When Seaside boys coach Bill Westernholm was weighing whether to make his 27th season as the Seagulls coach his last, he thought of his players above all else.
Not wanting to place extended pressure on his team to perform after disappointing home losses in the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, Weterholm kept his plans to himself and ultimately informed his players — and the Seaside community — just hours before their home playoff game on Saturday that he had decided to retire from coaching after the season ends.
"I made my mind up toward the end of the season," said Westerholm. "I'm getting closer to retirement as a teacher and I want to spend some time just teaching and not worrying about all the other things a coach has to do. It's been a good run."
Westerholm led the Seagulls to the 4A championship game in four consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2019, capturing the only state titles for the school in 2017 and 2018.
"I'll still help out with the programs if they need help, I won't fly off into the sunset yet," he added.
The Seagulls used the retirement news as motivation and rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat Philomath 38-34 in the round of 16 to advance to the 4A state tournament in Forest Grove as the No. 8 seed.
Even better for the Seaside community, the girls team downed Marist Catholic in the round of 16, 54-46, to send both teams to the tournament for the first time since 2017. But it's been more than 30 years since the boys and girls teams won solo conference titles in the same season.
For Westerholm and girls coach Marla Olstedt, their ties to the Seaside community — and each other — stretch back decades.
Westerholm graduated in 1988 from Seaside, where his father was the athletic director and started teaching in 1963. Westerholm went on to play football for Portland State under Pokey Allen and lived in Hillsboro for a few years before moving back to Seaside, where he's coached basketball, football, baseball and softball over the years.
"I had a lot of coaches growing up who guided me in the right direction and were like second dads to me," Westerholm noted. "That's how I approach my coaching, to be a positive influence and role model for youth in my community.
"Seaside's a great place to grow up and teachers and coaches are a big reason for that. To be able to be a part of that for 27 years, knowing I can change lives, I've done the best I can and created good relationships with kids throughout the years."
Olstedt graduated from the school 20 years after Westerholm in 2008 and played college basketball at Lower Columbia. She started as an assistant coach with the Seaside girls in 2015 before taking over the head role in 2020. She played in a state tournament with the Seagulls, but they lost both games. She's hoping to improve on that result as the No. 7 seed in Forest Grove.
The pair have been family friends since Olstedt's youth. Olstedt's parents are the godparents to Westerholm's two sons, including Jordan, a starter on this year's boys team. Olstedt's mother keeps the scorebook for both teams, something she's done for Westerholm for nearly his entire career.
"To give back to my community through coaching is a feeling like no other," Olstedt said. "And being alongside Bill, getting to learn from him has been awesome. As a younger coach I find myself getting to our practice early so I can listen and learn from him while he coaches the boys. He's been a great mentor for me."
Olstedt fought off a few tears as she reflected more on the retirement of her friend and mentor. She also found out Saturday morning with the rest of the community.
"I'm just so happy for him because their season started so rough," she said of the boys team starting 4-8 before going unbeaten the rest of the way. "It's going to be a different feeling not having him involved as a coach. He really did this for the right reasons and put the kids in a position to succeed."
"He's going to keep getting my phone calls," Olstedt said before one final quip:
"He might not take them, but I'm going to keep calling."
Girls quarterfinals, Thursday, Forest Grove High School (Viking Gym)
No. 8 Crook County (16-9) vs. No. 1 Philomath (21-5), 1:30 p.m.: Crook County of the Tri-Valley Conference won a league title for the first time since 1992 and come to Forest Grove as one of the hottest teams in the state. The Cowgirls have won 11 straight after starting the season 5-9 and had to overcome the loss of reigning first team all-conference point guard Anna Bales who tore her ACL in the second game of the season. Coach Bob Boback said he had to experiment with offensive and defensive schemes and the Cowgirls eventually found their way. First team all-conference guards Hayden Decker, a freshman, and Kacy Wiederholdt, a junior, are standout all-around players. Decker leads the team in scoring, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Emily Henderson, Chloe McKenzie and Harper Smith are also standouts. "We are probably the shortest starting five in the state," Boback said. "We do struggle to score at times but our effort and defense usually keep us close. We're peaking at the right time." Crook County last won a state title in 1983. ... Philomath and Crook County already faced off once this year — all the way up in Alaska. The Warriors downed the Cowgirls 44-18 in the championship game of the Ketchikan holiday tournament in late December. The Warriors will look to earn their fifth state championship this week and enter as the No. 1 seed despite finishing runner-up to No. 2 Stayton in the Oregon West Conference. The Warriors, who handed Stayton its only loss of the season, traveled more than 2,600 miles this season. "We played a lot of really good competition this year and gained a lot of great experience from having such a challenging schedule," said coach Ben Silva. Philomath faced three teams that qualified for the 5A tournament, posting a win over West Albany and losing to Crater and South Albany. Sophomore Reagan Heiken (12.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and senior Anneka Steen (7.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.8 apg) have been first team all-conference selections the last two seasons. Senior Zoee Howard (5.6 ppg, 4 rpg) earned second team all-conference honors the last two years. Philomath has reached the semifinals five of the last seven seasons and won the 4A title in 2022.
