Top 12 Teams in 6A: West Linn, Nelson Nudge Up in Week 9

<p>There were no upsets in Week 9. As we head into the first games of February, the top four remain in the top tier, and eight teams are playing like they could be ranked 5-8 and contend for a spot in the state tournament in mid-March. </p>   <p>West Linn rose to No. 2 and hosts No. 1 Tualatin in a state showdown between rivals on Tuesday — the winner will stand alone undefeated at the top of the Three Rivers League table. Nelson rose to No. 5, the top of tier 2. No. 6 Southridge hosts No. 8 Jesuit for a Metro League showdown. And No. 10 South Salem goes to No. 9 West Salem for a chance at payback in game two of three in an exciting rivalry series at the top of the Central Valley Conference table.</p>   <p>Here are my Top 12 after week 9:</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">1. Tualatin (16-1, 5-0)</h3>   <p>Tualatin defeated No. 12 Century 86-37 in a nonleague matchup and blew out St. Mary's Academy 99-16. The Timberwolves go to West Linn for what could be a 6A state title preview on Tuesday.</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/DUB5wfEkgN2/ </div></figure>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2. West Linn (15-1, 5-0)</h3>   <p>West Linn picked up two more dominant league wins — 71-37 at Tigard and 90-47 against Oregon City. Week 10 is huge for the Lady Lions, as they host the top-ranked teams in both 6A and 5A — Tualatin in a Three Rivers League showdown on Tuesday, and Springfield in a cross-class clash on Friday.</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/DUKLi7CkdKi/ </div></figure>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">3. South Medford (15-2, 6-0)</h3>   <p>South Medford defeated Roseburg 61-12 and remains undefeated in league play after playing each rival opponent in the first of two matchups. The Lady Panthers host North Medford on Tuesday and Sheldon on Friday.</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/DUJVx5hkmDh/ </div></figure>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">4. Benson (14-2, 8-0)</h3>   <p>Benson defeated Mountainside 55-32 in a nonleague matchup and Roosevelt 69-18 in the PIL. The Lady Astros host McDaniel on Tuesday and Jefferson on Thursday.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">5. Nelson (11-6, 6-0)</h3>   <p>Nelson dominated in two road games — 78-29 at David Douglas and 68-27 at Central Catholic. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='832544' first='Nylah' last='Webster'] hit six threes in the first quarter against the Rams. The Utah-commit is looking dangerous. The Hawks host Reynolds on Wednesday and Gresham on Friday.</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/DUH2pI1kpzM/ </div></figure>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">6. Southridge (11-6, 4-0)</h3>   <p>Southridge defeated Sunset 59-26 and Mountainside 56-43. The Skyhawks host No. 8 Jesuit for a Metro League showdown on Tuesday and go to Beaverton on Friday.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">7. Sherwood (15-3, 5-0)</h3>   <p>Sherwood dominated Newberg 63-34 and made a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat No. 9 West Salem 58-46 in a nonleague game. The Lady Bowmen go to Forest Grove on Tuesday and Glencoe on Friday.</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/DUOpC8-ld-S/?img_index=1 </div></figure>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">8. Jesuit (12-5, 4-0)</h3>   <p>Jesuit defeated Westview 66-41 and Beaverton 46-36. The Crusaders go to Southridge for a Metro League showdown on Tuesday, then host Sunset on Wednesday and Mountainside on Friday.</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/DUOrEQOkgBv/?img_index=1 </div></figure>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">9. West Salem (9-9, 3-0)</h3>   <p>West Salem defeated Sprague 50-36 in a closer game than the score indicates — the Olympians got within 3 points early in the fourth quarter, but the Titans held on behind a strong performance from [player_tooltip player_id='502352' first='Emma' last='Zuniga'] in the final frame. West Salem fell to Sherwood 46-58 after leading most of three quarters. The Titans go to McNary on Tuesday and host South Salem for round two of three in the fight for the Central Valley Conference title.</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/DUMtGS2FE9O/?img_index=1 </div></figure>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">10. South Salem (15-2, 3-1)</h3>   <p>South Salem defeated Lakeridge 60-49 in a nonleague matchup and dominated Sprague 67-39 in a league win with an impressive margin. The Lady Saxons host Westview for a nonleague game on Tuesday and go to West Salem with an opportunity for retribution on Friday.</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/DUKYAgJj1Sn/ </div></figure>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">11. Clackamas (13-3, 5-1)</h3>   <p>Clackamas picked up two high-scoring victories — 70-28 at Sandy and 70-41 against Gresham. The Cavaliers go to David Douglas on Wednesday and Barlow on Friday. In their first game against the Bruins, Clackamas squeaked out a win after coming back in the fourth quarter to force overtime.</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/DUJUHBUjt5N/ </div></figure>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">12. Century (10-7, 4-1)</h3>   <p>Century fell to No. 1 Tualatin 37-86, followed by two dominant league wins — 73-31 at Liberty and 66-43 against McMinnville. The Jaguars host Glencoe on Tuesday and Forest Grove on Friday.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Others Considered</h3>   <p>Beaverton (6-11, 2-2)</p>   <p>Grants Pass (10-8, 5-1)</p>   <p>Sheldon (15-3, 4-2)</p>   <p>Oregon City (12-5, 3-2)</p>   <p>Mountainside (9-8, 1-3)</p>   <p></p>

There were no upsets in Week 9. As we head into the first games of February, the top four remain in the top tier, and eight teams are playing like they could be ranked 5-8 and contend for a spot in the state tournament in mid-March.