Lane County girls basketball teams remain in postseason play

A half-dozen Lane County girls basketball teams are still in the hunt for state titles, with Creswell and Pleasant Hill playing in the 3A quarterfinal round Thursday, March 5 and the remaining four scheduled to play Saturday.

Here’s the rundown:

6A

Playing at home, Sheldon needed overtime to defeat an upset-minded McMinnville squad in a first-round game Tuesday. The Irish (20-5), the No. 12 seed in the 32-team tournament, prevailed against the Grizzlies, who came to Eugene as the No. 21 seed. McMinville’s season ends with a 13-12 record.

The Irish now must travel to No. 5 Sherwood for a second-round game 3 p.m. Saturday. Like Sheldon, the Bowmen (23-3) can play defense; Sherwood has given up more than 60 points just four times this season. The winner of this game advances to the state quarterfinals Thursday, March 12 at the University of Portland’s Chiles Center.

5A

Springfield is the No. 2 seed in the 16-team 5A tourney, which gives them the right to host a first-round playoff game at home against No. 15 Putnam (12-13) 6 p.m. Saturday. The Kingsmen, from Milwaukee, were 1-6 at one point this season but rallied and have won their last two games convincingly. At one point this season, the Millers rolled off 17 straight wins — but lost their last regular-season game, at Crater, 62-56. The winner advances to the quarterfinals Thursday, March 12 at Linfield University in McMinnville. 

North Eugene’s Highlanders (12-12) are the No. 16 seed in the tourney, which means they get a tough first-round draw: a road trip to Redmond to take on the No. 1 Panthers (23-1) Saturday at 4 p.m. The Panthers haven’t lost since their first game this season, a two-point loss to Henley Dec. 4. Redmond hasn’t been seriously challenged since a three-point win Dec. 13 at Silverton — and all of their remaining wins have been by double-digit margins. The Highlanders will be looking to erase memories of their last outing, an 80-16 loss to Springfield. The winner advances to the quarterfinals Thursday, March 12 at Linfield University in McMinnville. 

4A

Marist Catholic hosts Madras in the 4A tournament’s first round at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Spartans (18-6) are the No. 4 seed in the 16-team tourney and finished the regular season on a high note, with eight wins in their last 10 games. The White Buffaloes (13-10) are the No. 13 seed and have won four of their last five. The winner advances to the state quarterfinals Thursday at Forest Grove High School.

3A 

Both Creswell and Pleasant Hill have advanced to Thursday’s quarterfinals of the 3A state tournament at Marshfield High School.

Creswell vs. Sisters, 3:15 p.m. The Creswell Bulldogs (20-6), No. 4 seed, take on Mountain Valley Conference foe Sisters (also 20-6), the No. 5 seed. The teams split two regular-season matches, with both teams winning on the road: The Outlaws won 45-39 at Creswell Jan. 16, while the Bulldogs prevailed 53-35 in Sisters. The winner advances to Friday’s semifinal against either No. 1 Vale or No. 8 Sutherlin. Creswell posted a 61-42 win against Jefferson on Saturday to earn its quarterfinal slot. 

Pleasant Hill vs. Amity, 8:15 p.m. Thursday’s 3A nightcap features the No. 7 seed Pleasant Hill Billies (18-9) against No. 2 Amity (25-2). Amity’s Warriors are riding an 18-game winning streak: The team hasn’t lost since Jan. 3, and that was a tight game against No. 1 Vale. But the Billies beat Coquille 40-31 in Saturday’s second round and have victories against three of the remaining teams in the 3A tournament. The winner plays either No. 6 Valley Catholic or No. 3 Banks in Friday’s semifinal.