GBX Preseason Rankings: Top 4 Teams in 5A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <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> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is our breakdown of the top four-ranked teams in 5A:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. South Albany</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024-25 Record:</strong> 24-5 (17-1 Mid-Willamette Conference)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <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> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/DRAE0nmDeS2/","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"instagram","responsive":true} --> <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> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Crater</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024-25 Record:</strong> 28-1 (12-0 Midwestern League)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <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> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/BeaverWBB/status/1988739304961823205?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <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> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. West Albany</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024-25 Record:</strong> 20-8 (13-5 Mid-Willamette Conference)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <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> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/DRvpCTJEX6S/?img_index=1","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"instagram","responsive":true} --> <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> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Springfield</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024-25 Record:</strong> 19-2 (10-2 Midwestern League)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <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> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/DHALwipJ4zA/","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"instagram","responsive":true} --> <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> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <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> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->