The end of an era

Slowly they made their way off the University of Portland's Chiles Center court to the vistor's bench one last time Saturday morning.

Sharing six years of trials and triumphs, big wins and heartbreaking losses and friendships that have shaped and molded their character was coming to an end.

They knew this time would come, but nothing could fully prepare them for the finality that was to come. They had talked about it a week and a half earlier and had a difficult time expressing exactly what they thought it would feel like.

“It’s going to be hard. I don’t even want to think about it,” Karly Laney said then.

But here it was as the horn sounded and the five seniors who had poured their hearts and souls into the Corvallis High girls basketball program for four years walked off the court together one final time.

They embraced their coaches and each other, then made their way through an arch made by juniors Katie Schrock and Alaina Adams, then hugged each other one-by-one and the tears they hoped may not show on the court, began to flow freely.

So much for no crying on the basketball court.

But how could you blame them?

Six years of an emotional journey that will leave an indelible mark on each other, their coaches, teammates and families had come to an end.

"I cried a little bit," said Kayla Laney. "Just like when I saw Nova (Sweet) like I gave all the coaches a big hug and I don't think it has really hit me yet that that was my last game. Like it didn't hit me I would never play at our CHS gym again until we were leaving for the tournament.

"There was not a dry eye on the bench."

It was a journey the seniors -- Kayla Laney, Karly Laney, Leah Seitz, McKenzie Redberg and Gabe Johnson -- will never forget. Nor will those who were fortunate enough to come along for the ride.

And while the ending could have played out in storybook fasion with a state championship, it was about as good as it could get.

The seniors were able to walk off the court together as a group, knowing they had left every ounce of energy on the floor in their final game and had helped the program win its second straight fourth-place trophy.

So while the tears were ones of sadness, they were also tears of joy for all the time they had put in not only during their high school years, but also in middle school when the five became teammates for the first time in seventh grade.

"That was sad," Redberg said. "As you saw everyone was crying. It was six years playing with the same five poeple and it was over. It was ... sad."

Karly Laney felt the same emotions as Redberg.

"It was sad," she said. "Looking back and seeing the journey that we've gone and had and everything."

And oh what a journey it turned out to be. From a sophomore season that was as trying as any could have imagined to back-to-back Mid-Willamette Conference titles, consecutive trips to the state tournament and back-to-back fourth-place trophies.

"To go from where we were sophomore year with the same group of girls to we could have been state champions," Kayla Laney summed up the journey.

It was that journey that coach Joe Williamson stressed when he took over following that difficult and trying sophomore season that had all five players seriously contemplating giving up playing the game they showed they had such a passion for the past two years.

They bought into Williamson's system, were willing to take the criticism and coaching they received and became examples of what it means to be a team.

That example rubbed off on the underclassmen, the ones who will now need to make an impact next season if they hope to keep the tradition and expectation level going.

"A lot of them have shown me like how to be a leader and leadership and the roles that you play, like your responsibility on the court and off the court," sophomore Jessica McGowan said. "They are just great role models.

"It's going to be really tough because they are really good to practice with and they make you better, they push you. Next year it's going to be us pushing each other without them."

That example was none more apparent than after falling to North Eugene in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The seniors felt it was their chance to win a state title and they suffered through a gutwrenching 40-35 loss that could have destroyed them and left a bitter taste in their mouths for more than a few days.

The pain of that loss was still evident after Saturday's win over Summit for fourth.

"It's like we can take a hit but we're going to come back just as hard," Kayla Laney said. "It's just tough. We shouldn't be fourth place."

The Spartans regrouped from that loss and blew out Hillsboro 68-39 then jumped all over Summit and won 53-39.

"Things happen but we showed our mentality that we stick through things," Karly Laney said. "Like we're not going to give up just because we didn't get where we wanted to."

But it was still difficult.

"I guarantee you that every person on the team hates it that we got fourth place," Karly Laney said. "They don't even want the trophy but the fact that we were able to win out and not just win but blow people out at the end, it shows our mentality and how focused we are.

"It's hard to hear North Eugene is playing in the state championship tonight because I know, no offense, that they don't deserve it and we're a way better team. You saw that on the court (Saturday) and (Friday).

"The people who were there and saw know that we're a good team and know that we basically got messed up in the very beginning. The people who watched know."

Those fortunate enough over the past six years to watch the seniors play knew that already. But the way they played the last two games and how they didn't allow one setback to derail a dream was a fitting ending.

"It's going to be weird next year," Karly Laney said. "The girls were in the van the other day and they looked around and said like this is our team next year and they said nose goes on point guard. It was hillarious."

And while there was still laughter at that time, the realization that the seniors weren't going to be around the next year may have come later Saturday night when some were watching the championship game.

Schrock was talking with Karly Laney and said, "Oh we should do this next year ...." then went silent. Next year would be different for Schrock and the returners for sure.

It will be different for everyone, especially for those who have been blessed to have been taken on such a remarkable and fun journey.

Another fourth-place finish!

It would have been easy for the Corvallis High girls basketball team to let the disappointment of losing in the quarterfinals be their defining moment.

