(The following reprinted by permission from the Corvallis Gazette-Times. This page links to Girls Basketball.)
Overview
In The News
Casey Campbell | Gazette-Times (3-2-09) Philomath’s Cassandra Noble, seen here against Central, has been named the Val-Co League Player of the Year.
Noble helps Warriors get back to Gill (3-11-09)
Photos
(These are image links from copyrighted photos on the Gazette-Times website. They (and others) are available for purchase.)
Casey Campbell | Gazette-Times Philomath's Skye Houk drives to the hoop against Central during the Warriors' 35-34 loss on Friday.
Casey Campbell | Gazette-Times Philomath's Tegan Grunwald goes up for a shot during the Warriors' loss to Central.
Casey Campbell | Gazette-Times Philomath's Laura Schaudt attempts a shot while being guarded by Central's Brianna Berg.
Andy Cripe | Gazette-Times Sweet Home's Jenny Hamn, left, and Annie Whitfield, right, battle for a loose ball with Philomaths Sierra Grunwald.
Casey Campbell | Gazette-Times Philomath's Chelsea George cuts through the lane against Central.
Casey Campbell | Gazette-Times (2-23-09) Philomath High’s Skye Houk drives to the basket against Central during the Warriors’ 35-34 loss on Friday. Houk led the Warriors with eight points, fouling out in the fourth quarter when Philomath held a 34-32 lead.
Andy Cripe | Gazette-Times Philomath High’s Rylee Marshall and Sweet Home’s Emili Riggs battle for a loose ball Friday night.
Casey Campbell | Gazette-Times Philomath's Hope Gunter takes a shot during the quarterfinal game against La Pine.
Video
Philomath falls to La Pine, by Graham Kislingbury (Gazette-Times) The Warriors lose 59-32 in a 4A state quarterfinal game Thursday, March 12, at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis. Commenting after the game are Philomath senior post Cassandra Noble and Coach Amy Leonard.
Philomath 31, Santiam Christian 50
Philomath 30, Junction City 47
Gazette-Times (12-2-08)
PHILOMATH — Junction City broke away from a close game with a 19-3 run in the third quarter, handing Philomath a 47-30 nonleague loss.
The Warriors (0-2) led 18-17 at the half.
“We came out and kind of froze, got a little frantic,” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “We couldn’t score anything and JC came out and outplayed us in the third. -. If you take that quarter out of the game, it was pretty darn close.”
Cassandra Noble and Laura Schaudt combined for 15 points to lead PHS, which got quality minutes from three junior varsity swing players: Rylee Marshall, Jenna DeLos Reyes and Sierra Grunwald.
Junction City 47, Philomath 30
JUNCTION CITY 8 9 19 11 — 47
PHILOMATH 7 11 3 9 — 30
JUNCTION CITY: Ashley Hanson 8, Samantha Shipley 8, Emilie Svingen 8, Osburn 5, Turner 6, Montgomery 4, Gent 4, Tereault 4
PHILOMATH: Cassandra Noble 8, Schaudt 7, Marshall 4, Houk 2, Watson 2, Patterson 2, Gunter 1, DeLos Reyes 2, S. Grunwald 2, Bartlow T. Grunwald
JV: Philomath won
Philomath 39, Pleasant Hill 34
PHS girls win
Gazette-Times (12-4-08)
PLEASANT HILL — The Philomath High girls basketball team used a strong defensive effort to win its first game of the season Thursday night, a 39-34 nonleague victory over Pleasant Hill.
The Warriors (1-2) had 22 steals in the game. They pulled away in the second half due to their pressure on the ball. They were down 21-16 at halftime.
Cassandra Noble led the team on offense, scoring 12 points.
“It was a tight game, but the defense carried the day,” coach Amy Leonard said.
Philomath 39, Pleasant Hill 34
PHILOMATH 6 10 10 13 — 39
PLEASANT HILL 7 14 8 5 —34
Philomath: Noble 12, Schaudt 6, Marshall 6, Houk 4, Watson 4, Patterson 4, Gunter 2, Grunwald 1.
Pleasant Hill: Harmenter 10, O’Brien 9, Johnson 7, Franklin 5, Bowman 2, Smith 1.
JV: Philomath 51, Pleasant Hill 34
Philomath 32, Molalla 57
MOLALLA — The Warriors struggled on defense in the nonconference loss.
Gazette-Times (12-7-08)
PHS (1-3) trailed 31-14 at the half and could not recover.
“Defensively it just wasn’t our night,” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “We had a hard time stopping (Amanda) Luna. She got to the free-throw line and kept driving the lane. We’ve got to be able to shut her down.”
