One of the more interesting races in our high school basketball region just might be in the Oregon West Conference for the girls.
Philomath currently sports an 8-3 overall record. Action within the conference doesn’t get started until Jan. 20 with a trip to Central. The Warriors still have nonconference games against Elmira and Sweet Home.
Philomath’s three losses have been to Gladstone (4 points), Tillamook (10 points) and just this week, Junction City (4 points). Those opponents are all high quality with a combined record of 21-5.
Meanwhile, in their eight victories, the Warriors have an average margin of victory of 10.4 points.
Cascade appears to be the team’s biggest competition as far as a conference title goes. The Cougars are also 8-3. But Philomath seems to have the upper hand after beating Cascade, 53-42, in tournament play.
Senior Tegan Grunwald makes this team tick offensively. In 11 games, Grunwald is averaging 15.1 points per game. She had a season-high 23 points against Cottage Grove and 21 vs. Crook County.
Other players have had their moments. Sophomore Tierra Stephenson just scored 17 in the loss earlier this week. Junior Alison Jensen put up 14 a few games ago in a win over Burns. And sophomore Madeline Lehman had 14 points in that victory over Cascade.
Philomath is currently ranked No. 7 by the OSAA and Cascade is right behind at No. 8. Another team that could be a factor down the stretch is Newport.