For a team that wanted so badly to play for a state title, the frustration that comes with an early loss, like the 40-35 loss to North Eugene on Thursday in the OSAA 5A tournament, could have been enough to break their spirits.

But not this team.

The Spartans rebounded with a convincing 68-39 win over Hillsboro on Friday, then came out and knocked off Summit 53-39 on Saturday to capture fourth place at the Chiles Center.

"They had two choices to make and that was an early exit or we're going to show that we should have been in that championship game," CHS coach Joe Williamson said. "I think with the scores and how we dominated the last two games, we think we should be (in the championship game). But that's the way state tournament basketball games go. We did as much as we could after that loss."

Junior Katie Schrock hit four 3-pointers and finished with 15 points, and Gabe Johnson finished her career with 14 more points as the Spartans won their second straight fourth-place trophy.

"It's a big accomplishment," senior McKenzie Redberg said. "Fourth isn't exactly bad but it's not what we wanted. I mean, after the first game it's the best we could have done."

It was the culmination of two seasons of success for the Spartans, who finish this year at 23-4. Over the past two seasons, the Spartans posted a 44-11 record and won six playoff games.

Corvallis used a 10-0 run that stretched over the first and second quarters to take control on Saturday morning. Schrock hit the first of her four threes and Syree Gerner had five points in the run. Johnson's steal and layup at the buzzer helped CHS to a 17-8 lead.

The game was still within reach for Summit just before the half, but Redberg took an inbounds pass with 0.8 seconds left and banked in a three at the buzzer to put CHS up 30-15 at the break.

"I don't if it was just that shot, but we had a confidence about us that we were up, we've got this so let's just finish the game," Redberg said. "That 3-pointer was disgusting but whatever."

The shot was initially ruled a two-pointer but changed to a three.

Johnson had four points and Kayla Laney two to start the third to cap what was a 13-0 run that put CHS up 36-15.

It was the final game for the five seniors -- Johnson, Redberg, Kayla Laney, Karly Laney and Leah Seitz -- who came off the floor with a minute left.

"There was not a dry eye on the bench," Kayla Laney said. "But yeah, to go from where we were sophomore year with the same group of girls to we could have been state champions."

Added Williamson: "They are a great group of kids and they work hard and are a great example. I'm going to miss them."

Corvallis 53, Summit 39
CORVALLIS 17 13 9 14 -- 53
SUMMIT 8 7 6 18 -- 39
Corvallis: Katie Schrock 15, Johnson 14, Kayla Laney 9, M. Redberg 6, Gerner 5, Kar. Laney 2, Adams 2, Seitz, Hendrickson, McGowan, W. Redberg, Clark

Summit: Jesse Luersen 15, Cindy Mosier 15, Haynes 5, Defoe, Parr, Mondry

Bouncing back against Hillsboro

After being upset in the quarterfinals of the OSAA 5A girls basketball tournament by North Eugene on Thursday, McKenzie Redberg made a bold statement.

The Corvallis High senior said her team would not lose Friday when it met No. 3 Hillsboro in the consolation bracket.

Redberg scored 10 points, played solid defense on Hillsboro's Shayla Ball, helping to hold the state's second-leading scorer to 10 points on 3-of-15 shooting and got a lot of help from her teammates as Corvallis advanced to the fourth-place game with a convincing 68-37 rout at the Chile Center.

"I think we had our mind that there was no way we were going out losing two games," Redberg siad. "We just wanted to come out and play our game.

"We knew (Thursday) we didn't play our game and it was frustrating because it was the time we needed to show our game. (Friday) we played how we should have (Thursday).

No. 4 Corvallis (22-4) will face Summit at 9 a.m. Saturda with a chance to take home its second straight fourth-place trophy. The Storm knocked off Sherwood 45-27.

Redberg, who led Corvallis with 16 points in the 40-35 loss to North Eugene on Thursday, was one of four players in double figures on Friday with 10.

Gabe Johnson (18), Katie Schrock (13) and Karly Laney (10) also finished in double figures.

Johnson, who only scored four points in the loss to North Eugene on Thursday, was still feeling under the weather but a pep talk got her going.

"I talked to the coaches and they said it was all in my head," she said. "I just had to put that aside and play."

Hillsboro started well and led 17-14 after the first quarter. But Corvallis hung tough defensively and limited Hillsboro to 14 points the next two quarters to open a 48-31 lead.

Corvallis used a 13-1 run to close out the second quarter to take the lead at the half, then back-to-back 3s and a steal and short jumper by Johnson late in the third quarter broke it open.

Laney had seven of her 10 points in the 13-1 run that erased a 23-18 deficit and put Corvallis up 31-24 at the half.

Laney said it was a drive by Schrock just before that run that gave Corvallis the confidence it needed.

"I knew that they were tired when Katie came off that pick and got a wide open layup," she said. "Right then they were tired, and maybe they would come out in the second half ready to go a little bit, but they aren't going to stay with us."

Hillsboro did stay with Corvallis in the third quarter before the dam broke open late in the period.

Corvallis led 38-30 with 2:35 left when Schrock hit two 3s, the second hitting the front rim and dropping in from the baseline, and Johnson converted a short jumper after Corvallis stole the inbounds pass.