Cassandra Noble had 14 points and 15 rebounds and the Warriors finished with 45 rebounds.
“But we just couldn’t seem to connect with the baskets,” Leonard said.
Philomath travels to Gladstone on Wednesday.
PHILOMATH 9 5 7 1 1 — 32
MOLALLA 15 16 7 18 — 57
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 14, George 6, Schaudt 4, Patterson 3, S. Grunwald 3, Gunter 2, Houk, Watson, Marshall, T. Grunwald, Hardin
Molalla: Amanda Luna 18, Gilbert 9, Burch 6, Gibbons 5, Russell 5, Steffey 5, Parmalee 4, Munson 2, Aho 3, Phillips
JV: Molalla 43-38
Philomath 42, Gladstone 70
Gazette-Times (12-12-08)
GLADSTONE — The Warriors struggled on defense in the first half in the nonconference loss.
Philomath High (1-4) trailed 44-17 at the half.
PHS coach Amy Leonard said the Warriors had a hard time getting back on defense and did not play the passing lanes well, but improved in the second half once they started correcting earlier mistakes.
Cassandra Noble had 14 points for the Warriors.
PHS travels to Marist on Friday.
Gladstone 70, Philomath 42
PHILOMATH 9 8 14 11 — 42
GLADSTONE 24 20 18 8 — 70
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 14, Houk 9, Schaudt 9, Marshall 5, S. Grunwald 3, Gunter 1, George 1, Watson, Patterson, Belles Reyes, T. Grunwald, Hardin
Gladstone: Emily Tsugawa 16, Warren 13, O’Brien 10, Foxworthy 8, A. Alldritt 8, Skofstaf 5, H. Chovich 5, K. Alldritt 3, M. Chovich 2
JV: PHS lost 46-30. JV2: PHS lost 61-25
Philomath 26, Marist 65
Philomath 54, Astoria 30
Gazette-Times (12-14-08)
EUGENE — Cassandra Noble had 33 points and eight rebounds and Laura Schaudt added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors at the Marist Tournament.
“We had a very good game,” coach Amy Leonard said. “We were very blimited on players so we had to watch quarters closely. The effort we got was outstanding.”
Philomath plays host to Cottage Grove on Monday in its next game.
Philomath 54, Astoria 30
PHILOMATH 11 12 18 13 — 54
ASTORIA 7 5 10 8 — 30
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 33, Laura Schaudt 15, Gunter 2, T. Grunwald 2, Watson 1, Patterson 1, Marshall, S. Grunwald.
Astoria: Coggins 7, Thoreson 6, Lilley 5, Ward 4, Parker 4, Brooks 2, Israel 1, Houghtailey 1.
JV: Astoria won, score not available.
Philomath 56, Taft 20
Philomath 52 , Sweet Home 39
Andy Cripe | Gazette-Times Philomath High’s Rylee Marshall and Sweet Home’s Emili Riggs battle for a loose ball Friday night.
Warriors prove it on court
Philomath overcomes Huskies resilient effort to remain undefeated in Val-Co League play
By Raju Woodward Gazette-Times Reporter (1-11-09)
PHILOMATH — On paper, Friday’s night Val-Co League matchup between the Philomath and Sweet Home High girls basketball teams favored the Warriors.
PHS has more upperclassmen and size down low, and several times during the contest the Warriors were on the verge of breaking open and running away with the game.
Every time, though, the Huskies would battle back and make things interesting. That was, until midway in the fourth quarter when PHS used a 6-0 run to extend its lead to 10, en route to a 52-39 victory.
“I think we finally got our energy up and got our focus on,” senior Cassandra Noble said. “We said we weren’t going to let them beat us.”
With the victory, the Warriors (7-5) improved to 2-0 in league this season. Noble, a 6-foot post, scored eight of her game-high 17 points in the final quarter to help put the game away.
“It was a very physical game,” Noble said. “But we worked hard and fought through it.”
Perhaps the best example of the Warriors’ resolve came in the third quarter. After a 3-pointer by Megan Rubidoux with 3:28 left in the quarter gave the Huskies their first lead of the game, 26-25, they scored three consecutive points to go up four. That, however, didn’t faze PHS.
The Warriors responded with an 8-0 run to end the third with a 33-29 lead. Freshman Tegan Grunwald scored three points during that spurt.
“I’m looking for her to take control and get things accomplished offensively,” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “She’s deceptively quick and once she gets some confidence, since she’s a freshman, I’m looking for her to step up.”
