Crater catches fire to demolish Lebanon, return to 5A girls state tournament
Published 10:42 am Saturday, March 8, 2025
Crater junior Taylor Young drives to the hoop against Lebanon in Central Point Friday evening. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
Crater senior Sage Winslow floats a shot up over the Lebanon defense during Friday's Class 5A state playoff opener in Central Point. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
Crater senior Lydia Traore steals the ball from Lebanon's Taryn Cornell during Friday's Class 5A state playoff opener in Central Point. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
Crater freshman Haley Plankenhorn scores a fastbreak layup against Lebanon during Friday's 5A state playoff opener in Central Point. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
Crater senior Alexa Gugliotta reaches for a rebound against Lebanon during Friday's 5A state playoff opener in Central Point. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
Crater freshman Haley Plankenhorn secures the ball against Lebanon during Friday's 5A state playoff opener in Central Point. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
Top-seeded Comets use 18-0 run to create insurmountable lead by halftime and continue quest for state title
CENTRAL POINT — Battling a flurry of emotions brought on by playing a final home game — with the weight on whether a potential second straight run to the Class 5A championship game would be possible — the Crater girls basketball team had an uncharacteristic start to Friday’s playoff opener against Lebanon.
How the Comets responded was in the true fashion of a team that has been ranked No. 1 in the state all season.
Buzzing around like that one fly you can’t get rid of at a picnic, the Comets darted around the court — pestering the Warriors at every turn — before finally feasting their way to a 63-30 triumph.
Crater’s girls basketball players and coaches pose after cutting down the net following Friday’s state tournament-clinching win over Lebanon. (Kris Henry / Rogue Valley Times)
“It was definitely a rough start,” said Crater junior Taylor Young, “but once we started getting going and once we calmed down and everything, I think we were good and it helped us get a big lead.”
It seems nitpicking after the fact to say Crater (25-1) managed only a 6-2 lead on 16th-seeded Lebanon (12-13) through five minutes of play, but there were more turnovers than usual thanks to the Warriors’ own full-court pressing nature and an overhyped crew that maybe wanted to win too much and overrevved their own engines.
“We’ve been averaging seven turnovers a game and we had seven turnovers in the first half,” said Crater senior Sage Winslow, “so it just goes to show that we really need to focus on taking care of the ball in these higher pressure games and higher competition games.”
A 3-pointer by Young and five straight points by Winslow allowed Crater to take a 16-7 lead into the second quarter, and the Comets showed more of their true colors from there by opening the frame on a 10-0 run before Lebanon could slightly stop the onslaught with a single free throw from senior Teagen Cornell.
“I felt like we got some energy toward the end of the first quarter and made a big run that kind of pushed us ahead,” said first-year Crater head coach Amber Lease. “We went on an 18-0 run, so that’s big-time for us.”
After that it was more of the same for Crater, which went on to build a 43-11 advantage by halftime and saw everyone get a piece of the pie as nine different players registered at least one field goal.
“To be honest, I felt like there were a lot of peaks and valleys in our game, which I don’t really feel like is normal for us,” said Lease. “I thought our girls did a great job, but there were a lot of emotions for my senior class. This is the last time playing at home and they want to get (to the 5A state tournament) so bad, so I’m just happy at the end of the day that there’s a ‘W’ on the board.”
Crater senior Sage Winslow floats a shot up over the Lebanon defense during Friday’s Class 5A state playoff opener in Central Point. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
“All week this week, that’s something that’s been in the back of their mind that this will be the last time that I get to play on this floor,” she added. “That group has gotten to win a lot of games here, so I’m very happy that their last game in this house was a win.”
Winslow scored 16 points and Young chimed in with 15, feeding off one another every step of the way in a manner that has made the Comets so difficult to handle this season.
“We just are such similar players,” said the Southern Oregon-bound Winslow. “We love getting in transition, and if one of us gets the ball, the other one is running wide, and if the other person gets the ball, the other one is running wide. It’s the same with steals. If we get steals, we just know that we’re going to be able to run and the other person will get it to us. I think just having that trust really helps us a lot.”