No. 5 Cascade (18-6) vs. No. 4 La Grande (19-4), 3:15 p.m.: Cascade is hoping to return to the state title game for the first time since 2018. The Cougars of the Oregon West Conference are 2-6 all-time in championship games, winning in 1985 and 2011. ... The Tigers of La Grande are hoping this will be the year they get back to the championship game for the first time since 2013. La Grande was eliminated in the round of 16 in each of the three previous years, and brings a roster that's never played in Forest Grove. Coach Brian Wright, who has spent the last seven seasons of his 38-year career in La Grande, said his team is "very balanced with several players that could have a good night at any point." He also mentioned the Tigers have been tested with long travel and don't get easily rattled. "Playing in Eastern Oregon has its share of challenges due to long travel and late nights to get to quality games," he added. " I feel like our team has matured nicely and has handled the rigors of the season with poise and hard work." Junior Rowan Evans (12 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.5 apg) leads the team in scoring. Senior Olivia Pennington (10.8 ppg) and junior Peyton Daggett (8.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 3.1 apg) are also key contributors.
No. 11 Baker (17-9) vs. No. 3 Henley (23-2), 6:30 p.m.: After winning the 4A championship in 2023, the Baker Bulldogs came up just short in the round of 16 last year and hope to make the most of another appearance at the state tournament site. Freshman Molly Rasmussen has burst on the scene to be the Bulldogs' top scorer at 12.3 points per game. Senior Ashlyn Dalton (7.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg) is another major contributor, as is sophomore Lily Logsdon (6.3 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3 spg), who came back after recovering from a knee injury that cut her freshman season short. "We were disappointed at losing in the round of 16 by a point last year and didn't get a chance to defend our title," coach Jason Ramos said. "We were motivated to get back to the tourney this year. We have depth and a great mix of youth and veterans; the girls run the floor, share the ball and play pressure defense." ... Defending champion Henley will arrive in Forest Grove with an unbeaten record against 4A teams this season. The Hornets have only lost to 5A quarterfinalists Crater and Redmond and are riding a 15-game winning streak. Skyline Conference player of the year Makayla Schroeder, a freshman, averages a double-double at 14 points and 12 rebounds per game. Senior Anna Harper (11.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and junior Lily Fussell (12.4 ppg, 5.4 spg) joined Schroeder as first team all-conference honorees. "We're a full-court pressing team," said coach Randy Denson. "We like to run the lanes and play in transition."
No. 7 Seaside (14-9) vs. No. 2 Stayton (24-1), 8:15 p.m.: The Seagulls face a tough challenge in Stayton, a one-loss team that defeated them 61-29 on Dec. 13. But the Cowapa League champs believe they can have a better showing in the rematch. "Stayton looks good but I tell my girls that we do too," said Seaside coach Marla Olstedt. "We've made changes this week and we'll take care of what we do and see what happens. They have a lot of pieces but we've developed too." Seaside starts five juniors, with Carly Corder leading the team in scoring (11.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). Lili Miller (10.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Mya Feeney (9.3 ppg) are other key contributors. ... Stayton enters the state tournament with just a single loss this season — by one point to league rival Philomath. The Eagles have been dominant defensively, allowing just 25.5 points per game this season, the best of any team in the state in any classification. Under second-year coach Tal Wold, the Eagles are hoping to win their first 4A title since 2007. Wold previously coached at Silverton and led the Foxes to the 5A championship in 2016. Sophomore Kathryn Samek (12 ppg, 5 rpg) leads a trio of first-team all-conference players that also includes senior Kenzi Hollenbeck (8.5 ppg, 8 rpg) and sophomore Breeci Hampton (9 ppg, 3 apg). Senior Haley Butenschoen was Oregon West Conference defensive player of the year.
Boys quarterfinals, Thursday, Forest Grove High School (Joe Moran Court)
No. 8 Seaside (17-8) vs. No. 1 Cascade (21-3), 1:30 p.m.: The Seagulls started the season 1-5 and 4-8, but have completely flipped the script since early January, winning 13 straight to come into the tournament with upset aspirations in the quarterfinals. The return of senior Austin Palmer, who suffered a major knee injury in last year's round-of-16 loss, has boosted the Seagulls. Palmer missed the all of the team's early struggles and has averaged 12 points in the 10 games he's played. Senior Barrett Blodgett is the Seagulls' leading scorer at 13 points per game. "I'm proud of this team for hanging in there," said coach Bill Westerholm. "They've been through a lot and didn't falter and continued to grow and understand it was going to be a process. They've continued to fight and really matured." ... Cascade finished third in the state last year after winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. The Cougars have won 13 in a row and come in as the top seed.