Grunwald shined best in the second quarter for the Warriors. She scored six of the team’s eight points in the quarter to help it take a 20-14 lead into the locker room. She scored driving to the hoop or drawing fouls and converting her free throws. She made 4 of 6 from the charity stripe in the quarter. She finished the game with 12 points.
“I just wanted to make sure I played my hardest and got the ball to the people I needed to,” Grunwald said. “Amy expects me to know what I am doing and play hard all the time and be aggressive.”
This came after the Warriors wasted a strong effort in the first quarter. After shaking off Sweet Home’s press, they built a 9-0 lead. The Huskies closed the gap to 12-6 by the end of the quarter.
PHS also squandered a nine-point lead midway in the third quarter, before getting going again later in final quarter. The closest Sweet Home came to the Warriors then was three points. Rubidoux scored to pull the Huskies within 37-34.
While Leonard was happy to get the win, she said her team must get stronger mentally as it prepares to head into a tough stretch next week.
“I think we had a hard time getting into the game mentally tonight,” Leonard said. “We made some basic fundamental errors several times. We have the skills and the knowledge, it’s just the mental game we need to step up more.”
SWEET HOME 6 8 17 10 — 39
PHILOMATH 12 8 13 19 — 52
Sweet Home: Megan Rubidoux 11, Hamn 9, Niemi 7, Cole 5, Makin 4, Riggs 3, Whitfield, Cuilla, Yost
Philomath: Noble 17, Reyes 1, T. Grunwald 12, Schaudt 2, Gunter 4, George 7, S. Grunwald 2, Marshall 2, Hardin 1, Watson
JV: Philomath 57, Sweet Homes 23
Philomath 46, Newport 37
Philomath sweeps past Newport
Basketball roundup
Gazette-Times (1-16-09)
NEWPORT — Cassandra Noble had 18 points and 10 rebounds on Friday to lead Philomath High to a 46-37 Val-Co League victory over Newport, the Warriors’ third league win in as many games.
Skye Houk added 13 and was 8 of 11 on free throws in the second half. Laura Schaudt had four points and nine rebounds and Sierra Grunwald had two points, six rebounds and four steals.
The Warriors (8-5, 3-0) led most of the way, weathered a Newport comeback in the third quarter and then pulled away in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Cubs 16-8.
“We came out flat, we couldn’t seem to make connections and struggled for a good part of the game,” coach Amy Leonard said. “In the fourth quarter, things started to click and luckily it wasn’t too late.”
The Warriors play host to Central on Tuesday night.
PHILOMATH 10 6 14 16 — 46
NEWPORT 4 8 17 8 — 37
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 18, Houk 13, George 7, Schaudt 4, S. Grunwald 2, T. Grunwald 2, Watson, Patterson, Marshall, Gunter, Hardin.
Newport: Amanda Craycraft 11, Moore 8, Johnson 7, Luther 5, Logan 4, Losier 2.
JV: Philomath 61, Newport 16.
JV II: Newport 36, Philomath 21
Philomath 49, Central 52
Gazette-Times (1-21-09)
PHILOMATH — Laura Schaudt and Cassandra Noble both recorded a double-double but the Warriors couldn’t convert a strong effort into a victory in the Val-Co league game.
“They just scored a couple more baskets than we did and that happens sometimes,” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “We’re improving, every game we’re improving. As a team we continue to improve and that’s the right direction that we want to go.”
Noble had 13 points and 15 rebounds, including eight offensive boards, while Schaudt finished with 12 points and 10 boards. Both players also had three steals, while Schaudt had a blocked shot.
Brianna Berg scored a game-high 24 points to pace Central.
Philomath (8-6, 3-1) plays at Taft on Friday.
CENTRAL 8 13 19 12 — 52
PHILOMATH 8 16 15 10 — 49
Central: Brianna Berg 24, Cuellar 9, Pflaum 9, Riddell 4, Hedrick 2, Bardin 2, Waddell 1, McLean 1
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 13, Schaudt 12, George 9, Houk 5, S. Grunwald 5, T. Grunwald 5, Gunter, Patterson
JV: Central 55, Philomath 49
Frosh: Central 43, Philomath 33
Philomath 45, Taft 18
Gazette-Times (1-24-09)
LINCOLN CITY n The Warriors played tough defense to take the Val-Co League win.
The Warriors (9-6, 5-1) held the Tigers to three points or less in three of the four quarters.
“We really focused on (defense),” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “We held them to five in the second half, so that was good.”
Chelsea George had 14 points and five rebounds, Rylee Marshall had 10 points and five steals, Kayla Thorsness had six points and three blocks and Skye Houk added seven steals for PHS.