Winslow enjoyed similar natural vibes last season with older sister, Abby, as the Comets raced to the 5A title game, only to suffer a heartbreaking 61-60 overtime loss in the final against Silverton.
But with Young, the speed of play and almost telepathic chemistry has provided a tremendous boost.
“It’s so nice this year,” said Winslow. “I think we just feed off each other’s energy, too, and defensively a ton as well. It’s just really nice that, because we play so similar, I know what I would do and she basically does what I would do, so it’s like I know exactly what’s going to happen and vice versa.”
It should come as no surprise that Young echoed those sentiments in her own breakdown of the duo.
Crater senior Alexa Gugliotta reaches for a rebound against Lebanon during Friday’s 5A state playoff opener in Central Point. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
“It’s great to have a player that’s so similar (in Winslow),” said Young, who helped guide South Medford to back-to-back runs to the 6A final before transferring to Crater. “We can be interchangeable. It’s really helpful because we do the same stuff, so we can expect the same things from each other.”
Equally exciting is the full complement of Comets, who saw senior Addi Dippel score eight points and fly around with her fellow backcourt starters, while Lydia Traore tallied eight points and joined Alexa Gugliotta in creating a secure foundation in the paint.
Crater routinely cycles in 10 or so players to keep everyone fresh and account for any foul troubles, and often has received key lifts from reserve players to catapult the Comets to victory.
“It’s pretty unstoppable when you have so many scorers on the court,” said Winslow. “I think with all five of our starters and going into the bench, it’s going to be hard to stop all of us.”
But don’t think for a second that Crater is putting the cart before the horse, with Lease promising a quick turnaround for practice in preparing for quarterfinals foe Wilsonville. That game kicks off the state tourney in McMinnville at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday — with all eyes on a Crater team that boasts double-digit victories over state qualifiers Redmond, South Albany and Springfield.
“To be quite honest, I don’t know if I’ve really ever experienced it by not having a target,” said Lease, who was a standout guard at Mazama in her high school days. “I think it’s great for the kids. It matures them a lot and makes them have a lot of composure, and I think that they’ll handle it just fine.”
Winslow said the Comets hope to use all of their tournament experiences — good and bad — to help spur them along.
“My sophomore year, we lost in the semis, which made me super excited to go again last year and go try to get a championship,” she said. “The way it was taken from us really sucked, so going into it this year, I don’t think there’s anyone out there that wants it as bad as our team. I think just going in with that mindset and having confidence each game — but still taking each game seriously — and making sure we accomplish our goals is what we need to do.”
Crater senior Lydia Traore steals the ball from Lebanon’s Taryn Cornell during Friday’s Class 5A state playoff opener in Central Point. (Andy Atkinson / for the Rogue Valley Times)
“Going in as the No. 1 team, it can be hard because you have a big target on your back and everyone really wants to beat you,” added Winslow. “Being able to just get business done, no matter how ugly it looked, is all that matters. Just getting it done and getting where we need to be next and taking it one game at a time is going to be super important for the future.”
And while doing so, also making sure to enjoy the ride.
“It’s an unreal realization that you get to go back (to state) and your season isn’t over and you get to keep competing for a state championship,” said Young. “It’s super exciting. I can’t wait to get there. It’s not just about playing, it’s about the whole experience and the environment. It’s such a fun environment to play in, it’s an experience you’ll remember forever.”
LEBANON (30): VandenBos 3, Hare 0, Vorderstrasse 4, Workman 2, Ross 0, Ellis 0, Ta. Cornell 4, Thurman 1, Te. Cornell 4, Pepperling 12.
CRATER (63): Gugliotta 4, Winslow 16, Jackson 0, Fernandez 4, Griffin 3, Dippel 8, Plankenhorn 2, Yohner 3, Young 15, Traore 8.
Lebanon 7 6 12 5 — 30
Crater 16 27 11 9 — 63
3-point goals — Lebanon 3 (Pepperling 2, VandenBos 1), Crater 6 (Young 3, Yohner 1, Fernandez 1, Winslow 1). Fouled out — Pepperling.
Reach sports editor Kris Henry at khenry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035
