Few players in the South Sound region are going to be harder to replace than Brandi Stanford.
The 2026 River Ridge High School graduate totaled 1,965 points in her career, which spanned two years at Timberline and two years at River Ridge. Stanford averaged 20 points, six assists and six steals at River Ridge, and she was a first-team all-league selection all four years.
River Ridge will need one of its guards to take the reins in 2026-27.
Paige Arko believes she can develop into that type of player entering her sophomore year.
Her freshman campaign started on the bench, but she was inserted into the starting lineup during the Hawks’ push toward a second straight state tournament, and she stepped up to help them reach that goal.
In a winner-to-state elimination game in the district tournament against Lakes, Arko was a strong second option behind Stanford, supplementing 15 points as River Ridge drubbed the Lancers to clinch a state bid. Despite a nine-point loss to Meadowdale in the state regionals, Arko once again handled the second scorer role and tallied 12 points with three assists.
“Going to state really gave me a different perspective. Whether you win or lose, seeing that type of competition was really eye-opening,” she said. “State is when my confidence went up. It was so amazing.”
The confidence to belong in the starting five and desire to maintain that spot began for Arko when River Ridge upset top rival North Thurston on the Rams’ senior night on Feb. 4. River Ridge was having a strong year already, but the stunning road victory against a team that had won 47 straight league games entering that week inspired a new energy into the Hawks, and especially Arko, that rode through the postseason.
“What gets you in the starting lineup is not about how much you score. It’s about going after the loose balls and trying to get those rebounds,” Arko, daughter of River Ridge head coach Chad Arko, said. “Shooting well helped put me in the starting lineup, but it’s also that effort and that fire that you have. That started to kick on when we got on that big winning streak, especially after the Thurston game. That really got me going. I saw that switch flip where I just wanted it more than everybody else.”
Paige Arko has played basketball since she was 5 years old and has benefited from time in the AAU circuit since she was 7. She currently plays for 90TEN and is the only representative from River Ridge on its 3-on-3 team at the Capital City 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament this weekend in Tenino. Her three teammates are from Olympia.
While her father isn’t her head coach at the AAU level, he still sat curbside to watch his daughter play, occasionally giving tips and praise. As soon as she moved up from middle school, Arko wanted nothing more than to play for her father, who made sure that everything would be earned, not given as the coach’s daughter.
“You get all the haters that say, ‘It’s because your dad is the coach,’ and, obviously, you get more put on you because he expects more of you,” she said, “but I really wouldn’t wish for anything more. It’s brought us so much closer. He’s my best friend. It’s such a cool experience that not a lot of people get to experience, and I’m so grateful that I get to.”
This has been a productive summer so far for Arko, highlighted by a stellar trip to Las Vegas where she averaged 14.7 points in six games. Following her first high school season, she is focusing on getting stronger in the weight room this offseason to survive the physical Puget Sound League. Consistency in her workouts and diet have played to her benefit, and once high school practices begin, she loves getting up over 100 shots and staying in the gym until 11 p.m.
“At the high school level, you really don’t realize how much different it is and how weak you are until you’re getting thrown by seniors double and triple your size,” Arko said. “I’m putting in the work so that hopefully next year when I get thrown, I can throw back.”
Arko will lead a River Ridge backcourt that includes senior guard Jayla Cavalier and senior guard/forward Mya Armstrong, as well as junior Iris Thomas, who is returning from an ACL tear. The loss of a 20-points-per-game scorer and elite defender in Stanford will be steep, but the Hawks return a bevy of experienced players and should still contend in the PSL next fall with Arko setting high expectations for a big jump in her sophomore season.
“Not having a girl that scores 20 points every game is really going to hurt us. Every single person has to step up,” Arko said. “The pressure is on ourselves. I’m just getting in the gym, staying in the gym and shooting so that my team knows that I can be that person that they can count on to make those clutch shots that they’re going to need. That’s the position I need to step into and stay in.”