The Warriors play at Sweet Home on Monday.
PHILOMATH 14 6 12 13 n 45
TAFT 3 10 2 3 n 18
Philomath: Chelsea George 14, Marshall 10, Thorsness 6, Houk 4, Watson 4, T. Grunwald 3, Patterson 2, Schaudt 2, Gunter, De Los Reyes, S. Grunwald, Hardin
Taft: Arie Gray 7, Taylor 5, Verell 4, Hutchinson 2, Nolan, Brandenburg, Bray, Hagemeister
JV: PHS 46, Taft 27
Philomath 43, Sweet Home 25
Gazette-Times (1-27-09)
SWEET HOME — Cassandra Noble scored 11 points and had seven rebounds to help the Philomath girls basketball team to a 43-25 Val-Co League win over Sweet Home.
Laura Schaudt had nine points and five blocks and Chelsea George had 10 points for the Warriors (10-6, 4-1).
Philomath is at Central on Friday.
PHILOMATH 9 13 10 11 — 43
SWEET HOME 4 7 3 11 — 25
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 11, George 10, Schaudt 9, S. Grunwald 7, T. Grunwald 2, Gunter 2, Houk 2, Watson, Patterson, Marshall, De Los Reyes
Sweet Home: M. Rubidoux 10, Hamm 9, Niemi 2, Makin 2, Riggs 2, Cuilla, Whitfield, Yost, Trewin
JV: Philomath 42, Sweet Home 14. Frosh: Philomath 25, Sweet Home 20
Philomath 40, Central 39
Gazette-Times (1-30-09)
INDEPENDENCE — Chelsea George hit her free-throws to give Philomath the lead with a minute left and the Warriors held on to win the Val-Co League road game over Central.
Cassandra Nobel led the Warriors (10-6, 6-1) with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Alex Watson played a vital role in the second-half comeback. Central led 23-15 at halftime.
“We were down pretty good at the half, but we came out focused in the second half,” coach Amy Leonard said. “It was back-and-forth the rest of the way, and then we held on with defense.”
PHILOMATH 4 11 15 10 — 40
CENTRAL 11 12 8 8 — 39
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 15, T. Grunwald 8, Houk 4, Watson 4, George 4, S. Grunwald 3, Schaudt 2.
Central: Hedrick 8, Waddell 8, McClain 6, Cuellar 6, Pslawn 7, Riddell 2, Waterman 1, Mason 1.
JV: Philomath 48, Central 41
Frosh: Central 29, Philomath 25
Philomath 45, Newport 27
Tough defense powers Warriors
Gazette-Times (2-4-09)
PHILOMATH — A strong defensive performance was more than enough as Philomath High stole a 45-27 victory over Newport on Tuesday in a Val-Co League girls basketball game.
The host Warriors (11-6, 6-1) had 19 steals, took three charges and had a blocked shot in the victory. They also held Newport scoreless in the first quarter, then put the game away with a 19-4 third quarter.
“We’ve been working pretty hard on defense and it’s started to show,” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “The third quarter was outstanding, and the first quarter was as well, when they didnt score at all.”
Chelsea George had six steals, while Skye Houk and Sierra Gunwald had three each.
“We’re finally getting our philosophy on defense and picking up on it,” Leonard said. “We’re catching on and seeing some benefits from that. Our steals were, for the most part, just being in good position to get the steal.”
Cassandra Noble led all scorers with 10 points; she also had six rebounds, two steals and took a charge. Laura Schaudt finished with eight points, six boards, a steal and a blocked shot. Houk had nine points and two assists.
Philomath hosts Taft on Friday.
NEWPORT 0 8 4 15 — 27
PHILOMATH 8 10 19 8 — 45
Newport: Sam Moore 9, Luther 6, Hogan 6, Craycraft 4, Johnson 2, Clark, Losier, Kennedy
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 10, Houk 9, Schaudt 8, George 6, Marshall 5, T. Grunwald 3, S. Grunwald 2, Watson 2, Patterson, Gunter, DeLos Reyes, Hardin
JV: Philomath 65, Newport 32
Frosh: Philomath 34, Newport 33
Philomath 52, Taft 16
Gazette-Times (2-7-09)
PHILOMATH — A huge first quarter — fueled by lockdown defense — allowed the Warriors work on other aspects of their performance for the remainder of the Val-Co League game.
Philomath (12-6, 8-1) led 22-2 at the quarter.
“We had a pretty big first quarter, then we were able to just work on our set offense,” coach Amy Leonard said. “We were able to bring the ball down and work on our set offense, taking particular shots and not fast break all the time.”
