SALEM — The Hermiston Fierce eighth grade girls basketball team won the Oregon middle school state title Sunday, Feb. 25, beating Mountainside 42-27 at Cone Field House at Willamette University.

It’s the third consecutive state title for the team, which also won the sixth and seventh grade titles with the same group of players. The team was formed when the girls were in the first grade. They all will attend Hermiston High School in the fall.

Hermiston went 4-0 at the state tournament, opening with a 61-26 victory over Westview on Feb. 23. The Fierce followed with a 50-48 win over Mountainside, then topped West Salem 47-37 to secure their spot in the championship game.

After its first loss to Hermiston, Mountainside worked its way back through the double elimination bracket to the title game. The Fierce led from start to finish in the championship game to bring home the hardware.

“This is a special group of girls who love the game and each other,” said Tiah Devin, who shares coaching duties with Juan Rodriguez. “Each of them contributed to the wins over the weekend and have had an outstanding AAU basketball career.”

The team members are Avery Devin, Hallee Morgan, Olivia Mendez, Sofia Rodriguez, Marli Stackhouse, Abby Harshberger, Molly Bacon and Jaicee Moreno.