Warriors and Vikings Dominate 3A First Team All-Tournament

It's time to put a bow on what was a tremendous state tournament season. Six new champions were crowned — including the Amity Warriors, who have now conquered the 3A division for back-to-back seasons. Amity was determined to send its six seniors off in style, and that is exactly what they did, holding on for a 47-44 championship game win over the no. 1 seed Vale Vikings.   I wanted to celebrate the players who made the all-tournament team, especially at the lower divisions, just so any coach or fan reading can get a feel for what makes these players special as opposed to just seeing the names. Enjoy, and congrats to everyone who made it to this stage of the season!    The Nisly twins are both cerebral, capable guards with few weaknesses. They have similar skillsets, but they are able to use them to compliment each other. All season long, Eliza did just about everything for her team, ranking top 2 in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. She won't give you the same three-point shooting as her sister, but she's an incredibly efficient scorer inside the arc — she shot a blistering 58% in her three tournament games. When she does miss, she chases after the rebound relentlessly. The team rode her hot hand and she ended up scoring the third most points in the tournament.     Adie is a tremendous three-level scorer but knows when to pick her spots. When she doesn't have it going, she willingly defers to her sister and the plethora of other shooters on the roster. Her incredible composure keeps her team steady, and she scored a team-high 16 points with two threes on good efficiency in an intense state championship game. Through all three games in Coos Bay, both Nisly sisters showed their veteran experience, and their basketball IQ would absolutely translate to the next level if they want to play there.     Stepleton was a two-way force for the Vikings and the only unanimous selection to the all-tournament first team. She is most comfortable facing up in the high post, driving and finishing with power at the rim. She can also step out for the corner three when the time is right. On defense, she uses her length to bother shooters both on the perimeter and in the paint. The championship game may have gone differently if she didn't pick up a trio of fouls in the third quarter that limited her for the rest of the game. Even with that, she scored a game-high 20 with 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals, and hit a shot with mere seconds on the clock that would've tied the game had she been a foot further back.     Shurts guided her team through some adverse situations at state. When nothing else was working, they could always get the ball down low to her and expect a bucket more often than not. She crossed the 20-point mark twice, had by far tournament's most points (51) and best field goal percentage (64%), and also swiped 12 steals. She has a polished post game and can dribble drive quite well for her position. She had a series of breakaway steal-and-scores in the third place game that safely put it away for the Braves. She gels with her playmaking point guard [player_tooltip player_id='837703' first='Nylah' last='Vanthom'] very well, and as they transition into their senior seasons, we may see both shoot up the 2027 rankings.     Jacobs was the primary flamethrower on a very interior-oriented Vale offense. She shot a combined 7-of-16 from range in the first two games of the tournament, and her 19 points in the semifinal against Creswell was the biggest difference in the game. She is a relentless and opportunistic defender, racking up 11 steals in the tournament and getting at least three in each game. Her consistency at the guard position was a major reason why Vale was statistically the top team in 3A all season long, and while she unfortunately ran cold in the title game, she has more than proved herself to be a reliable player who can help a college team win games.

It's time to put a bow on what was a tremendous state tournament season. Six new champions were crowned — including the Amity Warriors, who have now conquered the 3A division for back-to-back seasons. Amity was determined to send its six seniors off in style, and that is exactly what they did, holding on for a 47-44 championship game win over the no. 1 seed Vale Vikings.