27 down, three to go: No. 2 North Thurston's blue-chip backcourt rolls into Tacoma Dome
Soraya Ogaldez and Shayla Cordis weren't always co-stars.
They were fierce competitors.
Just last season, Cordis and her younger sister, Sierra, played across town — less than five miles from North Thurston's campus, to be exact – at Timberline High School, the Rams' biggest and toughest 3A PSL rival. When a transfer sent the siblings north ahead of the 2024-25 school year, two of the league's best players became teammates.
Now they're one of the state's most athletic and dynamic backcourts.
Ogaldez remembers when a North Thurston assistant broke the news and asked her: 'How do you feel about playing with Shayla and Sierra?'
An easy reply for the senior point guard: 'Excited. Very excited. Overly excited. This is perfect.'
The journey began in summer league, and the rest is history.
'Being able to be on the same court as all of these girls is something I can't put into words,' Shayla told The News Tribune.
What has the Ogaldez-Cordis duo accomplished in their one year together? Only the most decorated girls basketball season in school history. North Thurston (27-1, 20-0) rolled to undisputed 3A PSL Nisqually and District 3/4 titles, earning the No. 2 seed in this week's state tournament at the Tacoma Dome. They dropped their season opener at 4A-Olympia on Dec. 2, 45-38, and haven't lost again.
27 wins in a row.
Rams head coach Jackie Meyer laughed. 'Don't jinx us!'
Girls basketball tends to be more stern, more focused, and more intense, Meyer says — but these Rams don't show it. They'll play spoons in the stands at junior varsity games and create locker-room TikToks inspired by the viral dances and trends, even including Meyer in the fun.
And when it's their turn to tip off, the Rams aren't phased by the biggest moments. They've already passed tests against No. 3 White River, No. 7 Kennewick, and 4A-Auburn, that bracket's six-seed. No lights are too bright and no stage is too big. And when North Thurston inevitably clobbers 3A PSL foes, the postgame celebrations aren't too exuberant.
'I think that's what's special about them,' Meyer said after Tuesday's practice. 'Also, having the experience… a few of them have gone to state.
'When people (suggest) my team's not necessarily super celebratory, I think we still have unfinished business. There's a bigger goal.'
Ogaldez (23.2 PPG, 4.3 SPG) is the 'flashy, but controlled' point guard with ball-handling skills beyond her years, the number-one option for an offense averaging over 68 points per game. When the state's third-leading scorer isn't driving to the rim with slick moves that wow the crowd, she's facilitating for Cordis (21 PPG, 4.6 SPG) — another 20-point scorer in North Thurston's lethal backcourt.
Rams senior Grace Lee loads the box score with nearly 13 points, four steals, and a team-leading seven rebounds per game. Sierra Cordis adds seven points and four rebounds.
'We trust each other,' Ogaldez said. 'Everybody plays their role like they're supposed to. There's no clashing. It's why we're doing so well.
'When (Shayla's) hot, give it to her. When I'm hot, give it to me. Whoever's hot.'
Pretty simple formula, eh?
'We're just playing and letting our games speak for themselves,' Cordis said.
The Rams toppled No. 7 Kennewick in last weekend's regional round at the University of Puget Sound, extending North Thurston's win streak to 27 and pushing them directly into the 3A quarterfinals at the Tacoma Dome. If the Rams hoist the golden basketball with a first-place finish on Saturday, the streak would reach 30.
And what would all of it mean for the superstar duo, their teammates, their program, their coaches?
Ogaldez smiled. 'Everything,' she said. 'This is my last year, so I want to win. It would be everything.'
The Rams await the winner of Wednesday's 3A Round of 12 matchup between No. 8 Meadowdale and No. 17 Bellevue, a welcomed off-day for North Thurston allowing for one last shootaround. They'll break down and scout both teams, to be safe.
Either way, it's the same message from Meyer: 'Intensity on defense. Hoping we can generate a lot of points off of the other's team turnovers. Surprising people with that athleticism… that's been our game, those fast-point generators. I think that's what gets Soraya's game moving a lot. Getting those easy lay-ups, it settles everybody in.'
Cordis: 'It's my first time ever being in the Dome, so I'm just seeking the experience. … Just one game at a time. Every game is not guaranteed. (Every) team could come out with their best game against us, so staying poised even in these tough situations. Being calm and collected. Not forcing shots.
'Let's go get this ring!'
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