No. 5 Baker (16-8) vs. No. 4 Crook County (19-6), 3:15 p.m.: The defending 4A champion, Baker comes into the tournament with a deceiving record. The Bulldogs became one of a select few non-6A teams to ever compete in the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational in December. Making things tougher, they were missing top scorer Isaiah Jones (18 ppg, 5 rpt, 3 apg) for that tournament. They went 0-4 at the LSI against three 6A teams and national power La Lumiere, but they trailed the Indiana school by only seven points late in the third quarter. Eli Long (14 ppg, 3 apg), Jaxon Logsdon (13 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg) and Rasean Jones (12 ppg, 7 rpg) are the Bulldogs' other top contributors. "Our identity is to be the toughest team that is extremely unselfish on and off the court," noted coach Jebron Jones. "We are a tight-knit group who care about each other. As a staff we promote accountability and maturity." Baker also won state titles in 1938 and 2007. ... Crook County has never played in a boys state championship game, but the Cowboys are hoping that changes this week. They come into the tournament on a 12-game winning streak, and five of their six losses this season are to 5A teams. Junior post Bryce Lowenbach dominated the Tri-Valley Conference this season, earning player of the year honors. He averaged 16.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, while junior guard Jace Jonas posted 15.2 points per game and garnered a first team all-conference selection. "Our team takes pride in getting stops on the defensive end," said sixth-year coach Jason Mumm, who has led the Cowboys to the state tournament site four times. "We play inside out on offense and look to go through the post." Crook County and Baker split a pair of games this season, with Baker winning 63-57 on Dec. 7 and Crook County earning revenge on Jan. 4, 62-52.
No. 14 Mazama (14-11) vs. No. 11 Scappoose (16-9), 6:30 p.m.: A matchup of two unlikely quarterfinalists guarantees that a double-digit seed will make it all the way to the semifinals. A year after going 4-17 with mostly the same roster, Mazama turned it around to make an unexpected run to the tournament. The Vikings started this season 1-6, including a 60-57 loss to Scappoose on Dec. 6. Coach Ryan Millsap said the team was searching for an identity and found it with mental and physical determination. "We call it 'be a dawg'," said Millsap. The Vikings have been playing their best basketball lately, winning eight of 10. Led by seven seniors, Mazama runs through point guard Kai Hunt (17 ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg), whom Millsap calls "arguably the best point guard in the state. He's the hardest-working player I've ever coached." Gabe Nanni (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.5 spg) provides a spark at both ends of the floor. "If you give Gabe a job, he gets it done," said Millsap. ... Scappoose had a two-week layoff after its last regular-season game on Feb. 21, but the Indians didn't show any rust in dominating No. 6 Madras 76-49 in the round of 16. Scappoose is 4-0 all-time in state championship games, with its last title coming in 2015. The Indians have won 11 of their last 13, with the two defeats coming against quarterfinalist Seaside.
No. 7 Phoenix (17-7) vs. No. 2 Marshfield (21-3), 8:15 p.m.: Phoenix endured a five-game losing streak early in the season that started with a 60-32 loss to Marshfield, but the Pirates have turned their season around and arrive in Forest Grove having won 13 of their last 15. Phoenix is making its first tournament site appearance under coach Troy McNichols, who's in his ninth season at the school and 26th overall as a head coach. The Pirates last won the state title in 2011. Tobias Akpan came back with a vengeance this season after a major ankle injury last year that required seven pins to be inserted in the joint. The senior averaged 18.9 points and 11.3 rebounds this season, shooting 55% from the field. Said McNichols: "For Tobias to not only recover, but surpass his accomplishments from last year, is a huge success story." Fellow seniors Martin Ortega (13.5 ppg, 5.7 apg), Lucas Wihtol (11.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Brayden Decker (8 ppg, 39% 3-pt FG) complement Akpan at the offensive end. "We have a bend-don't-break mentality and can beat teams in a variety of ways," added McNichols. ... Marshfield comes into the tournament as the top defensive team in 4A, allowing just 43.3 points per game. The Pirates didn't allow more than 57 points in any game this season. "This team is built on toughness, defensive intensity and an unselfish style of play," said coach Jesse Ainsworth, the Sky-Em coach of the year. "We take pride in making every possession difficult for our opponents. Our balance on both ends has been key to our success." Senior Steel Carpenter (19 ppg) is the Sky-Em Conference player of the year and defensive player of the year, and has scored over 1,000 career points. Senior Luke Jackson earned unanimous first team Sky-Em honors and averages 15 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Keller Vinyard was also named to the all-conference first team. The Pirates won the unofficial state title during COVID in 2021, but haven't won the official OSAA championship since 1953.
scott.sepich@gmail.com
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