Chemistry and talent.

The Astoria girls basketball team hopes those ingredients will help them win their first state championship in school history.

The Fishermen enter the quarterfinals of the state 4A tournament in Forest Grove on Thursday afternoon as the No. 1 seed and are riding a 20-game winning streak.

“I think it adds a lot of motivation for us knowing that it’s never been done before,” Avery Biederman, a senior guard, said. “It pushes us to be the first ones to do it for our school.”

This season’s championship drive is part of the program’s turnaround over the past several years, which involved some difficult moments.

After years of struggling, the Astoria team that lost to Marist Catholic in the first round of the playoffs in 2019 served as a catalyst for the future. In 2020, the team was on their way to the state tournament in Forest Grove only to turn around when the games were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

There was no state tournament in 2021 because of pandemic restrictions.

Some of the leaders of this season’s team — Biederman, Tayla Huber, Shelby Bruney, Lily Meadows and Malory Dundas — were part of the squad that lost to Madras in the first round of the playoffs in 2022. Last season’s team, with the transfers of Maitlin and Emery Young, as well as the addition of Kya Lindell, had their best finish in decades, reaching third place at state.

In April, Mike Jacobson, who had coached the Astoria girls basketball team since 2014, resigned, citing parent and player criticism.

Teke Silva, an assistant coach under Jacobson who had coached in Springfield and North Eugene, was named coach of the Fishermen in May.

“It’s an amazing group of girls, super selfless, super humble,” Maitlin Young, a senior guard, said. “We get along great, coach was an easy transition, we trust each other and since we knew her from last year we were able to build a relationship with her.

“Obviously, we’ve been winning games this year, so we have trust in coach and she has trust in us. We have a good relationship and we’re just trying to keep it going.”

Meadows, a senior, said the players are motivated.

“The seniors, captains and older girls who have been here for a couple years, it’s our job to be role models for the other girls and help everyone meld well,” she said. “We have to be the glue that kind of fits everyone together and our team in general fits together. We get along, but I think it’s the older kids’ job to help with leadership.”

The Fishermen went through a tough stretch to start the season, going 1-4. The team had two losses to Corbett — the eventual 3A state champion — and then lost their first two games in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona.

When the 21-4 team looks back at those early losses, Silva said, it really helps put into perspective how long the season is and the amount of work needed to compete for a state title.

“Every opponent we’ve faced has made us who we are,” Silva said. “We give a lot of respect to all the teams we face. Corbett just had a perfect season and won a state title … They have helped shape who we are and we’ve come a long ways from that. At this point, we’ve got to trust what we’ve done, trust the process, trust the culture of this team and go have some fun on Thursday.”

The Fishermen have a matchup against No. 9 seed Stayton at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. If they advance, they would play in the semifinals on Friday and the state championship on Saturday.

“It’s a long journey and we’re proud of how far we’ve come. Every step of the way, we’re just grateful for our community and the support we’ve got,” Dundas, a junior forward, said.

Last Saturday, the Brick House was overflowing for the team’s dominant first-round victory over Cottage Grove, which served as a kind of send-off to state.

“I sure hope to see some of our fans down in Forest Grove,” Bruney, a junior guard, said. “They brought an amazing environment on Saturday. I really hope they come.”