Clatskanie girls split pair of games to open season

The Clatskanie girls varsity basketball team began its 2025-2026 season with a 38-23 home win over Warrenton last Wednesday. With the score tied 8-8 going into the second quarter, Clatskanie was able to capture a lead and stretch it out the remainder of the game. Ther Tigers had a 39.1 field-goal percentage, including 25 percent from beyond the three-point line. The turnover battle between Clatskanie and Warrenton was pretty even, but the Tigers were able to score 19 points off of Warrenton's 26 turnovers, as opposed to just 13 points scored for Warrenton off of Clatskanie's 24 turnovers. The Warriors out-stole the Tigers 17-7, but Clatskanie had 11 assists to just two for Warrenton. Another sizable differential between the two was Clatskanie's 13 second-chance points as opposed to four for Warrenton.

The Tigers were led in scoring by junior Olivia George, who had 14 points on 7 for 16 shooting from the field. Senior Joey Sizemore added 10 points, while junior Lacey Willis led the team in rebounds with 13, assists with six, and steals with three. Junior Payton Taylor had the lone block of the game for the Tigers, adding four points on 2 of 3 shooting from the field.

Clatskanie suffered its first loss of the season Friday while hosting Central Linn. The Tigers had a three-point lead going into the second quarter but only managed another three points before halftime, trailing the Cobras 18-11 going into halftime. The girls would score 13 in the third quarter but not gain any ground on visiting Central Linn. Though outscoring the Cobras 16-13 in the fourth quarter, the rally fell four points short by the time the buzzer sounded. Having a slim advantage over Central Linn in the field-goal-percentage department, the real killer for the Tigers Friday was points off turnovers. The Cobras were able to score 18 points off the Tigers' 20 turnovers, while Clatskanie scored only seven points off of Central Linn's 17 turnovers. A 17-12 advantage in offensive rebounds for the Cobras led to nine second-chance points.

Willis and George co-led the team in points with 10 each, while Willis edged out Sizemore for the team lead in rebounds 8-7. Willis and George also co-led the team in steals with three, but Sizemore's nine assists and two blocks were enough to lead the Tigers. Senior Mya Jensen chipped in seven points on 3 for 8 shooting and Dalilah Baier added another four in the loss.

The Tigers (1-1) took on Gervais Tuesday and traveled to Crosshill Christian Wednesday, but the results were not available at the time of press. The girls travel to Rainier Tuesday, Dec. 16 before returning home Thursday, Dec. 18, to take on Colton at 6 p.m. inside the Clatskanie Middle High School gymnasium.