Stayton High School secured its second consecutive 4A girls basketball state championship with a 34-26 victory over St. Helens on March 14 in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union final at Forest Grove High School.
The win marks Stayton’s fourth state title and makes them the first team to repeat as champions in the 4A division since Sutherlin’s four-year run from 2014 to 2017. The Eagles’ strong defensive performance was key, holding St. Helens well below their season scoring average.
Makenzie Schacher led Stayton with a game-high 11 points, while Kathryn Samek contributed 10 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Schacher, the team’s only senior, said, “It’s pretty amazing to win it back-to-back. I’ve been with these girls the last three years and I cherish the time that I’ve had with this team. It’s been super-fun and it’s amazing to win again.”
Stayton jumped out to an early lead by limiting St. Helens to just one field goal in the first quarter and maintained control throughout the game. Coach Tal Wold credited defense for the victory, saying, “Makenzie’s 3-pointer there gave us a cushion that was huge. The way we were playing defense, we knew any cushion was going to help, because we’re hard to score on.”
St. Helens coach Jillian Ross-Dean acknowledged her team’s struggles but praised their effort: “We came out really nervous in the first half… but I’m proud of our effort. We held a really good team to 34 points and, yes, they held us to less, but I think we played great defensively.” Senior D’aye Davidson led St. Helens with nine points.
In other tournament games Saturday, Henley defeated Baker for third place behind Makayla Schroeder’s standout performance of 29 points and 17 rebounds; Cascade edged Philomath for fourth place after Pearl Pruett scored a late go-ahead basket and made a crucial steal.
