with a quick five to build back to its halftime advantage. Lylania Rideout fed McMullen for a three pointer out of a scramble following a missed layup and Haley Miersma followed with an elbow jumper punctuated with a fist pump celebration.
McMullen said she let the three fly because the tight defense created reluctance in others to be aggressive in looking for their offense.
“It’s always hard to take those shots in those moments,” she explained. ‘What if I miss?’ But I knew my team needed me to shoot, and shooter’s shoot.”
Miersma, a transfer from Western Christian, where she won a state 2A title last year, said that the fist pump trend started in the semifinals.
“I hit six jumpers in a row and eventually I did that one time and it stuck with me the rest of the tournament,” she explained. “It got me hyped so it worked.”
In between those two Amity buckets, a moment happened that tested Banks’ resolve. Vanthom attacked the Amity basket, was fouled and hurt her left elbow falling to the floor. Coach Rizzo said that it swelled immediately, necessitating that she leave the game.
For almost five minutes of game action, Banks was without its catalyst and play maker. When Vanthom did return, her elbow heavily taped, only six minutes remained and Amity was still hanging on, up 35-30.
Vanthom’s impact was immediate. She attacked and fed Emily Graham for a deuce, which cut Amity’s lead to 35-32. After a Warrior free throw made it 36-32, Vanthom drove to the hole and finished with her left for a hoop and some harm. The conventional three-point play had Banks within one point with just under five minutes left.
Amity composed itself and scored three of its own, when McMullen ran around a screen and freed herself up for a three pointer that was pure. Banks responded with a Shurts layup off of a Graham assist. 39-37 Amity.
Truth be told, the game probably should not have come down to one possession with 4.7 ticks remaining. The Warriors made just 5-of-12 free throws in the fourth quarter to keep Banks in the game.
With less than three minutes to play, Amity tried to slow Banks with a full-court press. That failed, spectacularly, when Vanthom jetted by everyone and fed Graham for a layup that cut the lead, once more, to a scant point, 40-39.
Forty seconds later, Banks took the lead! Following a McMullen miss, Banks took possession and scored when King circled around the key before throwing the ball in off the glass with her left hand. Banks led for the first time since 4-2 in the first quarter!
The Braves’ lead was short-lived, however. Banks fouled and, with both teams over the limit, it meant free throws for Adie Nisly. She made them both!
Miersma added another free throw as the game clock ticked under one minute remaining. 43-41 Amity.
Banks called time out with 19.2 seconds to play. The play design was sound and the lob, intended for King in the lane, was a good one. Amity senior Saralynn Grove was just a bit better in that moment. The 6-0 senior saw the pass and reached as high as she could to steal it away.
Banks had no choice but to foul. The Braves sent Grove to the line with 6.4 seconds remaining. After going 2-for-2 from the charity stripe in the first half, Grove could not salt the game away in this moment. Banks rebounded the second miss and called time with 4.7 seconds left, just enough time for one more play to decide the state champion.
***
Vanthom darted forward at the whistle, but Amity was in position to defend her. The ball went instead to Janecek, another small, quick guard, in the backcourt. Janecek dribbled quickly up the floor as the clocked ticked down to zero and tossed a left-handed shot at the basket from the elbow as time expired. It hit the rim but lacked the touch that more time would have afforded her. As it bound away, Amity blue exhaled, then cheered as one to celebrate their new heroes. After five previous trips to the state final without a win, the Warriors were, finally, 3A champions.
“I can’t explain what this means,” Coach McMullen said. “Look at this place! It’s full of blue! This is a long time coming. We’ve been here six times. It’s about time we won one.”
“I’m so happy and blessed,” Alyssa McMullen added. “It probably means more to the community than to me. We’d never won a basketball championship but they’ve always been there and supported us. I’m convinced that it’s the best small town community you could have.”
“I don’t think too many people in his stadium thought we had a chance,” said Banks coach Rizzo. “We knew going in we could hang with these guys and we could fight with them. We just came up a tiny bit short but not for lack of trying. I’m incredibly proud of them.”
“Banks wouldn’t quit,” coach McMullen said. “They really tested us. We haven’t been tested like that all year. I suppose if you’re going to win your first one why not be in a really exciting one? Kudos to them. They played good, physical defense. We had to grind it out. Sometimes you have to grind out a win.”
“Words can’t describe how proud I am,” Rizzo said. “There is so much fight left in this team. We don’t have many basketball players. We have kids that play 4-5-6 sports a year and play basketball four months out of the year. They are gritty and tough and can defend. We’re always a tough out. I saw a post on social media that said Amity was going to win by 26. That they’d rolled everybody this year. Nobody’s going to roll us. We don’t get rolled.”
In the end, the stats reflected just how close a game this was. Both teams made 13 field goals. Both teams made 13 free throws. The two-point difference derived from Amity making two more three pointers. That’s it.
Vanthom finished with a team-high 11 points for Banks (26-4), which also got 10 points and seven rebounds from King. Shurts added eight.
Adie Nisly finished with 17 points and four rebounds to lead Amity (30-0). McMullen, who sat out a long stretch of the first half due to foul trouble, scored eight in the second half to finish with 11 points overall. The Warriors outrebounded Banks by two and, most importantly, won the turnover battle, 20-13.
“The atmosphere was crazy, Miersma said. “I was very nervous. At halftime I thought, ‘Okay we can do this.’ Then they started scoring and scoring and I had to step up. I told my team, ‘We got this. We can do this!’ We all battled it out to the end and, now, we’re champions!”
In the girls’ 3rd/5th game
Vale 56, Jefferson 49
Vale senior Bella Johnson went 4-for-4 from the free throw line with the game hanging in the balance to spark the Vikings to a third-place finish for the second straight year.
