Basketball season has stirred up some excitement in the small town of Gervais, Oregon. As of January 29, 2023, the Lady Cougars are 9 - 0 in 2A-2 Tri-River Conference and 16 -3 overall. Two young ladies that have something to do with this success are, #4 Senior Izzy Boyd and #3 Junior Olivia Boyd. This is a full-blown sister act that’s exciting to watch. They are team players and blend in well with their team. Each girl plays their role.
Izzy and Olivia - Photo provided by Olivia Boyd.
Last year’s head coach, Kyle Buse, did an amazing job with the girls – they advanced to the state tournament but fell short of the title. This year, the Lady Cougars have a new coach. Enrique Sandoval has taken over the program and is doing a remarkable job coaching his new team.
The parents are Matthew and Margaret. The youngest siblings are Mitchell and Callie. Margaret was a 1992 Gervais graduate – a proud alumni. Later in life as she was teaching at the School of Deaf, she met Matthew, who was deaf and had a passion for the game of basketball. They went on to get married and had some decisions to make. For family reasons, they needed to make a decision … move to Pennsylvania or stay in Oregon. They both decided to remain in Oregon.
As young kids, Izzy and Olivia attended Queen of Peace Elementary and then St. Joseph’s Elementary in Salem, Oregon. They grew up in a neighborhood that had challenging areas, however, their block was safer with not many issues.
Izzy said, “We never had any problems where we grew up – things were pretty calm.”
Olivia said, “We were always playing outside – always had a group of friends.”
The family adjusted well with their dad’s challenges of not being able to hear. As we can imagine, in my opinion, it is definitely out of the norm, however, inspiring. They all overachieved and learned sign language. The Boyd family miraculously resonated to a functional family – they worked hard to communicate. They succeeded in many ways.
Izzy was inspired to start playing basketball by watching her dad play in a deaf-school league. He was a great player and at one point almost made the Deaf Olympic team. Margaret says that because he was only 5’ 10”, he fell short of making the team.
Izzy said, “The first word I ever said was ‘ball’. Attending all my dad’s games and watching all the players, well, it just encouraged me to start playing the game at an early age. I just grew up around it and I love it so much.”
Oliva said, “Same, it was also because of being around my dad. But for me, I did not like basketball to start with. I loved gymnastics. The floor exercise was my favorite. Eventually, just being around the game so much with my sister and my dad, I started enjoying basketball more.”
Both sisters played in KYBA (Keizer Youth Basketball Association) tournament teams. They also played in an Upward league and tournament team, a Christian sports organization. They were getting better each year and developing their skill sets.
Everything seemed to be falling into place with Izzy and Olivia. In the 2019 - 2020 season, the family relocated to a farm just outside of Gervais, Oregon. A string of events unexpectedly appeared for this family. As we all know about the 2020-COVID-19 year and the challenges it brought to everyone, the Boyd family endured another level of hardship.
Their mother, Margaret, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Izzy was entering Gervais High School as a freshman and Olivia was entering middle school at Sacred Heart. It was an extremely difficult time for them, especially for Izzy and Olivia, who were the two oldest of the siblings. In addition, they had to work extra hard on their schoolwork while maintaining a busy sports’ schedule – both are three-sport athletes.
Izzy said, “When my mom was diagnosed with cancer, it was really hard on all of us. I know that my younger brother and sister didn’t really understand, but Liv and I did. We cried all night. We were too upset – had to miss school the next day. The next few months were really difficult for us as we all learned to adapt as a family. There were lots of tears.”
In 2021 when Margaret had completed her chemo treatments, she fell and broke her leg. Another mishap and another adjustment for the family. She later found out that she had stage-four cancer. Margaret learned that she had a tumor in her pelvis area – it was inoperable.
Margaret said, “I have back problems due to the situation. I’m doing okay though. The girls have been so helpful in many areas. I was just disappointed that I missed some of their games – one was when both girls had great games. I try to make as many games as I can. It’s so much fun to watch them.”
Izzy said, “Mom’s second diagnosis was a lot worse. Liv and I had to miss three school days and practices to allow ourselves to come to terms with our mom’s new condition. Yeah, it was tough and it did create extra work for us. But on the positive side, when my mom broke her leg, I got to drive her to the hospital and back many times. I got my driver’s permit when I was a freshman.”
Olivia said, “While all of that was going on, we just kept going with practices and school schedules. We were also building a deck at our farm – I was helping. I was carrying some boards and I lost my balance – fell and hit a board with my neck! I tore my carotid artery and spent three days in ICU.”
For your knowledge, the carotid artery is a vital part of the body that carries oxygen from the heart to the brain – a serious matter.
