Ogaldez, North Thurston deliver statement win over rival Timberline
It was billed as a showdown of district rivals between Timberline and North Thurston’s girls basketball teams, both undefeated in league play. The packed Timberline gym, which didn’t thin out after the boys game before, expected as much.
But North Thurston’s sensational junior guard Soraya Ogaldez had no plans of a compelling back-and-forth contest. She scored early and often, pushed the pace, crossed up defenders left and right, found open teammates and with a 67-38 rout, sent a message, loud and clear: North Thurston (9-0) is the team to beat in Thurston County and the Class 3A South Sound Conference this winter.
“We’re on top,” said Ogaldez, who dropped a game-high 30 points in the win. “No team can mess with us. I’m not saying that to be cocky, but it is what it is. There were a lot of people talking that thought they were gonna beat us, but no team can touch us out here.”
Before fans could blink, North Thurston carried a 38-16 lead into the halftime break.
“We just knew we had to punch them in the mouth first,” Ogaldez said. “It’s a dog eat dog world.”
North Thurston’s 1-2-2 zone sped up Timberline from the outset and the Blazers never settled in. Star sophomore guard Shayla Cordis was held to just 10 points, well below her season average. Sophomore Brandi Stanford led the Blazers with 15 points, while freshman Sierra Cordis chipped in 10.
Ogaldez was unstoppable, though, converting six 3-pointers as part of her 30-point effort. It’s the area of her game she said she grew the most in the offseason.
“Usually, I was only able to drive and they’d block it off, so I had to find another way to score,” she said.
Ogaldez got her teammates involved, too. Particularly senior post Alexis Meyer, who finished with 15 points in the win.
“It’s not just how good she is, but the opportunities she’s giving to her teammates,” said Rams’ coach Jackie Meyer. “The way she was able to feed her posts, that was a game changer for us.
“Just how comfortable she is with dribbling, driving and seeing things on the court. Her IQ, she knows, ‘I need to spread the court out,I can take this girl 1-on-1’ or, ‘I know my post is gonna roll on this.’ She’s just really good at knowing her teammates, the other team and just being able to see the court and I think that’s what really sets her apart.”
BOYS: NORTH THURSTON 70, TIMBERLINE 57
Before the girls game tipped off, the North Thurston boys team got a long overdue win against crosstown district rival Timberline. Prior to Wednesday night’s win, Timberline had won the past 13 consecutive games in the series, a streak dating back to 2018.
“It felt good to get that off our back,” said North Thurston coach Mike Conner. “These guys that I’m coaching right now have never won here, so it’s a good feeling. It wasn’t as pretty down the stretch as I would’ve liked, but a win is a win, especially against your crosstown rival.”
Ray Adams scored 23 points and had 13 rebounds, four blocks, four steals and three assists for North Thurston. Liam Sheeran had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, while guard Micah Gentry added 10 points and hauled down four rebounds.
Darrell Gipson had 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for Timberline. Cedric Ragland added 17 points and nine rebounds and Kenyon Simmons scored 13 points and had seven rebounds in the loss.
This story was originally published January 10, 2024 at 10:34 PM.
