By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
JEFFERSON, Ore.– This Summer presented 2025 Jefferson-grad and incoming Lane Community College sophomore Gretchen Orton with an opportunity that she couldn’t refuse:
To be one of 40 JuCo Women Basketball players to take part in the Women’s JUCO Top 40 Showcase in early July.
It capped a freshman campaign that saw Orton, coming from a 3A School, earn First Team All-Region and All-Defense honors while averaging 17.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists a game. The Titans went 26-5 on the year, Orton played and started in all 31 of the games.
At the showcase, something that she heard about from her coaches, Orton scored 49 points in four games with 11 three-pointers and showcased her talents against some of the top talent at the Junior College-level.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to meet new people and get to play some good competition. Getting to play during summer against people who play in different places and levels of JUCO was a great experience. There is always a lot of preparation put into these types of events,” starts Orton. “Being able to be confident on the court is important while trying to showcase my abilities. So staying in the gym and getting reps was definitely my focus this summer.”
Three of the games were with her team, the fourth as an All-Star Game. It challenged Orton to stay on top of her game, and execute when the lights are their brightest. And it’s something she’s going to take into this upcoming season with the Titans this upcoming season.
“In these types of events when I am supposed to showcase myself to coaches I am still always trying to make the right play,” Orton starts. “Whether that’s me or someone else shooting the ball. I feel like coaches don’t just want to see players getting up as many shots as possible but instead just playing the game the right way. This showcase showed me that continuing to focus on my skills and decision making can help my team be successful in my last year at Lane.”
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
