WNBA Champion Maya Moore:

Springfield head coach Bill Wagner:

Courtesy: Fleishman-Hillard Inc.

SPRINGFIELD, Ore.– In its 28th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Mercedes Russell of Springfield High School (Springfield, Ore.) as its 2012-13 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Russell was surprised with the news at school by WNBA champion and gold medalist Maya Moore, who earned the same distinction in 2007.

“When I received the award, it was a really significant moment for me, so it felt great to surprise Mercedes with the news and invite her into one of the most prestigious legacy programs in high school sports,” said Moore, WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2011. “Gatorade has been on the sidelines fueling athletic performance for years, so to be recognized by a brand that understands the game and truly helps athletes perform is a huge honor for these kids.”

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Russell as the nation’s best high school girls basketball player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Russell from nearly 440,000 high school girls basketball players nationwide. Russell is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

A two-time Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year, the 6-foot-6 senior center averaged 25.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.5 blocks, 3.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 70.3 percent from the field this past season, leading the Millers (24-4) to the Class 5A state championship game. A McDonald’s All-American Game selection, a 2013 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America Game invitee and a two-time Class 5A State Player of the Year, Russell was a finalist for the Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year Award. She concluded her prep basketball career with 2,273 points, 1,642 rebounds and 562 blocked shots.

Russell has maintained a 3.15 GPA in the classroom. She has volunteered locally on behalf of Oregon Amateur Basketball, the Special Olympics, a community beautification project and an elementary education literacy-outreach program. She has also donated her time coaching youth basketball and serving the needy during annual holiday seasons.

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“Mercedes is just really athletic, has a great sense of timing and causes you not only to change your defense but, more importantly, your offense,” said Paul Brothers, head coach of Willamette High. “You can talk all you want about her ability to score and rebound, but I think she allows everyone on their team to gamble on defense because she’s there to swat away anything near the key.”

Russell has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on an athletic scholarship at the University of Tennessee beginning this fall.

“Without question, Mercedes is deserving of recognition as the nation’s best high school girls basketball player based on her statistics on the court and the impact her accomplishments have had on Springfield High School’s success,” said Gatorade Vice President, Brand Marketing Morgan Flatley. “But she is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young athletes of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. She represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient.”

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Former notable Gatorade National Players of the Year include:
• Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
• WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa Leslie
• NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith
• Two-time beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
• Three-time 200-meter World Champion Allyson Felix

Churchill could not complete the dream season, as the Lancers fall to Jefferson 59-53. Keidren Johnson and Andrew Smith each had 13 points in the loss.

Willamette stunned Mercedes Russell and Springfield with a 48-41 win to claim the girl’s state championship. The Wolverines limited Russell to just 12 points and six rebounds. Lexi Bando led the way for Willamette with 23 points.

EUGENE, Ore. — The Class 5A State Title games are set, and they are the match-ups that most neutral observers hoped to see.

On the boys side, Churchill beat Mountain View and Jefferson beat Silverton to set-up a Championship game between Churchill and Jefferson, the two top ranked teams in the state.

On the girls side, Springfield beat Hermiston, and Willamette beat Corvallis to set-up a rematch of last year’s bizarre title game, which was won 16-7 by Springfield after Willamette tried a stalling tactic.

Click above to see highlights of Churchill, Springfield, and Willamette’s semifinal victories.

EUGENE and CORVALLIS, Ore. — A pair of unbeatens lost during a dramatic Thursday at the OSAA State Basketball Championships.

At the Class 5A girls tournament in Eugene, previously undefeated West Albany was upset by Corvallis, a team that it beat by 20 points two weeks ago. The Spartans won 29-26, advancing to Friday’s semifinal to play Willamette, who beat Milwaukie earlier in the evening.

Mercedes Russell and Springfield beat Lebanon, 71-33, and will play Hermiston on Friday with a berth in the state title game on the line. The Millers are the two-time defending state champions.

Top seed Sutherlin was the other undefeated to go down on Thursday, losing to La Grande in a Class 4A girls semifinal.

On the boys side of the 4A tournament, Philomath’s run came to an end in the semifinals, losing to Cascade.

EUGENE AND CORVALLIS, Ore. — Top seeds Jefferson and Sutherlin survived upset scares in the quarterfinals of the state tournaments on Wednesday, with both top seeds sneaking through to the semifinals.

Jefferson played 4-seed West Albany in the Class 5A boys tournament a Matt Knight Arena, outlasting the Bulldogs 55-52.

The top-seeded Sutherlin girls needed two Miranda Mendenhall free throws after a controversial call with 1.2 seconds left to beat 4-seed Junction City, 44-42.

Also included are highlights of Churchill’s 82-61 quarterfinal win over Sandy.

It’s State Tournament time, with trips to the Elite Eight on the line across the state of Oregon. Highlights include Summit at Churchill, Eagle Point at West Albany, South Umpqua at Elmira, Madras at Sutherlin, and Baker at Philomath.

It’s the final week of the regular season for some and the start of post-season play for others. In this week’s Rounball Wrap, we bring you highlights from Thurston’s play-in game, the final games of the Midwestern and Mid-Willamette regular seasons, plus post-season action from the rest of the levels.

This week’s edition of Roundball Wrap is highlighted by another chapter in the Sheldon-Churchill boys basketball rivalry. The Irish visited the Lancer dome in a game that defied expectations. Also, see highlights from the 2A Mountain View playoffs. Which teams booked tickets for state?

EUGENE, Ore.– Over the past few years, the Sheldon and Churchill boys basketball teams have built one of the fiercest rivalries in the state. Their second meeting of the year will be our Roundball Wrap Game of the Night.

This week’s Roundball Wrap features some great finishes, including a buzzer beater. Sheldon looks for its 13th win in a row. Chaney Wyatt dunks again on our KEZI 9+ Roundball Wrap Game of the Night. Plus, complete highlights from around the area.