GBX Preseason Rankings: Top 4 Teams in 5A

<p>High school basketball tips off on Wednesday! We made a preseason rankings of the top 12 teams in the 5A classification and will update the list weekly (last week we posted our <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/11/oregon-gbx-6a-preseason-team-rankings-part-1/">Top 12 in 6A</a>). South Albany is favored to edge out defending state champions Crater in a projected title rematch at Linfield in March. The top two-ranked teams will meet in a nonleague game for an early-season test on Dec. 9. Incoming freshmen at Crater, Springfield, Redmond, Silverton, Wilsonville, Crescent Valley, and Caldera should boost those programs.</p>   <p>Here is our breakdown of the top four-ranked teams in 5A:</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. South Albany</h2>   <p><strong>2024-25 Record:</strong> 24-5 (17-1 Mid-Willamette Conference)</p>   <p>South Albany nearly upset Crater in a state title game that went into overtime last season. The Redhawks graduated a D1 volleyball athlete at the forward position, but return a core group of seniors, including elite scorer [player_tooltip player_id='832587' first='Taylor' last='Donaldson'], who signed with Wyoming, and ultimate glue kid [player_tooltip player_id='832595' first='Kaylee' last='Cordle'], who makes big plays on both ends. The Redhawks also return two-way combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='832637' first='Maddie' last='Angel'], D1-prospect sprinter [player_tooltip player_id='921633' first='Phara' last='Dickson'], and forward Neveah Ukaoma, who contributes inside and on the boards. South Albany is favored to win back-to-back titles in the Mid-Willamette Conference, the most competitive league in the 5A classification.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DRAE0nmDeS2/ </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Crater</h2>   <p><strong>2024-25 Record:</strong> 28-1 (12-0 Midwestern League)</p>   <p>The defending league and state champions who went undefeated against all Oregon competition last season graduated four starters, including an NAIA 6-foot-2 forward. Nonetheless, Crater returns the state's top ranked senior [player_tooltip player_id='832611' first='Taylor' last='Young'], who signed with Oregon State, and is projected to lead the team back to Linfield to contend for back-to-back state titles. The Comets could look to play small-ball with returning guards [player_tooltip player_id='1179242' first='Jazmine' last='Fernandez'], [player_tooltip player_id='1179240' first='Autumn' last='Jackson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1154430' first='Haley' last='Plankenhorn'], who all have state tournament experience. Crater adds impact freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1264985' first='Brynlee' last='Young'], who will join forces in the backcourt with her older sister to continue the Comets' notorious pressure defense.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/BeaverWBB/status/1988739304961823205?s=20 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. West Albany</h2>   <p><strong>2024-25 Record:</strong> 20-8 (13-5 Mid-Willamette Conference)</p>   <p>West Albany placed third in the competitive Mid-Willamette Conference and advanced to the state quarterfinals, where they lost to Silverton by 5 points last season (they also defeated rival South Albany by 1 point in an early league game). The Bulldogs return four starters, including the state's top shooter, [player_tooltip player_id='832050' first='Payton' last='Starwalt'], who has multiple Division 1 offers. The program has a core group of players who play club hoops together during the offseason, so they should be tight from the start. The team has depth from the perimeter with shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1179231' first='Natalie' last='Tidwell'] who can consistently knock down catch-and-shoot threes. West Albany's biggest differentiator is its frontcourt personnel — 6-0 junior [player_tooltip player_id='926138' first='Lola' last='Chamberlain'], 6-foot-3 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1179226' first='Lily' last='Hamblin'], and 6-foot-1 sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1263197' first='Payton' last='Warner'] — who provide size and depth inside and on the boards.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DRvpCTJEX6S/?img_index=1 </div></figure>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Springfield</h2>   <p><strong>2024-25 Record:</strong> 19-2 (10-2 Midwestern League)</p>   <p>Springfield placed second behind Crater in the Midwestern League and advanced to the state quarterfinals, where they lost to South Albany last season. The Millers return a core group, including Midwestern League Defensive Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id='832596' first='Darissa' last='Romero-Ah Sam'], knockdown three-point shooter [player_tooltip player_id='925988' first='Sailor' last='Hall'], and strong rebounder Iyahna Woodard. The Millers also add freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1264922' first='Nuari' last='Filipe'], a three-level scoring forward/guard who already has at least one Division 1 offer.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DHALwipJ4zA/ </div></figure>   <p><em><strong>UP NEXT: </strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/12/gbx-preseason-rankings-top-5-8-teams-in-5a/">Top 5-8 Teams in 5A</a></em></p>

High school basketball tips off on Wednesday! We made a preseason rankings of the top 12 teams in the 5A classification and will update the list weekly (last week we posted our Top 12 in 6A). South Albany is favored to edge out defending state champions Crater in a projected title rematch at Linfield in March. The top two-ranked teams will meet in a nonleague game for an early-season test on Dec. 9. Incoming freshmen at Crater, Springfield, Redmond, Silverton, Wilsonville, Crescent Valley, and Caldera should boost those programs.