Every player on the team had at least one assist, one steal or one rebound.
Skye Houk finished with seven points, four assists and six steals, while Laura Schaudt had eight points and 12 rebounds and Cassandra Noble had 10 points.
Sierra Grunwald had three assists and two steals, while Rylee Marshall had four steals and the Warriors had 14 assists and 25 steals as a team
Philomath will host Sweet Home on Tuesday.
TAFT 2 6 0 8 — 16
PHILOMATH 22 9 15 6 — 52
Taft: Amanda Hagemeister 8, Brandenburg 3, Gray 2, Bryan 2, Taylor 1, Noland, Bray, Hutchinson, Morgan, Waddell
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 10, Schaudt 8, George 8, Houk 7, DeLos Reyes 5, Thorsness 4, T. Grunwald 4, Hardin 2, Gunter 2, Marshall 2, S. Grunwald, Patterson, Watson
Philomath 58, Sweet Home 33
Gazette-Times (2-11-09)
PHILOMATH — Sierra Grunwald grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and had three steals as the Warriors picked up the Val-Co League victory.
Perhaps the shortest player on the floor, Grunwald was more than able to hold her own against the Huskies. She finished with four offensive rebounds.
“She was ferocious,” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “It was a pretty good game all the way around; we got everybody in and got a wide spread on scoring.”
Cassandra Noble and Laura Schaudt had 13 and 12 points, respectively, for PHS (14-6, 9-1).
The Warriors play at Newport on Feb. 17.
SWEET HOME 6 8 9 10 — 33
PHILOMATH 13 19 9 17 — 58
Sweet Home: Jenny Hamm 11, Riggs 5, Rubidoux 5, Makin 5, Whitfield 4, Trewin 2, Niemi 1, Cole, Cuilla
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 13, Schaudt 12, T. Grunwald 9, George 7, DeLos Reyes 5, Thorsness 3, Houk 2, Marshall 2, Gunter 2, Hardin 2, S. Grunwald 1, Watson, Patterson
JV: Philomath 51, Sweet Home 16
Frosh: Philomath 39, Sweet Home 25
Philomath 57, Newport 41
Philomath refocuses, sets up showdown for Val-Co title
Gazette-Times (2-18-09)
NEWPORT — Laura Schaudt and Cassandra Noble tied for game-high honors with 17 points each and Philomath High pulled away from Newport in the second half for a 57-41 Val-Co League girls basketball victory.
The Warriors (15-6, 10-1) led by two at the half, then went on a 19-2 third-quarter run to blow the game open.
“We faltered a bit in the second (quarter),” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “Then we talked about it at halftime and refocused.”
The victory sets up a championship game Friday with Central (10-1 Val-Co) at PHS. The teams have split the season series to date, and the regular-season finale will decide the title.
“We haven’t talked about it too much prior to this,” Leonard said. “It’s been there in the back of our minds. We knew that it was coming up, but we had to take care of the games before.
“Now we can really focus on that particular game.”
Even so, the Warriors goals extend well beyond Friday’s confrontation. A return to Gill Coliseum is their prime objective.
PHILOMATH 16 9 19 14 — 57
NEWPORT 7 16 2 16 — 41
Philomath: Laura Schaudt 17, Cassandra Noble 17, T. Grunwald 9, George 6, S. Grunwald 3, Watson 2, Marshall 2, Gunter 1
Newport: Craycraft 17, Hogan 8, Moore 5, Luther 5, Johnson 4, Losier 2, Clark, Kennedy
JV: Philomath 45, Newport 21
Philomath 34, Central 35
Championship slips away
Casey Campbell | Gazette-Times (2-23-09) Philomath High’s Skye Houk drives to the basket against Central during the Warriors’ 35-34 loss on Friday. Houk led the Warriors with eight points, fouling out in the fourth quarter when Philomath held a 34-32 lead.
Central scores the final three points to steal the Val-Co League crown from the Warriors
By Raju Woodward Gazette-Times
PHILOMATH — A 3-pointer by Central High’s Chloe Waddell with 40 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winner in Friday’s night’s Val-Co League girls basketball showdown.
But ultimately what doomed Philomath in its 35-34 loss at home to the Panthers was inconsistency.
PHS (14-7, 10-2) started slow, scoring six points in the first quarter, rebounded to score 10 and 12 in the second and third and then regressed to scoring six in the decisive quarter.
“We can’t have quarters where we just let down,” Warriors coach Amy Leonard said. “We can’t have these breakdowns from here on out. We have to have the mental fortitude to carry on despite errors, free throws or whatever.”
