Whether it’s on the boys side or the girls side of Division 6A basketball, the Three Rivers League provides a ton of competition.
On the boys side, three of the top five ranked teams in 6A came from Three Rivers League, as of our press deadline, according to the Oregon School Activities Association rankings.
Over on the girls side, the top two ranked teams in 6A both hail from Three Rivers League in West Linn and Tualatin, the defending state champions. As of our press deadline, Oregon City was also hanging around the top 10, and neither West Linn nor Tualatin has lost a game to a team based in Oregon so far this season.
So, when it came time for the Tigard boys and girls basketball teams to kick off the portion of their schedule where they primarily play in-league teams, both teams had their work cut out for them.
It’s been a tough road so far. The Tigard boys team has dropped its first three contests, all by double digits.
Still, Head Coach Stu Bailey is proud of the fight his team has shown.
“We play super hard, and it’s a fun group of kids,” Bailey said. “We get together every single day of practice. The kids all work hard, compete against each other, and get after it. Everyone is in good spirits. They make each other laugh, and they make me laugh. I love hanging out with them.”
Bailey said a big reason for the positive vibes around the team, especially in practice, is junior Gabriel Musangu.
“He’s in charge of making sure everybody’s having a good time, making sure everyone is laughing and making sure everyone is working hard,” Bailey said.
On the court, Bailey said the team is getting contributions from a ton of players, especially a key group of seniors.
He said Quinton Bailey, one of those seniors, is leading the team in scoring, while fellow senior Kingston Hunter has been a key figure driving the offense, as he leads the team in assists and frequently has the ball in his hands. Hunter has seen playing time since his sophomore year and is one of the more experienced players on the team.
Defensively, Chase Smith has been holding things down near the basket, Bailey said. Smith isn’t just the team’s defensive cog in the middle, but he’s also leading the team in blocks, Bailey said.
“We’ve got kids all over the floor who are making good contributions,” Bailey said. “It’s great. We’re having a good time.”
Over on the girls side of the sport, the Tigers have also dropped their first three games in league play.
Still, Tigard has already seen some improvement from last year’s team. In the 2024-2025 season, the Tigard girls went 5-19 on the year, including a 1-11 record in Three Rivers League play.
This year, Tigard has already surpassed its overall win total with more than a month left in the regular season. As of our press deadline, the Tigers sit at 6-9 overall.
They won back-to-back games three separate times in non-league play. Earlier this season, Anna Johnson, head coach of the girls team, said she was pleased with how her team was playing, especially in their basketball IQ and their cohesiveness.
Nearly one-third of the team this year is made up of seniors, while the rest of the team is underclassmen. So Johnson was hopeful about that improvement continuing in the program for the immediate future.
The girls team is also just on the cusp of a playoff birth with a month to go in the season. The girls are ranked No. 35 in the OSAA rankings as of our press deadline, and the top 32 teams make the playoffs. The Tigers last played in the playoffs two years ago in 2023.
