Ridgeview’s Zowie Nunes (22) goes in for a layup against Pendleton’s Becca Edmonds (14) Thursday night at Ridgeview High School.

REDMOND — It was longer than the Ridgeview girls basketball team wanted, but the third-place finisher at last season’s Class 5A tournament finally removed the zero from its win column.

With a 45-22 win over former conference foe Pendleton Thursday evening, the Ravens put a halt to a five-game losing streak to open the season.

“It has been a slow start to the season, but it feels good to finally get a win,” said Ridgeview coach Alicia Love. “Hopefully that can change our momentum over the rest of the year.”

Trailing 6-4 after the first quarter, the Ravens outscored the Buckaroos 14-5 in the second quarter to pull away.

Senior guard Lauren Harding led the game in scoring with 10 points.

Junior guard Brooklyn Bailey connected on three 3-pointers in the second to finish with nine points, while senior guards Brooklyn Homan and Lexi Pentzer each pitched in eight points in the win.

“That win felt really good,” Pentzer said. “We feel a lot more confident after that one.”

For a team replacing several of key pieces from last year’s Intermountain Conference team, the Ravens did not ease into the year with a soft schedule. The first four games — Crook County, Putnam, Springfield and Willamette — were against teams that advanced to the 5A tournament a year ago. Putnam and Springfield were semifinal teams, as was Ridgeview.

“It is good we played those teams, because our goal is still to make it to state,” Harding said. “That goal is consistent even with the losses. Now we know what our competition is going to look like; we are expecting those teams will make it.”

There might not be a team that lost as much fire power as the Ravens from last year’s team that won 13 of the final 14 games. The Ravens lost three starters in Faye Davis, Jenna Albrecht and Kyrah Daniels. Albrecht was last year’s IMC Player of the Year. Daniels, a midseason addition to the squad, was named to the all-tournament’s first team.

Love took over the Ridgeview program in the 2018-19 season, when both Davis and Albrecht were freshmen. This is the first season without either of them.

“We have kids who haven’t played any varsity minutes who are getting a lot of them now,” Love said. “Trying to find the chemistry when you lose those key players and add in a whole new crew, there is a learning curve. That is where we are at now.”

The Ravens return two starters from last year’s squad in Harding and Homan. Former rotation players, like Pentzer and senior guard Selena Gallacher, are also taking on larger roles.

“I think one of the harder parts is figuring out how to come together as a team and not just as individuals,” Harding said. “Last year, I could focus on my own play. But now, as leaders of the team, you have to be thinking about the whole team the whole time. It’s just very different.”

After the holidays, the Ravens will play at the SCTC Holiday Classic, hosted by Stayton High. The three-day tournament will be the final tune-up before starting IMC play on the road Jan. 5 against Summit.

“Going into this tournament, we just have to build off this win,” Harding said. “We need to continue to build off each other and bond appropriately so that we can have a positive mindset going into league.”

“It has been a slow start to the season, but it feels good to finally get a win. Hopefully that can change our momentum over the rest of the year.”

— Alicia Love, Ridgeview High girls basketball coach

“It is good we played those teams, because our goal is still to make it to state. That goal is consistent even with the losses. Now we know what our competition is going to look like; we are expecting those teams will make it.”

— Lauren Harding, Ridgeview girls basketball player