Vale, which lost a three-point game to Banks in yesterday’s semifinal, controlled the game with Jefferson for long stretches, but many good shots the Vikings were able to create just did not fall.
“You could tell we were fatigued,” said Vale coach Randy Seals. “We missed a lot of easy shots early on. We just didn’t have our legs.”
Vale looked fresh at the start of the game. Led by Kelsey Stepleton, who scored six points, had two steals and two assists early; and Elli Jacobs, who drained two corner threes, the Vikings bolted to a 13-7 lead midway through. Vale continued to get great looks through the final four minutes of the quarter but went 0-for-6 before Johnson scored inside off another Stepleton assist to snap a three-minute drought.
Jefferson, playing with just six players most of the game, fell behind by 10, 21-11, after consecutive triples from Brynlee Hartley and Jacobs’ third of the game, but the Lions were dogged. They answered with three balls of their own from Genevieve Orton and Alliya Saad to close the half on an 8-4 run and get within 25-19 at the break.
Jefferson did not let up to start the third quarter, either. Azisa Saad opened the second-half scoring with a corner three. Senior Gretchen Orton, a four-year starter with almost 1,800 career points, followed with a steal and score to slice Vale’s lead to a scant point.
Feasting off of Vale turnovers, Jefferson kept up the pressure and kept raining threes. Gretchen Orton’s three-bomb with three minutes left in the frame gave the Lions their first lead, 30-28, since 5-4 in the first quarter.
Jefferson extended its lead to 32-28 on free throws from Genevieve Orton before Vale clamped down. The Vikings (27-2) got a quick six from sharpshooter Claire Johnson and a Hartley signature runner off glass to end the quarter on a 10-3 run and with the lead going into the fourth.
Jefferson did not go away and got within 41-40 on a banked triple from Aziza Saad, the Lions’ eighth long-range basket of the game. Hartley, who had 15 for the game, answered with two more clutch runners off the backboard and added a swish from beyond the arc as part of a 9-2 Vale run that made the lead eight, 50-42, with less than three minutes remaining.
Jefferson had one more run in it and got within 50-47 on a drive from Gretchen Orton and another Aziza Saad triple with 1:28 left on the clock. Aziza Saad sent up another long-distance shot seconds later that would have tied the score, but it rimmed out. That’s when Bella Johnson stepped up to hit the free throws that finally put Jefferson away.
“She had a great tournament,” Seals said of Bella Johnson. “She really stepped up this tournament.”
Jacobs and Hartley tied for Vale team scoring honors with 15 points each. Stepleton had eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals.
“Our goal was to get to the championship game obviously,” Seals said. “And we were disappointed not to get there. I told the girls after yesterday’s loss that whatever game we play we had to compete at our best. I feel like that’s what we did. They went up a couple of times, and we could have rolled over pretty easily, but their identity is that they never give up.”
Gretchen Orton scored 20, grabbed 11 boards and assisted seven times in her last game for Jefferson (22-9). The Saad sisters combined for 20 additional points in the loss.
“You’ve got to give credit to Jefferson,” Seals said. “To play the whole game with 6-7 players…that’s pretty impressive to do.”
Gretchen Orton, who will play collegiately at Lane next year, was asked for her thoughts after concluding her illustrious career by making it to Coos Bay for the first time.
“It’s sad but it was a good four years and I really appreciate everything that Jefferson the town and the basketball team have done for me,” she said. “Getting here was big for our community and shows the little girls that come to our school that they can do whatever they want.”
In the girls’ 4th/6th game…
Burns 66, Cascade Christian 51
Burns turned around a 45-40 fourth-quarter deficit with an unrelenting run to capture the fourth-place trophy in a game impacted marred by 50 combined turnovers.
The Hilanders led at the half, 27-23, behind strong efforts from Caitlyn Horrell and Akylah Kaino, but yielded the advantage to the Challengers in the third quarter, after successive three-pointers from supreme scorer Isabel McCauley.
Cascade Christian’s 41-39 lead after three quarters became 45-40 one minute into the fourth quarter after a Grace McCauley layup.
One minute later, Burns (21-8) led by five, thanks to two Amaya Ballard triples and two Kaino lay ups, all resulting from Cascade Christian turnovers caused by Burns’ harrowing full court press. Burns’ run ultimately reached 13 points in a row and pushed the Hilanders up by eight.
Cascade Christian (23-6) got as close as six, but Kaino and Horrell were relentless in the paint and Ballard could not miss from long range. Kaino finished with 32 points, 19 rebounds, 10 steals and seven blocks for the 11th-seeded Hilanders. Ballard had 17 points, including 5-for-8 from three-point land. Horrell added 13 points and seven rebounds.
“I’m kind of in awe as a first-year head coach,” said Jamie Rusow of Burns. “I’m pleased that it ended this way. We threw the press on. It’s worked for us in the past. Boy did it [today].”
Isabel McCauley scored 30 and added six rebounds and four steals in the loss for the fourth-seeded Challengers, one day after setting a tournament scoring record with 42 in a win over Coquille.
***
All-Tournament Second Team
Alyssa McMullen, Amity
Elilza Nisly, Amity
Saralynn Grove, Amity
Sienna Lillebo, Taft
Ella Jacobs, Vale
All-Tournament First Team
Gretchen Orton, Jefferson
Nylah Vanthom, Banks
Hailey Miersma, Amity
Isabel McCauley, Cascade Christian
Akylah Kaino, Burns
Sportsmanship Trophy
Jefferson
John Gunther contributed to this report.
johnt@osaa.org
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