MaxPreps Oregon Teams of the Week: Dayton boys and girls basketball

There are few moments in life that stop you in your tracks. A time to take a deep giant breath, look all around and realize that all is good, that all has been good, and that all you've worked for has been worth it.

A couple of humble gents — Dayton (Ore.) basketball coaches Ron Hop and Scott Spink — took that long gander on Saturday night along the Pacific Coast in Coos Bay. That reflection stretched into Sunday afternoon and even to the middle of the week.

"I still don't know if it's hit home yet," said Spink, who coaches the school's girls team. "Every morning since Saturday I've had to pinch myself and say, ‘Holy cow, we're state champions.' "

Hop, who coaches the Dayton boys, and Spink led their teams to 3A state titles at Marshfield (Coos Bay) Saturday and earned the honor of MaxPreps Oregon Teams of the Week, presented by the Oregon National Guard.

It's the first time we've picked two teams the same week, but this was an improbable accomplishment.

Spink's team (26-3) started this Pirates party with a 51-39 win over red hot Salem Academy, winners of 10 straight entering the game, for their first state title since 1992. Even more special to Spink is that his own daughter Shawnie Spink, a 5-foot-5 freshman point guard, had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

The night before she had 21 points in a 45-42 upset win over Vale, which appeared to be the team to beat in the Final 8.

"Vale was the defending champion and brought back four of five starters," said Scott Spink. "We watched them play and thought they were beatable, but we were going to have to play really well.

"You want to stay humble, but Shawnie went a little crazy. They threw every type of press at her, had two girls chasing her. For her to score 21 and play the way she did was pretty amazing. What made it most gratifying was that everyone else played at their best or above also.

"We would have been happy to make the Final 8 and bring home a trophy (top five). To win it all, yes I would say it was a definite surprise." 

Family ties

Among the others to play at their best Friday and Saturday was 5-9 shooting guard Teddi Hop, the youngest daughter of boys head coach Ron Hop. She also had 15 points against Vale and 12 versus Salem Academy.

Ron Hop probably shouldn't have been watching the final moments of the girls game Saturday. His Pirates' squad was playing Horizon Christian for the 3A state title right after the girls game.

"We played Horizon Christian in league and played them three times already this season," Ron Hop said. "We knew everything about them and they about us. I'll admit I was way more nervous about the girls game than our game."

Scott Spink knew the feeling. His son Zach Spink, a 6-2 junior, was a starting forward for the boys.

"I was so nervous because I wanted my son to feel what my daughter did," said coach Spink.

All Dayton sons and daughters felt triumphant Saturday as the boys (29-1) avenged their only loss of the season with a 53-43 win, giving the Pirates their fourth state title and second in four years.

Zach Bernards, a 5-10 sophomore guard and the team's leading scorer all season at 19 per game, led the way with 22 points and D.J. Flowers, a 6-5 transfer from Texas, had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Zach Spink broke a 21-21 tie with a jumper midway through the second quarter to give the Pirates the lead for good. He finished with nine points.

When the final horn sounded, the large contingent from Dayton, which had traveled almost 200 miles and four hours, celebrated the old fashion way — at a local pizza joint in town. They shut it down.

"Lots of pictures and lots of hugs," Scott Spink said.

He and Ron Hop actually stood up and spoke. And, they got a little choked up. After all, so much sweat and sacrifice go into an entire basketball season. Multiply that by 10 years for many of the kids and parents in the community, and it's quite a journey for the parents, players and coaches. In the case of Hop and Spink, they were all-of-the-above.

Hooting and hollering

A large chunk from the rural town of 2,500, about 25 miles southwest of Portland, was a long way from home, but they were all together. Cheering. Embracing. Supporting.

"It's a special place," Ron Hop said of Dayton.

That notion was furthered the next day when both teams carpooled home. Firetrucks and police cars paraded them through town. Any team capturing a state title is special. But to have two teams in one night bring home the top prize?

Magical.

"Lots and lots of people in the community showed up for the parade," Scott Spink said. "It was a special moment."

Said Ron Hop: "We've had teams win state titles and there have been celebrations, but nothing like this. This was the biggest by far. There were 300-400 honking horns. There was a lot of hooting and hollering."

It was easy to cheer for these teams.

The girls, though offensively solid at almost 50 points per game, were a defensive force while giving up just 31.5 points per game. Seven times they gave up 20 points or less.

Seniors Cooper Ringnalda and Maddie Shirley, daughter of athletic director Todd Shirley, finished off stellar careers with a bang. Kalina Rojas, a 5-11 freshman center, clogged up the middle and was active both offensive and defensively.

The team rose from the ashes after six consecutive losing seasons starting in 2007-08 (2-19) until Spink returned to coaching and led the Pirates to an 18-11 campaign in 2013-14. Still, from an 11-loss season to state champion was a big leap. With six freshmen on the squad, "The future looks bright," he said. 

A basketball school

The boys had a larger one-year rise, from 15-11 in 2013-14 to state champions and 29-1. The transfer of Flowers, an athletic post who will likely play guard in college, was big, but the rest of the returners improved immensely.

"We were pretty mediocre last season," Hop said. "The guys made some big strides and huge sacrifices."

Bernards is a big-time scorer and had 42 points in a game. He's a spot- or pull-up shooter from about anywhere on the court.

Spink (13 points per game) was a first-team All-League player who "made the biggest improvement on the team," Hop said.

Brothers Jarred Ashley and Darren Ashley were excellent athletes and capable scorers, but largely put aside personal glory for the good of the team.

"Great attitudes and great effort," Hop said. "They went above and beyond."

The school is above and beyond being considered simply a football power too.

Forever and gratefully associated with legendary and late football coach Dewey Sullivan, the Pirates must now be considered a basketball school also.

Sullivan, an Oregon Sports Hall of Fame member, was the winningest coach in state history with a 352-84-2 mark and five state titles in more than 40 seasons.

But there are only a handful of Oregon schools that have brought home two state titles in one evening.

Both coaches pointed to Jon "Super-handles" Hildebrandt, an All-State guard who along with current Bears tight end Dante Rosario led Dayton to state titles in 2000 and 2001, as the biggest basketball influence on the city.

Hildebrandt runs camps locally, has his own website, and has caught the attention of young basketball players everywhere around Yamhill County. And beyond.

"It's been about 15 years since Jon made a real impact in this area," Ron Hop said. "We'll always be associated with Dewey and football, which is awesome. But this is a basketball town too. Basketball is here to stay."