With the loss, PHS failed to claim the Val-Co championship and a first-round bye in the playoffs. It will play the winner of Tuesday’s Newport-Sweet Home game on Friday for the second seed from the league.
Central (15-4, 11-1), which came into the game tied with PHS for the league lead, won the Val-Co.
On Friday, poor free throw shooting cost the Warriors dearly. They made just 4 of 16 from the line in the first half.
At one point in the second quarter, they had missed 11 consecutive free throws while trailing by two. Nevertheless, Central only took a 20-16 lead into halftime.
“That was pretty rough,” PHS senior point guard Skye Houk said. “Especially since we work on free throws a lot. But once again that goes back to the mental toughness that we need to work on.”
Houk was instrumental in the Warriors’ strong start in the third quarter. After Hope Gunter made two free throws to snap PHS’s drought, Laura Schaudt scored to tie the game at 20 at the 7:18 mark. Houk then scored six straight points.
She finished with a team-high eight, but fouled out with 1:10 remaining in the final quarter.
“During halftime, coach talked about me stepping up, leading the team and being the one to turn things around” Houk said. “So I just played my game of basketball. I just wanted to help my team win.”
Brianna Berg led the Panthers with 13 points.
Things looked good for the Warriors when Chelsea George scored to open the fourth, giving them a 30-25 lead. Central responded with a 6-0 run to take a 31-30 lead with 5:40 left in the game.
Cassandra Noble tied the game at 32-32 with 4:24 remaining. PHS went ahead 33-32 on a free throw by Houk and then up 34-32 on a free throw by George with 2:27 remaining.
The Warriors could have extended their lead, but again missing free throws hurt.
And after Waddell’s big 3-pointer, PHS turned the ball over twice in the final 35 seconds. Still, the Warriors had a chance after Central’s Amanda McLean missed a free throw with three seconds left. They were unable to get a shot off.
CENTRAL 11 9 5 10 — 35
PHILOMATH 6 10 12 6 — 34
Central: Brianna Berg 13, Waddell 6, Pflaum 6, McLean 5, Cuellar 2, Riddell 2, Hedrick 1, Waterman, Rardin, Mason
Philomath: Skye Houk 8, George 7, Noble 6, T. Grunwald 5, Schaudt 4, Marshall 2, Gunter 2, S. Grunwald
JV: Central 48, Philomath 37
Frosh: Newport 41, Philomath 40
Philomath 56, North Bend 53 (OT) (Playoffs)
Warriors win in overtime
Schaudt’s free throws help Warriors escape at home in the 4A playoffs
By Kevin Hampton Gazette-Times reporter
PHILOMATH — Laura Schaudt knew they were important free throws.
With 17.8 seconds left in overtime, Schaudt could give the Philomath High girls a 56-53 lead over North Bend, one that would be difficult to overcome in what had shaped up to be a struggle in the 4A state playoffs.
Schaudt, however, was not feeling any nerves.
She looked at teammate Alex Watson, who gave Schaudt the name of one of the kids from the TV show Jon & Kate Plus Eight to think about during the free throws instead of worrying about the close game or the time.
Schaudt hit the free throws and the Warriors blocked a last-second shot by Brooke Davison for the win.
The Warriors (17-7) will play at Seaside on Saturday.
Schaudt and Watson watch the show together, which airs on TLC. It’s a reality show about a family with sextuplets and twins.
“In practice, when we do free throws I think of one each time, each kid, each time I shoot,” Schaudt said. “So this time (during the game) I would look over at her and she would tell me the name of a kid and I would think about them when I shot. That helped me keep distracted from the time and everything.”
Schaudt scored five of Philomath’s nine points in overtime. She led PHS with 16 and blocked several shots.
The Warriors took a 51-47 lead early in overtime when Cassandra Noble scored to start the period and Schaudt added two free throws.
Davison tied it with a basket and two free throws and then Schaudt went back to the free-throw line with 1:01 left. She hit one of two, but the Warriors grabbed the rebound and Tegan Grunwald scored.
Davison scored off an in-bounds play, but the Warriors made the stops they needed from there.
“I think in overtime our team really pulled together,” Schaudt said. “We showed our mental toughness, we worked together as a team and just proved to people that we could do what we set out to do.”
The game went into the extra period when neither team could hang on to the ball during the final 20 seconds of regulation.
Tegan Grunwald’s put-back with about two minutes to go gave PHS a 47-45 lead and the Warriors had a few opportunities late but could not put it away. Super Mateski’s driving layin with 20 seconds left tied it.
Philomath coach Amy Leonard had a quick moment with her team before overtime.
