We’re taking a position-by-position look at some of the best players in Oregon high school girls basketball. This list focuses on the point guards and is based on nominations from coaches throughout the state.
Arzner continued the legacy started by her older sister Kylee, a two-time 6A all-state selection who went on to Western Oregon. Macie made the all-state first team last season, averaging 20 points and 16 rebounds per game, and signed with the University of Pittsburgh. Grizzlies coach Sean Coste puts her on the same plane as Clackamas star Jazzy Davidson, saying “she can shoot the three and get to the basket. She is athletic and strong, handles the ball well, and makes everyone around her better.”
Bayless last season put up solid numbers in the Crusaders offense (8.0 points per game, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists), but it’s at the other end of the court where the Claremont McKenna signee truly shines — she was the Metro League defensive player of the year and a first-team all-league selection.
Best might be the most ballyhooed freshman in the state since Jazzy Davidson arrived at Clackamas three years ago, and so far, she’s lived up to the hype, averaging 16.3 points during the Timberwolves’ undefeated start and receiving offers from Oregon State, Louisville, Arizona and Alabama. “A dynamic point guard who can shoot the lights out and makes everyone else around her better,” Tualatin coach Wes Pappas said.
Buse is one of three sisters on the Lions roster but is the one coach Brooke Cates relies upon to run the show after a freshman campaign during which she averaged 15.4 points, 3.2 assists, six rebounds and 2.7 steals and earned first-team all-Three Rivers League recognition. “She is the ultimate competitor in every activity that she participates in on or off the court,” Cates said.
Durfee has blossomed this season for the Storm, averaging eight points per game and leading the team in assists. First-year coach Austin Crook raved about her “great quickness with her first step. She’s a very efficient passer and decision-maker.”
Gerdrum has had quite the first four months of high school. Besides leading the Colts in goals during their run to the 5A girls soccer playoffs, she is shooting 40% from the field and 83% from the free throw line and committed just four turnovers in their first seven games. “She may be a future Division I talent between her athleticism and her mind for the game,” Thurston coach Kevin Durfee said.
Harris made the all-Mt. Hood Conference second team last season as a crafty distributor and creator who also possesses what Hawks coach Kasima Knight-Hodge called “relentless defensive energy. She has a knack for breaking down defenses with paint touches and disrupting opponents with turnovers and deflections.”
Holt, a second-team all-Mt. Hood Conference selection as a junior, averaged eight points, five assists and four rebounds through five games this season.
Based on a small sample size, Kapanoske is poised to break through in her final season, averaging 14 points in the Falcons’ first three games after averaging 7.1 last season. She also is averaging three assists and 2.7 rebounds. “Lindsey has been battling injuries as long as she has been a player, but she worked tirelessly to get her body ready for her senior season and has adjusted her play style so that she can stay on the court,” La Salle Prep coach Lucas Saverio Fiorante said. “She has an incredibly strong basketball IQ and is a coach on the floor. She sees plays on both sides of the ball well before they happen.”
One of the top uncommitted players in the state, Lawrence was a second-team 6A all-state selection for the Democrats last season, when the three-year starter averaged 17 points and eight assists playing for her father, Andre. She increased her scoring in the first couple of weeks this winter, averaging 24 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Mangan earned 6A all-state honorable mention as a sophomore, when she averaged 17.3 points (50% eFG), five rebounds, three assists and three steals. She’s off to a hot start this season, improving her numbers across the board (17.9 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals) in the first two weeks.
Mansur is in her third year directing the Foxes offense. She received all-Mid-Willamette Conference honorable mention as a sophomore. Silverton coach Alyssa Ogle called her “one of our top defensive players” as well as a good scorer and great passer.
Nguyen directs the Wolverines’ high-powered offense. She committed to Western Washington in the offseason after making the all-Southwest Conference honorable mention list last season.
Oluwafemi arrived at Beaverton after a standout freshman season at Westview, where she was a second-team all-Metro League selection. Through two weeks, she was averaging 14 points, four rebounds, 2.3 assists and two steals.
With all the talent in the Cavaliers’ star-studded lineup, someone needs to be the facilitator and glue player, and for four years, that has been their starting point guard, who averaged a team-high four assists as a junior to go with four points and two steals.
Raleigh was an honorable mention all-Southwest Conference selection as a junior, when she averaged 8.2 points, three assists and 2.3 steals, and she’s picked up her game this season, nearly doubling her scoring (15.8) and assists (5.2) while grabbing 3.8 rebounds per game through two weeks. “She’s a very crafty scorer who can distribute the ball and get her teammates involved,” Irish coach Tash O’Brien said.
Schmerbach, who last season averaged 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, three steals and 2.7 assists in earning second-team 6A all-state honors for the state-champion Panthers, signed with Santa Clara last month, becoming the third member of her family to play collegiately, along with older sisters Emma (Southern Oregon) and Tatum (Oregon Tech).
Starwalt moved from Crescent Valley, where she averaged 19.5 points and shot 53% as a freshman and made the all-Mid-Willamette Conference first team, to West Albany, where she’s already having an impact — 19 points, six assists and three rebounds per game while shooting 41% from three-point range. “The best shooter I have ever coached,” Bulldogs coach Shawn Stinson said. “A complete player that has incredible range and handles.”
Tyner followed a solid freshman season (six points, four rebounds per game) for the Spartans by being half of the fourth-place doubles team at the 4A/3A/2A/1A tennis state tournament. She’s come back this season to average 8.2 points, seven rebounds and five assists through two weeks.
Young was a second-team 6A all-state selection for South Medford last season, scoring a team-high 17 points (shooting 41% from three-point range) with four steals per game for the state-champion Panthers before returning home to Central Point and joining the Comets.
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