Young spurs No. 1 Crater back into 5A girls state championship final
Published 10:01 pm Friday, March 14, 2025
Junior guard produces 34 points, six assists and eight steals to help propel Comets over No. 4 Redmond in state semifinals
Crater played a luxury card most teams don’t own Friday afternoon, leaning on standout junior guard Taylor Young to offset early foul trouble for star senior Sage Winslow to score a repeat trip to the Class 5A girls basketball championship game.
When Winslow had to exit following her second foul less than two minutes into a semifinal matchup with fourth-seeded Redmond, Young seized the reins and steered the No. 1 Comets to an insurmountable 30-15 lead through one quarter of what turned into a 72-44 running clock victory in McMinnville.
Whether it was darting through the defense for her own baskets or setting up a teammate, or picking the pocket of a Redmond dribbler for steals and transition baskets, Young supplied a force the Panthers couldn’t counter.
Crater senior Addi Dippel drives to the basket during Friday’s Class 5A state semifinals in McMinnville. (Eduardo Ibarra / for the Rogue Valley Times)
After Redmond had taken a 13-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Mylaena Norton with about four minutes to go in the first quarter, Young set senior Addi Dippel up for a three-point play and had a hand in every basket during an 18-2 run to close the quarter.
Young went 5-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line with five assists and two steals in the opening eight minutes, scoring 14 of an eventual game-high 34 points to erase all doubt for Crater (27-1).
“Taylor was awesome,” said Crater head coach Amber Lease. “She is the type of kid that can completely change the momentum of any game, and she did that today. With us in foul trouble early, I’m really proud of how some of our girls played with fouls and stayed disciplined the whole game.”
Dippel was also integral in scoring 11 of her 13 points in the opening frame, while senior Alexa Gugliotta pulled in seven rebounds despite two fouls of her own.
When reserve guard Autumn Jackson calmly knocked down a 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the quarter, it seemed all but a foregone conclusion that Crater would reach its intended destination as the Comets continue their quest for an elusive state championship.
After finishing as state runner-up a year ago, losing a late lead and eventual the championship title to Silverton in overtime, Crater has made no bones about returning for another shot at the title this season.
“The girls have been wanting to get back to this spot all season, and we are finally here,” said Lease, who was an assistant coach on Scott Dippel’s staff last year before taking over for the 2024-25 campaign. “I can’t express how proud I am of them, and how much they have embraced one another. They have worked so hard to get here.”
Crater senior Lydia Traore rises over the Redmond defense for a basket during Friday’s Class 5A state semifinals in McMinnville. (Eduardo Ibarra / for the Rogue Valley Times)
A rematch will be in order for the 3:30 p.m. championship final Saturday at Linfield University, just not exactly the one some in the state may have expected after No. 3 South Albany (24-4) took an early lead and kept No. 2 Silverton (24-4) at bay for a 48-39 in the other semifinal.
South Albany met Crater in Central Point on Dec. 10 as the girls basketball season was just getting underway, with the Comets riding a second-quarter wave of baskets to an eventual 69-47 romp.
Young was just in her infancy at that time as a Crater player — transferring back to the group she grew up playing with following two stellar seasons at South Medford that led to back-to-back appearances in the Class 6A state final.
Young made going 3-for-3 in trips to the finals look easy Friday, and she got plenty of help along the way to confound Redmond (21-6) for the second time this season.
Young was 14-for-21 from the field and finished with six assists and eight steals, the latter helping Crater to a 20-2 advantage in fastbreak points.
The Comets, who trailed for only 59 seconds during the semifinal, also saw senior center Lydia Traore rack up 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.
Crater senior Sage Winslow glides through the paint for a layup during Friday’s Class 5A state semifinals win over Redmond in McMinnville. (Eduardo Ibarra / for the Rogue Valley Times)
When Winslow returned to action, she was able to generate eight points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals in 16 minutes.
Norton led Redmond with 13 points, and Freya Stone had eight rebounds and five points two days after her game-winning layup against Summit in the quarterfinals.
REDMOND (21-6)
Mylaena Norton 3-8 4-4 13, Bergen Porter 3-5 0-1 7, Naveah Villa 2-2 1-1 6, Aspen Morris 2-6 1-4 5, Freya Snow 2-6 1-2 5, Azlynn Ure 2-9 0-1 4, Dylan Cheney 1-5 0-0 2, Luci Johnson 0-1 1-2 1, Alanna Friend 0-0 1-2 1, Bella Schmidt 0-0 0-0 0, Maisen Porter 0-2 0-0 0, Rylee Morris 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 15-45 9-17 44.
CRATER (27-1)
Taylor Young 14-21 4-6 34, Addison Dippel 5-12 1-2 13, Lydia Traore 4-5 2-2 10, Sage Winslow 4-7 0-0 8, Alexa Gugliotta 2-2 0-0 4, Autumn Jackson 1-3 0-0 3, Cameron Yohner 0-0 0-0 0, Madison Kitchen 0-0 0-0 0, Haley Plankenhorn 0-2 0-0 0, Addison Griffin 0-0 0-0 0, Jazmine Fernandez 0-5 0-0 0. Totals: 30-57 7-10 72.
Redmond 15 13 8 8 — 44
Crater 30 11 14 17 — 72
3-point goals—Redmond 5-19 (Mylaena Norton 3-6, Naveah Villa 1-1, Bergen Porter 1-1, Azlynn Ure 0-1, Dylan Cheney 0-4, Luci Johnson 0-1, Maisen Porter 0-2, Rylee Morris 0-1, Freya Snow 0-1, Aspen Morris 0-1), Crater 5-19 (Taylor Young 2-7, Addison Dippel 2-6, Autumn Jackson 1-1, Haley Plankenhorn 0-1, Jazmine Fernandez 0-2, Sage Winslow 0-2). Fouled out—Freya Snow, Aspen Morris. Rebounds—Redmond 27 (Freya Snow 8), Crater 37 (Lydia Traore 12). Assists—Redmond 11 (Dylan Cheney 2, Maisen Porter 2, Aspen Morris 2), Crater 15 (Taylor Young 6). Total fouls—Redmond 16, Crater 17.
Reach sports editor Kris Henry at khenry@rv-times.com or 458-488-2035
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