From the moment Kaylor Buse and Kyla Buse, juniors, and Kinley Buse, sophomore, began elementary school, basketball was a major part of their life. 

The now state champions reflect on how they got here, walking in the footsteps of the many generations of Buses in West Linn before them. A long history of involvement with the community has led the Buse sisters to continue this legacy through basketball. 

“I want to say it was really my dad, he really got us into basketball, and then I just fell in love with the game,” Kinley said. 

Before the Buse sisters shared the basketball court for West Linn, they tried other sports such as soccer and track, but what made them stick with basketball went deeper than just interest in the game. 

Family ties kept their connection to basketball even when opportunities for other sports presented themselves. When one Buse competed in a sport, oftentimes another Buse was right there with her, and when the sisters moved on from these short-lived sports, they all returned back to basketball. 

“[We have] a lot of family that [play basketball] as well, [which] made me choose [to] do that, because I’m able to lean on them more,” Kyla said. “When I [ran track], Kaylor wasn’t able to because she’d hurt her arm, and so freshman year, right after Kaylor quit, I was like, ‘I’m not doing this again.’”

During a mid-season game this year, a special halftime celebration occurred in which the current team was able to honor the first-ever womens basketball team. In 1975, a group of female students went to the school board in hopes of starting the first West Linn womens basketball team. Their request was successful, and from then on, West Linn High School’s womens basketball team became tradition.

On most high school basketball teams, fans don’t often see three sisters on the same team at the same time. For the Buse family, this is the way it’s been for as long as they can remember. 

“I don’t really think about it because we have always been on each other’s team and in the gym with each other—it’s just natural. It’s rare that we think about it the way everyone else kind of thinks about it,” Kaylor said. “Next year I think we will end up cherishing it a bit more, maybe just because it’s my and Kyla’s last year, but it’s always been a team-first kind of mindset for us.”

Having teammates who not only understand each other on the court but also at a level as deep as the Buse sisters have, has given Kyla a strong support system and inspiration to do better. 

“Kaylor, I look up to her so much. If I ever need anything, she’s just right there, she’s just downstairs, so I can easily go talk to her about anything, like basketball, life-related, she’s my easiest resource,” Kyla said.

Among the roads that make up the neighborhood around West Linn High School, one street name stands out in particular. Buse St., located just a few hundred feet from the high school, is named after one of the first Buses to build their family legacy in West Linn.

“My great-grandpa was on the first-ever school board, and when naming the streets by the high school, they named it after all the school board members,” Kaylor said. 

On Saturday, March 14, the team completed their season with a record of 26-3 after beating South Medford in the final, winning the school’s first West Linn women’s basketball state title. Kinley attributes some of this success to the team’s coaching staff.

“John [VanAcker], one of our assistants, does our scouting. He gets film. He spends like 12 hours, probably more, on just getting one thing ready,” Kinley said. “And then also we have my dad on the coaching staff, he’s very devoted [to] just helping us learn and get better.”

This season, the Lions have found success, going to the state championship, an accomplishment that has not been done since 1985. They have asserted their strength as a team throughout the season, winning by large margins such as the win against Lakeridge 69-19, or the win against Oregon City 90-48. These accomplishments have led the team to get more recognition than they have in previous years. 

“It is kind of crazy. I see so many interviews of our teammates, and they’re almost viral. And then seeing us on the news, it’s crazy that people actually know who we are,” Kyla said. “I don’t realize how known I am, which is weird, and I especially didn’t realize that so many people outside are also cheering us on.”

Dealing with the pressures of being state contenders, being students, and also being on a team can come with its challenges, but the Buse sisters can agree on their devotion to the game and their appreciation of the opportunity. 

“It’s a privilege to be wherever you are, not a lot of people get this opportunity,” Kinley said. “And then being present in the moment. Don’t think about the future. Don’t think so much about the past. Be in the moment where you are right now. I think that’s really stuck with me. Basketball isn’t just a game of wins and losses; it’s more than that. If you fall in love with it, you fall in love with it. But also, the people that you meet on the way are incredible.”

Kaylor’s season has contained some milestones for her basketball career, such as breaking the 1,000-point threshold and winning defensive player of the year for the Three Rivers League two years in a row. 

“I think every day is really a highlight,” Kaylor said. “We continue to learn every day and play for each other, and that just ends up making it more fun and enjoyable for us.”