The girls found a way to overcome some intense situations. I do believe that they display their faith well, just how they continue with life and hope. I know I will be praying for this family, that their days get better.
The Boyd Family - Photo provided by Olivia Boyd.
While their mom was undergoing chemo sessions, the two were a big help (when they were home). Because honestly, these young ladies were hungry to get better at the game of basketball. The window for house chores, feeding their farm animals, etc., had to be small. They had a full schedule.
Basketball, I believe, was great counseling for the two girls. Olivia would often wake up at 5:30 a.m. to go play basketball with her dad and a group of older men. Izzy was not really an early-morning type of person. However, they would both play pick-up basketball at the Kroc Center as well. During the summers, they worked on ball handling outside at the farm – they had two hoops. Sometimes they would go to Gubser School to play under the covered area.
During the last two summers they played with a tournament team called, The PAC. They also played in a Gervais summer league. They continued with conditioning in the offseason, which is how I strongly feel, an athlete can truly improve in many areas.
Olivia getting ready to make a free throw - Photo by Jeremy McDonald.
Izzy said, “We were always looking for opportunities to play basketball. Our old coach, Kyle Buse, would call us up sometimes to play in a summer tournament, or we would just go play at the Kroc Center.”
Olivia said, “We just love playing basketball. We love playing against our dad. We joke around that we can beat him, but I don’t think we really can – ha-ha!”
The two sisters have grown to love the community of Gervais. Izzy is 5’ 9” and Olivia is 5’ 11”. With their hard work at skill sets, the sisters have helped the Gervais Lady Cougars become a winning team the last few years.
Olivia looking to shoot, while Izzy looks on. Photo by Woodburn Independent.
Some people might not realize how much work it takes to be a great player. When they see Olivia hit a three-point shot, or Izzy rebound and finish layups consistently, well, it didn’t happen overnight. For both girls, it was not easy getting where they are today, talent-wise or life.
They are both scholar athletes holding a 4.0 GPA. In 2022 they were both selected 1st team all-conference, and 3rd team all-state. Izzy was runner-up for Tri-River Conference Player of the Year. Both girls have been selected to several all-tournament teams throughout the years.
The Gervais Lady Cougars have a legit chance to return to Pendleton for another state tournament bid. If all goes well with Coach Enrique Sandoval and his hard-working squad, I’m sure that in the postseason the Gervais people will be making reservations for hotel rooms in Eastern Oregon.
Izzy plays the forward position and Olivia plays wing/point guard. The rest of the team consists of Sofia Contreras; Josie Schultz; Ava Sellers; Alexandra Zharkoff; Trinity Bastidas; Angela Villegas; Addy McCargar, and Citlali Munoz.
Izzy said, “Getting a new coach this year was really hard for me. I was used to Kyle Buse. He was one of the best coaches I ever had. I didn’t start out adjusting well to our new coach. It took time. Now, I enjoy our new coach and have adjusted well.”
Izzy getting ready to receive a pass from her sister - Photo by Jeremy McDonald.
Olivia said, “For me, it just took a while to get adjusted to our new coach’s plays and all. It was hard for all of our team. But, Coach Enrique has made it easy for us to adjust. He’s a good coach.”
For team-bonding events, the Gervais girls have team dinners, Secret-Santa gift exchange, attended a PSU game, and Coach Enrique wants to plan a talent show with his team. Most of the girls on the team play three sports together – they have built close relationships.
Margaret said, “I love my daughters, I am so thankful for them, and I am so proud of them. They have been through a lot and continue to hold their heads up high.”
I want to wish the Lady Cougars the best as they continue league play. And, thank you to Izzy and Olivia Boyd for taking some time and sharing their story. Please continue praying for their mom, Margaret, and family.
Izzy and Olivia, What has been your best basketball moment?
Izzy: It has to be the game against Stanfield when I was a freshman. It was the first round of the playoffs and we won! I scored 14 points … 9 were in the fourth quarter.
Olivia: I was also a freshman, and we were playing Riverdale in the first round of the playoffs. My sister and I both scored 20 points each and we won the game to advance! Everything was clicking for us that game.
What is your short-term goal?
Izzy: Win league, then return to Pendleton and become the state champions!
Olivia: Same, win league and win at the state tournament in Pendleton!
What is your long-term goal?
Izzy: Play college basketball somewhere.
Olivia: I’ve done well in all three sports. Volleyball, basketball, and track and field. I do love basketball the best though. I guess I’m looking for the best offer – hope it’s in basketball.
Word of advice to youths that want to play varsity basketball someday?
Izzy: Work your ass off! Hard work is the only thing that will help you progress to reach a higher level.
Olivia: Same, practice hard and study hard. You have to do well academically. Learn as much as you can in both areas.