MCMINNVILLE — The run for a berth in the state championship game came to end for the Redmond girls basketball team with a 48-29 loss to No. 1 Silverton.

The sixth-seeded Panthers fell behind early and could not quite catch up to the Foxes in the Class 5A semifinals Friday evening at Linfield University.

“We got overwhelmed early and that is the type of team they are,” said Redmond coach Alex Carlson. “(Silverton) controlled tempo early, made some big shots early and just maintained…that is why they are playing for a state title tomorrow.”

The Foxes built a 15-2 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Senior Kyleigh Brown scored 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out five assists to send Silverton to its first state championship game since 2017.

It was Silverton’s (23-4 overall) defense that shined Friday at Linfield University by using its length to help slow down Redmond’s (22-5) talented backcourt of sophomore Mylaena Norton and junior Dylan Cheney.

“Grace Hayashida and Allie Mansur are two of the best defenders in the state, I think, at any level,” said Silverton coach Alyssa Ogle. “I thought they did a great job of defending tonight.”

Redmond got this far into the postseason — further than any team in program history — by being a lethal shooting team. During their first two tournament games the Panthers could not match the same shooting success it had throughout the regular season.

The Foxes held the Panthers to 20% shooting from the field and 14% from 3-point land. Twenty-nine points was the lowest point total in a game for the Panthers this season.

“With our type of kids, a shooting night like tonight, an offensive performance like tonight, they will go to work this summer remembering this in the back of their mind,” Carlson said.

The Panthers were led by junior Azlynn Ure (who was named Redmond’s Player of the Game) after finishing with 11 points and five rebounds. Norton finished with eight points, two assists and two steals.

After the game he thanked the five seniors — Carson Castrow, Peyton Stewart, Jenna Gallacher and Juniper Rook and Brynn Capps — on the team who set a new bar for the program that made its first state tournament appearance since 2003 and first tournament win ever this season.

“There is a lot to learn on how to win in playoff basketball,” Carlton said. “Not just playing, but the whole bit around it. Now we have that experience and we have a lot of people coming back…that is how programs elevate. The seniors have done that this year to put us in position to be in the playoffs and to be in the state semifinals and to experience all of this. This is just going to be a springboard moving forward.”

The Panthers played in the 3rd/5th place game Saturday evening at 6:45 p.m. The game ended after The Bulletin’s press deadline.

“With our type of kids, a shooting night like tonight, an offensive performance like tonight, they will go to work this summer remembering this in the back of their mind.

— Alex Carlson, Redmond coach