SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Millers girls basketball team opened its 2025 season at Marist Catholic on Wednesday, dominating the second half.
After exiting the first half with a six-point lead, the Millers turned up the heat and finished with a 34-point victory, 66-32.
“We talked at halftime, we’re making some mistakes and giving them easy opportunities. So we just changed a few things up on defense,” Springfield coach Joe Williamson said. “We knew that would be the difference maker, and the team kind of tightened up.”
While the defense played well in the first half and forced several turnovers, the second half is when the Millers truly shone. Springfield held Marist to only 10 points after the break, built on a stingy defense that featured a wealth of steals. Darissa Romero-Ah Sam, last season’s Midwestern League Defensive Player of the Year, led the charge.
Romero-Ah Sam, a senior, kept her eyes up all night, being aggressive in the passing lanes and recording six steals. Asked what she looks for when getting steals, she said, “It’s pure instinct.”
“Every time I talk to her, it’s like, ‘Hey, you’re the defensive player of the year in our conference. You’ve gotta go show them why,’” Williamson said.
Romero-Ah Sam clearly makes a difference on the defensive end; her backcourt partner is doing the same. Sophomore Lia Jones – who was an all-conference honorable mention as a freshman – was also active on defense Wednesday night.
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“Lia could be a defensive player of the year candidate as well. She guarded their point guard the whole night and didn’t let that girl breathe,” Williamson said.
While the Millers’ defense was rolling, the offense was led by junior post player Sailor Hall and freshman post Nuari Filipe, who scored 21 and 18 points, respectively. For Hall, this was business as usual, having made first team all-conference last season. Filipe, on the other hand, began her varsity career as a key contributor from the first minute.
“(Filipe) is a very unselfish kid. I started her tonight because I knew the moment was not too big. She’s built for this,” Williamson said. “She’s played a lot of basketball, she’s had good club coaching. She’s ready for this opportunity. You can see she doesn’t force anything. She just takes what’s there. She’s gonna get better and better, too. Tonight was just a start.”
While Hall and Filipe led the team in points, the Millers were firing on all cylinders offensively on Wednesday. Romero-Ah Sam finished with 11 points, and the senior Kimora Wright had 12 points – all in the second half.
The Millers continue a stretch of road games to begin the season, facing Jesuit on Tuesday. They then travel to Silverton on Thursday, Dec. 11, before competing against Crook County at the Mac Court in Eugene on Saturday, Dec. 13.
