3A/2A Girls Basketball: Amity hands Regis first loss of season

In a perfect world, the Warriors would have defeated the 2A No. 1 Regis Rams (15-1, 7-0) by 30 on Wednesday night.

Nonetheless, Amity’s No. 2-ranked girls basketball team (15-2, 8-0) continued to prove why it is one of the toughest opponents a team can face in Oregon, giving Regis its first loss of the season by a score of 64-56.

Amity jumped out of the gates and was perfect from the field early.

Alyssa McMullen hit a 3-pointer, then Adie Nisly sank back-to-back looks from the arc with a crisp swish. Kylie Wilson jumped in with an easy layup in transition, giving Amity an 11-1 lead on 4-of-4 field goals before Regis knew what hit them.

The Rams called a timeout, but little came of it as the Warriors kept on the gas.

They led 22-9 after one quarter, but Regis responded in the second period to reduced the deficit to 35-32 at halftime.

“We started really well, running them off the floor, that’s what we want to do to teams is just completely take them out of the game by getting easy transition lanes,” Adie Nisly said. “Ideally, if we could do that the whole game, that’s how we want to win, and we kind of let them hang around by letting off the brakes in a couple quarters.”

Nisly led the Warriors with 22 points, but Regis had its own senior guard, Clara Persons, who helped bring them back.

Persons scored a team-high 24 points for the Rams, including 11 in the second quarter, where Amity was outscored 23-13.

Regis opened the period with an 8-2 run and made life difficult in the paint for Amity as they tried to crash toward the rim on offense. The Warriors’ struggles continued as they tired, admitting to some exhaustion as they were not used to teams picking them up on defense after missed shots as quick as the Rams were.

“It’s not an excuse at all. I think with the teams in our league, we’re not used to teams matching that style of play and being able to actually get back before us, and we were a little bit surprised by that … and out of shape,” Nisly said, continuing to speak on what will have to change as they approach eventual up tempo matches in the postseason.

“I know we’re going to be getting in better shape at practice. But I think we have to keep our energy up, too, even in times when we’re not playing how we want to, especially on offense and defense.”

A 13-2 Warrior run to start the second half helped Amity push back ahead as Head Coach Jed McMullen asked his team to envision the scenario as a must-win for the championship.

Even with tiring bodies, the deep pass was still always there for the Warriors. A few clean baskets also helped Amity close out the eight-point victory in which they allowed the most points to an opponent all season.

Eliza Nisly bolstered the Warriors’ winning effort with 10 points, while McMullen and Wilson each had nine. Lyliana Rideout and Haley Miersma provided an extra boost with seven points each.

The Warriors will match up with Scio on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Amity Gymnasium. Amity won the last contest against the Loggers 57-11 on Dec. 11, 2025.

Jan. 19
Amity 58
Taft 40

Amity traveled to No. 12 Taft (13-5, 8-1) on Monday, where they were able to inch out the Tigers in all facets.

Adie Nisly scored 15 points, McMullen notched 14 and Eliza Nisly contributed 12 as the trio of scorers gave the Warriors a lead at the end of every quarter. Miersma added eight points, while Wilson and Maci King helped with six and three points, respectively.

Dayton 36
Scio 27

The No. 20 Pirates (11-6, 5-4) rebounded from an 86-21 beating at the hands of Amity to defeat No. 37 Scio (2-14, 2-7) on the road.

Led by an aggressive first half from forwards Hadley Hughes and Jayden Mayhew, the Pirates snuck by the Loggers on their home court. Hughes led with 12 points, while Mayhew added four points.

Junior guard Bella Lopez took her chances, scoring eight points to go along with nine from Charly Upmeyer. A Lou Auvil 3-pointer for his only points of the game allowed Dayton to stay ahead early.

Dayton allowed just two points in the third quarter and took a 30-16 lead to help fend off a desperate Scio team that outscored the Pirates 11-6 in the fourth quarter.

Jan. 20
Delphian 26
Santiam 56

The No. 32-ranked Dragons (4-7, 2-5) began a three-game road trip with their third straight loss, falling to No. 25 Santiam (6-11, 3-4).

Sheridan 19
Kennedy 61

Sheridan’s No. 38-ranked Spartans (0-12, 0-7) were unable to eclipse 20 points for the sixth time this season in a home loss to No. 22 Kennedy (7-10, 4-3).

Willamina 29
Blanchet Catholic 41

The No. 34-ranked Bulldogs (3-12, 2-6) could not keep their winning streak alive Tuesday, dropping a home battle with No. 32 Blanchet Catholic (6-9, 2-7).

Yamhill Carlton 45
Rainier 51

The Tigers’ road struggles continued Tuesday as they could not find any answers in a loss at No. 16 Rainer (11-3, 3-1). Despite falling, YC stayed ranked one spot ahead at No. 15.

YC (12-5, 2-3) faced No. 45 Corbett (0-17, 0-4) on Thursday (after News-Register deadline) and will receive a week of rest before battling No. 11 Neah-Kah-Nie (10-5, 3-1) at 6 p.m. in the Tiger Dome on Jan. 29.

Jan. 21
Dayton 45
Salem Academy 28

Hughes and Upmeyer controlled the paint Wednesday night, combining for 36 of the Pirates 45 points in a home victory over No. 38 Salem Academy (2-15, 0-9). Hughes had 24, while Upmeyer scored 12, including a 3-point make.

It was Dayton’s third win over the Crusaders after having beaten them twice at Turnidge Gymnasium this season.

Dayton travels to Blanchet Catholic on Friday for its second meeting with the Cavaliers. The Pirates were victorious in the first battle, 37-34.

Delphian 8
Kennedy 47

The Dragons became the second local squad to be trounced by Kennedy, recording their lowest point total of the season in a road loss.

Delphian is road-bound once more on Friday for a 5:30 p.m. tip off at No. 13 Colton (11-5, 5-2).

Sheridan 31
North Marion 34

The Spartans played their best game of the season on Wednesday, falling just three points short of victory in a road loss to 4A independent North Marion (1-9). It was North Marion’s first win of the year.

Sheridan will host Regis on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Willamina 13
Santiam Christian 56

Willamina was outmatched on Wednesday night in a road trip down to Adair Village, falling to No. 23 Santiam Christian (7-9, 6-3).

The Bulldogs’ next contest will be at No. 14 Jefferson (9-5, 6-2) on Tuesday, Jan. 27.