Mid-Willamette: No. 7 Silverton Upsets No. 2 West Albany 63-53

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>This game recap uses rankings from the <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2026/02/top-12-teams-in-5a-no-1-springfield-solidifies-spot-in-week-9/">Top 12 in 5A</a>.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The No. 7 Silverton Foxes upset No. 2 West Albany 63-53 in a huge road win on Friday night to snap the Bulldogs' 9-0 winning streak in the Mid-Willamette Conference. The Foxes took the lead early in the first quarter, extended it to as many as 16 points in the second, and remained ahead mostly by double digits.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='1264968' first='Chloe' last='Kuschnick'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1246618' first='Emery' last='Yant'] were the stars of the night, combining for 29 points off the bench for Silverton. Kuschnick led the Foxes in scoring with an efficient 16 points, including 5 three-pointers made. Yant netted 13 points, scoring inside and out, and grabbed 8 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the win, Silverton (13-6, 8-2) remains at third in the competitive MWC table, but now stands within 1 game of first place and 2 games clear of fourth. Meanwhile, West Albany (13-5, 9-1) falls to a tie with South Albany (15-3, 9-1) for first.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/box-score {"name":"acf/box-score","data":{"game":["1485475"],"_game":"field_6a1b2c3d4e5f7"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69895282673a3"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The starting five on both teams were well-matched in the first quarter, which ended with Silverton ahead by 4 (18-14).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='832050' first='Payton' last='Starwalt'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1179226' first='Lily' last='Hamblin'] started strong, combining for 12 of the Bulldogs' 14 first-quarter points. Starwalt finished the night with a game-high 28 points. Hamblin put up a quiet double-double despite being limited by foul trouble and Silverton's Maggie Davisson, who used her height and length to contest nearly everything inside. Hamblin finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='839068' first='Marley' last='Wertz'] and [player_tooltip player_id='839059' first='Karlee' last='Martirano'] also started strong, combining for 15 of the Foxes' 18 first-quarter points. Wertz connected from three and attacked the rim. The small forward finished the game with 12 points. Martirano, who transferred from West Albany to Silverton between her sophomore and junior seasons, played like she had something to prove, nearly dropping a triple-double. The shooting guard ended the match with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Silverton outscored West Albany 20-10 in the second quarter, mounting a game-high 16-point lead and going into halftime ahead 38-24.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Albany attempted a comeback out of the break behind a 12-point third-quarter performance from Starwalt, who helped her team get within 8 points of the Foxes. The Bulldogs trailed by 9 points going into the fourth quarter (51-42).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But Silverton's Kuschnick and Yant finished with a strong final frame and put the Foxes back up by double digits to close out the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Albany defeated Silverton 72-56 in round 1 of 2 in the MWC. While the rivals don't meet again during the regular season, they could cross paths at the state tournament. Last season, Silverton knocked out West Albany in the quarterfinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up for West Albany is an MWC showdown at home against South Albany on Tuesday, followed by a road game at Corvallis on Friday. Silverton goes to Corvallis on Tuesday and hosts Lebanon on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->