Just like that it was 46-30 with 1:28 left in the third and Hillsboro was never able to mount a comeback.

The biggest difference from Thursday to Friday was the work Corvallis did on the glass. Corvallis had just 21 total rebounds against North Eugene, but had 29 in the first half against Hillsboro. It ended with 54.

"We just came out with the mentality that this is our ball and this is our court, you're not going to touch it," Laney said. "Every time they shot the ball, every time we shot the ball, we needed to get the ball and so every rebound was ours. Not all of them but most of them."

That effort allowed the seniors to play one more game.

"The seniors, we were talking and saying that we don't want this to be our last game, we don't want to lose our last game here so we were all really determined and we were going to get a win," Johnson said.

So that moment late in the fourth quarter when they all came out of the game and got to watch the players who will be back next year get a chance to taste what it's like to play at the Chiles Center, well let's just say it was pretty darn sweet.

"It was just fun to watch because that's the team next year," Redberg said. "We're sad we're not going to be a part of it but it was nice they got to play in the tournament too and get that experience if they make it next year."

But before next year there is one more game. It's a chance to go 4-2 at the state tournament over the past two years and to finish with 44 wins.

Sure the pain from Thursday's loss is still lingering -- "It feels a lot better but still the loss (Thursday) is in the back of all of our minds and still thiniking only if we could have played like that -- but the Spartans showed the heart and resiliency needed to bring home another trophy.

Corvallis 68, Hillsboro 39
CORVALLIS 14 17 17 20 -- 68
HILLSBORO 17 7 7 8 -- 39
Corvallis: Gabe Johnson 18, Schrock 13, Kar. Laney 10, M. Redberg 10, Kay. Laney 4, Gerner 4, McGowan 4, Adams 2, Clark 2, W. Redberg 1, Hendrickson, Seitz.

Hillsboro: Shayla Ball 10, Cookson 8, Edwards 7, Christensen 6, Tollefson 6, Foekler 1, Lopez 1, Merrill, O'Connor, Pearson, Thorud

Tough quarterfinal loss to North Eugene

A year ago, the Corvallis High girls basketball team was overjoyed just to be in the OSAA 5A state basketball tournament at the Chiles Center.

So when the Spartans lost to Hermiston in the quartfinals, they were disappointed but still a bit excited to have a chance to finish fourth.

With nearly the entire team back this season and a No. 4 ranking, the Spartans had their sights set on challenging for a state title.

That dream ended on Thursday as the Spartans kept clawing back but could never overcome an early deficit and fell 40-35 to North Eugene.

"Yeah, it's really hard," senior McKenzie Redberg said. "Last year I didn't get to play really so this was my one opportunity to go out and win a state championship."

The Spartans, who saw their nine-game winning streak snapped, will now try to rebound and match last year's fourth-place finish. That quest begins at 10:30 a.m. against Hillsboro, a 58-46 loser to Ashland later Thursday.

A slow start proved to be the Spartans' downfall on Thursday. After scoring the first four points, the Spartans watched as North Eugene went on a 20-2 run to build a 20-6 lead with 5:05 left in the first half.

"The opening quarter hurt," CHS coach Joe Williamson said. "We just didnt have the defensive presence, that physical, take it to them (style). We let them post us up and go inside. Even when they missed we let them get on the boards."

Redberg dind't have an answer for the lack of defensive intensity early.

"There were open people everywhere and their posts scored buckets," she said. "It's not what I expected at all. I don't know what happened."

Still, the Spartans (21-4) managed to cut the deficit to 20-14 at the half as they were able to get out in transition late in the second quarter, keyed by their defense.

They got it to 20-19 on a basket by Kayla Laney early in the third, but that was as close as they would get despite having the ball and a chance to take the lead on at least four possessions.

The Spartans were just 14 of 38 from the floor and just 3 of 10 from the free-throw line for the game.

"It's just disappointing," Redberg said. "I know I missed a layup and I missed three free throws. If I would have made all those we would have at least been tied."

But it was Redberg's offense that kept the Spartans in the game. Redberg, who was injured in the quarterfinals a year ago, scored eight of her game-high 16 points in the third quarter and hit a three at the buzzer to keep CHS in the game, down 29-25.

"She just wanted it," Williamson said of Redberg. "It looked like she wanted to step up and hit big shots where everybody else was afraid to."

Added Redberg: "I didn't want to let my team down so I was going to do whatever I could to make sure we would get to the next stage and (was) hoping people would rally around but it didn't happen."

As tough as the loss was, Redberg said the Spartans must regroup and close out the season on a positive note.

"It's going to be really hard but we have to," she said. "We're not going out. We are not losing our game tomorrow."

North Eugene 40, Corvallis 35
NORTH EUGENE 13 7 9 11 -- 40
CORVALLIS 6 8 11 10 -- 35
North Eugene: MaKenzie Ficek 13, Huff 12, Virde 7, Ferrenburg 6, T. Ficek, Knight, Couts
Corvallis: McKenzie Redberg 16, Kayla Laney 8, Johnson 4, Gerner 4, Schrock 3, Kar. Laney, Seitz, Adams, W. Redberg