“We sat there and took a few deep breaths and relaxed a little bit and I just emphasized to them that it’s just four more minutes and we just need to do everything that we do and get through those four minutes,” Leonard said. “This was the time that we had to dig deep. If we’re going to dig, this is when we’re going to dig.”
The Warriors did just that.
Noble said the team struggled at times on defense, but was able to put everything together in time.
“I think the key is just defense and being able to talk and keep that up because every time we started talking our chemistry kicks in and then it’s just a blast. That just brings up the entire game,” she said. “I think that we finally started talking and then we started anticipating and working together and it all came.”
NORTH BEND 15 4 19 9 6 53
PHILOMATH 9 15 10 13 9 56
North Bend: Brooke Davison 23, Weidman 12, Mateski 14, Davis 2, Foster 2
Philomath: Laura Schaudt 16, George 14, Noble 14, T. Grunwald 7, Houk 4, Gunter 1, S. Grunwald
Philomath 39, Seaside 37 (Playoffs)
Philomath girls advance to Gill
Corvallis Gazette-Times (3-8-09)
SEASIDE — Strong defense in the final minutes helped the Philomath High girls basketball team escape with a 39-37 4A playoff win over Seaside on Saturday night.
PHS (18-7) advances to the state tournament at Gill Coliseum this week. It will face LaPine, a 54-50 winner over Henley, in a quarterfinal game at 8:15 p.m. Thursday.
“We had a five point lead late in the game,” Warriors coach Amy Leonard said. “But we had two turnovers and then they scored. So it was a matter of us just holding on.”
PHS rallied from a 22-14 halftime deficit by outscoring the Seagulls 25-15 in the second half.
“Seaside came out playing very fast-paced,” Leonard said. “So we just needed to calm down and slow down. Once we started playing the game our way, things were fine.”
Point guard Skye Houk led the Warriors with 11 points and helped set the tempo for the offense. Cassandra Noble and Laura Schaudt added six points each.
Ashley Mayfield scored 17 for Seaside, but was hounded all night by freshman Tegan Grunwald.
“Tegan was on her all night,” Leonard said. “She scored points, but she also had a lot of other opportunities that Tegan was right there for.”
PHILOMATH 8 6 15 10 — 39
SEASIDE 12 10 6 9 — 37
Philomath: Skye Houk 11, Noble 6, Schaudt 6, George 5, S. Grunwald 4, T. Grunwald 4, Gunter 3
Seaside: Ashley Mayfield 17, Padei 6, Toyes 6, Lent 4, Potter 2, Reser 2 LaCoste, Jackson, Richardson
Philomath 32, La Pine 59 (Quarterfinals)
casey campbell | Gazette-Times Philomath’s Laura Schaudt is surrounded by La Pine’s Casey Wright, left, and Kassi Conditt, right, after coming down with a rebound.
La Pine handles Philomath girls By Kevin Hampton Gazette-Times reporter (3-13-09) It was a learning experience for the Philomath High girls basketball team.
The Warriors played their first tournament game since 2006 on Thursday evening in the 4A tournament at Gill Coliseum and the result was a 59-32 loss to La Pine.
It wasn’t the outcome the Warriors were looking for. But they have to take any lessons and apply them to today’s consolation bracket game at 10:45 a.m. against No. 3 Stayton.
That means getting a little bit of amnesia by tipoff time.
“We’re just going to put this game behind us and come out (today) playing how we know we can and playing as hard as we can (this) morning,” PHS freshman guard Tegan Grunwald said. “We’re not used to the time of the game, but we’re going to do our best and forget about this game.”
Tegan Grunwald said the Warriors need to play all four quarters the way they played in the first quarter on Thursday.
“I think we just need to come out strong the whole game,” she said. “We were playing really good defense in the first quarter and we just have to keep that energy throughout the whole game.”
Philomath hung tough in the first quarter, but La Pine put together a 16-4 run in the second and wound up with a 29-15 lead at the half.
Philomath struggled to contain La Pine’s Maria Ramirez, who drove to the basket to score or dished the ball inside for easy points.
“We talked a lot about the defensive things this week,” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “We just had some mental breakdowns and we just can’t do that at this level.”
For a brief moment in the third, the Warriors looked on the brink of getting back into the game. La Pine built a 32-17 lead early in the quarter, but the Warriors pulled within 32-24 when Chelsea George hit a 3-pointer, Laura Schaudt hit two free throws and Sierra Grunwald scored on a pass from Tegan Grunwald.
