It appears that one of the state’s best girls teams is returning from the Mount Hood Conference just a few days into the 2024–25 basketball season. Now full of seniors, Clackamas’ outstanding class of 2025 is hoping for another long playoff run.
An overview of the Mount Hood Conference’s girls basketball teams is provided here, arranged alphabetically:
Barlow Bruins
Season last: 15–11
Nick Hudson is the coach.
Important participants: Kinzie Hopkins, G/W, SR; Addi Knight, W/C, SR; Lizzy Weber, G/W, SR; Rachel Jones, G/W, SR
Outlook: The Bruins had to rebuild with a nearly completely new squad after Barlow graduated a number of key players before to the previous season, following years of significant playoff campaigns. Barlow placed third in the Mount Hood Conference, behind Clackamas and Nelson, in spite of the turnover. Hudson enjoys the foundation’s unexpectedly veteran group from the previous year. According to him, we have a strong core of returning players with a wealth of varsity experience. We should have multiple options for scoring, including shooting from outside, cutting to the hoop, and scoring in post and paint.
Central Catholic Rams
Season last: 11–14
Sandy Dickerson is the coach.
Important participants: Lillian Jordan, G, SR; Katherine O. Leary, F, SR; and Nylah Jae Holt, G, SR
Coach: The Rams had a 3-9 record in the first half of the season, but they ended up finishing much better than they began and making it into the state’s top 30. Unfortunately, the Mount Hood Conference is once again predicted to be among the most loaded in the state. According to Dickerson, the senior group, which consists of six players, will take the lead this winter. O Leary (honorable mention) and Holt (second team) have already established themselves as players of all-conference ability. “We have a great combination of defensive tenacity and speed, as well as an outside and inside presence,” Dickerson said.
Clackamas Cavaliers
Season last: 24–4
Coach: Korey Landolt
Key players: Allie Roden, G, SR; Dylan Mogel, W, SR; Reyce Mogel, W, SR; Avery Peterson, G, SR; Sara Barhoum, G, SR; and Jazzy Davidson, G/W, SR
Prospects: The Cavaliers, who were strong favorites to win the state championship again the previous season, faltered against Benson in the semifinals. Even if they didn’t live up to their own expectations, they are still expected to be a strong competitor this year. Clackamas is the most talented team in the state, with six collegiate players, lead by Davidson, a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year and USC recruit. The team is full of impact players who have been on varsity since they were freshmen. According to Landolt, the group plays great synergy and unity and is quick and agile. In order to get our defense to open up offensive opportunities, we try to push the ball during transition and put pressure on them.
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David Douglas Scots
Season last: 10–14
Aaron Hunt is the coach.
Important participants:Coach didn’t answer the question.
Outlook: The coach did not reply to the question.
Gresham Gophers
Season last: 10–14
Alan Simpson is the coach.
Important participants: Rylee Gaffney, F, SR; Peyton Gaffney, G, FR; Skyla Hansen, G, JR; JoJo Tubania-Askay, G, JR; Arielle Kagawa, G, SR; Sophia Cardelli, C, SR; Lily Schenk, G, SR
Outlook: There is cause for optimism that the Lady Gophers could surpass that total in 2024 after recording their most victories since the 2016 campaign last year. “The school’s first playoff berth in ten years is the goal of an experienced, senior-heavy group,” Simpson said. Gresham should be able to play an up-tempo style of basketball with a guard corps that is very deep. The team’s center, Cardelli, is making a comeback after missing more than half of the previous campaign due to a knee injury. She will be the focal point of a lot of their half-court attack, according to Simpson, and she should work well with the perimeter players.
Nelson Hawks
Season last: 22-4
Kasima Knight-Hodge is the coach.
Important participants: Tatiana Harris, G, JR; Simone Sideris, G, JR; Jasmine Nita, G/W, JR; Love Forde, F, SO; Nylah Webster, G, SO; Sophia Gradwahl, G, SR
Outlook: Knight-Hodge takes over one of the most promising young teams in the state at Nelson after serving as head coach of the Westside Christian girls’ basketball program for five years. Despite losing to Benson in the second round of the playoffs, the Hawks won their first nine games of the previous season. Four all-conference players have returned to Nelson, including Forde and Webster, two outstanding sophomores who have already received numerous Division I offers. They add elite skill to a team that showed last season that it was more than content to win with tough defensive efforts.
Reynolds Raiders
Season last: 0–25
Coach: Torrey Nelson
Important participants: Jorie Robertson, G, FR; Sofia Cordway, G, SR; and Mesaline Genes-Pantin, G/W, SR
Outlook: Nelson, the Raiders’ new coach, is working to alter the program’s culture following a losing campaign the previous season. “Lockdown defense will be our team’s identity,” Nelson stated. We’ll play as a cohesive squad and compete at our best as a strong defensive unit. Although the roster is still being finalized, the coach anticipates that the freshman Robertson, along with seniors Genes-Pantin and Cordway (a transfer from David Douglas), will be standouts.
Sandy Pioneers
Season last: 3–21
Coach: Matt Gist
Important participants: Dahlena U Ren, C, SR; Katy Emerson, G, SR; Laila Kitchen, G, SO
Outlook: The Mount Hood Conference isn’t getting any easier. Gist, a second-year coach, is still focused on the wider picture. According to him, this program is making a lot of effort to leave a legacy that will be carried on by the upcoming group members and others. In order to form a cohesive group, or what we like to call a family, coaches and players continue to cultivate relationships with young people while building the high school program. This year’s team is athletic on the court. Kitchen garnered all-conference honorable mention as a freshman, and both Emerson and U Ren are outstanding senior captains.
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