By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SALEM, Ore.– 2025 Jefferson-grad Gretchen Orton has really carried over the momentum she built the last few years in High School into her freshman year in college with the Lane Community College Girls Basketball squad.
She’s played in, and started, all 17 games thus far for the Titans. Averaging 16.3 points a game, five rebounds a game, 4.4 assists a game and 3.4 steals a game through Wednesday’s night game at Chemeketa Community College. Really filling up the stat sheet as she did for the Lions the last few years that garnered her 3A State Player of the Year honors last season.
And the last three games, her offense has really stepped up as NWAC South Region play gets underway. 24 points against Southwestern Oregon Community College, a career-high 33 points against Clackamas, those two games helped Orton earn the NWAC Athlete of the Week for the week of January 14.
“It was rough at first. It’s a different game, a lot faster. But it’s still basketball and my teammates are great and I have a great support system,” starts Orton. “We’re a tough team, we’re in the top. We’ve been practicing since September. We just have to keep our foot on the pedal and keep going.’
Coming off of a heartbreaking defeat to the Cougars in Oregon City, seeing Clackamas hand them their first conference defeat of the season, the Titans couldn’t dwell too long on it as they looked to bounce back against Chemeketa in Salem on Wednesday.
The upstart Storm, entering the game 2-0 in region play themselves and 12-3 on the year, kept Lane in check. It was 15-11 after one and 34-25 at halftime, both in favor of the Titans. Lane stayed checked in and were able to keep ahead of Chemeketa come the end of the game, a 73-63 road victory.
Orton played all 40 minutes of the game, a career-high for the freshman, as she finished with a team-high 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the victory.
“That was probably one of the biggest losses so far of our year,” Orton said of the Clackamas game. “Just coming out (Wednesday), showing up, being together as a team. Playing a team that plays really well together is important in getting that win.
“We’re really good in transiting, so we can’t let people slow us down. But if we get slowed down, we need to work on our half-court, execution and defensively, staying on the ball.”
Lane will host Clark on Monday night at 7:30pm as both squads are currently tied for second-place in the NWAC South Region at 3-1. The Storm and Umpqua Community College are right behind them in third with a 2-1 record
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