That was as close as PHS could get as La Pine took control with its inside game to pull away. Kassi Conditt did the most damage, hitting 8 of 14 shots and finishing with 17 points to lead all scorers.
The Warriors were also outrebounded 48-25.
“We contained her for a good part of the game,” Leonard said. “Cassandra (Noble) did an amazing job on her. But that’s their game. They get in there and they get it to her and she shoots and she scores. That’s their game.”
The Warriors struggled with their shots throughout the game, shooting 13-for-49 from the field.
Leonard said the Warriors will talk about the game and then look forward.
“We’ve got to talk about getting back into it. We can’t just lay down and die now,” she said. “We have to turn around and play tough (today). It’s not just one game, it is a series of games and we have to go home and mentally prepare to come back strong.”
PHILOMATH 9 6 9 8 — 32
LA PINE 13 16 11 19 — 59
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 9, George 6, Schaudt 6, T. Grunwald 4, Houk 3, S. Grunwald 2. Watson 2, Hardin, delos Reyes, Gunter, Marshall, Patterson
La Pine: Kassi Conditt 17, Ramirez 11, Blankenship 10, M. Glenn 7, Schulz 6, Wright 4, B. Glenn 2, Mellott 2, Buche, McReynolds
(La Pine went on to win the OSAA 4A girls championship by defeating Sutherlin in the semi-finals and Cottage Grove in the finals.)
Philomath 28, Stayton 42 (Consolation)
A tough shooting game ends Philomath’s season
Warriors struggle from the floor in loss to Stayton
By Steve Gress Gazette-Times sports editor (3-14-09)
The shots that were falling in pregame warmups and during the halftime break seemed to disappear when they were needed most for the Philomath High girls basketball team on Friday morning.
It didn’t seem to matter what basket the Warriors were shooting at, either.
Time after time shots went up, and time after time they clanked off the rim or backboard.
The result was a 42-28 loss to Stayton in the consolation bracket of the OSAA 4A state tournament at Gill Coliseum.
The loss ends the season for the Warriors, while Stayton advances to this morning’s fourth-place game against Hidden Valley, a 39-27 winner over Molalla.
“Our shooting just killed us today,” PHS coach Amy Leonard said. “We couldn’t hit anything. In the second half, especially, we were getting a lot of good looks but we just couldn’t finish.”
The Warriors finished 10-for-37 from the floor for the game and were just 3 of 10 in the first half, when they trailed 14-10.
Neither team was able to get in a groove early.
Thanks to seven points from Cassandra Noble, the Warriors led 7-4 after the first quarter.
Those points weren’t easy for the Val-Co League’s player of the year.
And the more times the Warriors tried to get the ball in to her in the post, the more times Stayton’s pressure was able to deflect it or force a turnover.
“Where we really struggled was just getting an entry pass,” Leonard said. “They really denied us hard. They’re a good defensive team and we knew that. We’ve worked on getting open but we haven’t run into that too much with people denying it that hard.”
Stayton, which also struggled shooting going 15-for-54, started strong in the third quarter to break open the close game.
The Eagles opened with a 9-1 run over the first 3:20 of the quarter to take a 23-11 lead.
The Warriors kept battling despite the tough shooting game, and Rylee Marshall’s bucket to open the fourth quarter brought PHS within 29-22.
But that was as close as the Warriors would get.
Noble finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Marshall had five off the bench for PHS.
“Rylee came in and had a tremendous game,” Leonard said. “She hasn’t really in the last several games seen a whole lot of time. She came in and did really well on (Kelsey) Atkins. She had several touches on that ball and certainly gave her a lot more pressure. And then she stepped up and made some free throws. I was really glad to see that.”
While it was tough to go 0-2 at the tournament, the Warriors gained some valuable experience. They lose four seniors — Noble, Skye Houk, Hope Gunter and Chelsea George — with Noble being the most difficult to replace.
“She’s a big loss for us,” Leonard. “I’m not sure how we will fill that.”
While they started out 1-5, the Warriors came together during the league season and returned to Gill for the first time since 2006.
Still, it was a tough ending.
“It’s been fun,” Leonard said. “It’s tough to go two and out. It’s hard to go two and out. I don’t like that at all.”
STAYTON 4 10 15 13 — 42
PHILOMATH 7 3 10 8 — 28
Stayton: Edith Pelayo 18, Atkins 10, Bowers 4, Garrison 3, Johnson 3, Vreeken 2, Moll 2, Lopez, Coates, Myers
Philomath: Cassandra Noble 13, Marshall 5, T. Grunwald 3, S. Grunwald 3, Houk 2, Schaudt 2,George, Gunter, Delos Reyes, Hardin
