Colton's Izzy English drives to the hoop as Jayne Neal, of Central Linn, distracts during a state quarterfinal on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at the Pendleton Convention Center.
Colton's Izzy English drives to the hoop as Jayne Neal, of Central Linn, distracts during a state quarterfinal on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at the Pendleton Convention Center.
The trip to Pendleton for the 2A state girls basketball tournament was an up and down affair for the Colton High School squad.
Coming in as the No. 7 seed, the Vikings had to play No. 2 Central Linn off the bat in the quarterfinals, and they gave Central Linn their all as the Vikings led 22-19 after three quarters.
However, Central Linn held Colton scoreless in the fourth and went on to win 32-22 to advance to the semifinals. Izzy English led the way with eight points.
In the consolation semifinals, Colton stayed alive with a 32-28 win over No. 6 Bandon, earning the chance to play for a trophy.
Colton had to face league foe and No. 1 Salem Academy in the fourth place matchup, ultimately dropping a 40-35 decision. The Vikings led 6-2 after the first quarter, but couldn't keep the momentum going after that, falling behind 19-17 at halftime.
English led the way again with 10 points while Avery Reiland pitched in nine points and Addison English had eight.
No. 4 Gervais went on to win the 2A state title with a 37-21 win over No. 3 Stanfield in the title game. Central Linn ended up in third place while Monroe/Alsea took home fifth.
Colton finishes the season with a 23-7 overall record.
I'm Pamplin Media Group's managing sports editor, overseeing our sports sections across our entire network. On top of that, I help the Portland Tribune by covering the Portland Trail Blazers and local high school sports. From Colorado, I enjoy the lack of snow in Portland and enjoy a night out perusing the next big food truck.
