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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2017)
SPORTS THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS In this Jan. 17, 2017, fi le photo, BMCC’s Isaiah Harris (11) goes up for a shot against Brad Scott, of Colum- bia Basin Col- lege at McCrae Activity Center in Pendle- ton. PENDLETON T-Wolves earn NWAC accolades BMCC men’s basketball places two on all-region teams coach Gavin Burt said in a press release. “We are so proud of Jared and what he has accomplished here at BMCC.” Harris fi nished the year third on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game and was second in rebounding at 6.2 per game. Known for his defense, Harris also blocked 13 shots and had a team- high 24 steals. “He works extremely hard on both ends of the fl oor and never backs down from a challenge,” Burt said of Harris. “It was great seeing him outwork other teams on a daily basis. We are very proud of Isaiah for his accomplishments the past two years at BMCC.” BMCC fi nished the season 5-21 overall and 3-13 in East regional play. East Oregonian The Blue Mountain men’s basket- ball team earned two selections to the NWAC All-Eastern Region team, as sophomore forward Jared Mathews made the second team and sophomore guard Isaiah Harris was all-defensive team. Mathews earned his selection after averaging 15.8 points and 10.6 rebounds Mathews Harris per game this past season, leading the team in both categories. He also shot a solid 53 percent from the fl oor and blocked 18 shots. “Jared works hard at his craft and is a great student as well,” BMCC head PENDLETON BMCC stays on top Staff photo by Kathy Aney Trail Blazers stun Spurs NBA Portland rebounds from its ‘worst loss’ to upset one of NBA’s best Walla Walla wins keep Blue Mountain rodeo out front in Northwest Region By RAUL DOMINGUEZ Associated Press East Oregonian WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The Blue Mountain women’s rodeo team swept the Walla Walla Community College Rodeo and Northwest Regional No. 2 Rodeo March 10-12. The men’s team fi nished strong as well in second place in both weekend rodeos. Both teams also came out on top in the all-around titles, with Garland JT Garland topping the men at the Northwest Regional #2 event March 10, and Preston Pederson and Danyelle Williams taking home the men’s and women’s titles, respectively, in the WWCC Rodeo on March 11-12. Three Timberwolves Pederson scored at the top in the timed events at the Northwest Regional #2 rodeo March 10: Curtis Pederson in tie-down roping, Garland in team roping (heeler), and Williams in breakaway roping. Pederson won with a time of 10.2 seconds, 3.7 Williams better than second place. Garland teamed with another of the Pederson clan, Johnpatrick of Oregon State, See BMCC/2B Portland Timbers defender Marco Farfan (32) and LA Galaxy mid- fi elder Rafael Garcia (25) tangle during the fi rst half of an MLS soccer match in Carson, Calif., Sun- day, March 12, 2017. The Timbers won 1-0. AP Photo/Reed Saxon SAN ANTONIO — The Portland Trail Blazers did not have a team meeting or scream at one another after suffering their “worst loss” of the season. The compacted NBA schedule makes it necessary to forget quickly. Portland under- stood that and it led to their “best win of the year” just 24 hours after a blowout loss. Damian Lillard scored 36 points and the Trail Portland Blazers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 110-106 on Wednesday night, spoiling LaMarcus Aldridge’s return from a health scare. C.J. McCollum added San Antonio 26 points for Portland, which was coming off a 23-point loss in New Orleans on Tuesday. “That had to be probably our best win of the year,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “To beat a team like San Antonio on the road. Not only that, but how we won. I thought it was one of our better games as far as staying focused throughout the game.” Portland needed that focus in an emotional game for San Antonio. Aldridge returned after missing two games with a minor heart arrhythmia. He was cleared Wednesday morning and does not have any playing restrictions. “I feel good,” Aldridge said. “It felt good to be back out there. We didn’t get a win, so that’s kind of tough to deal with. (But) happy to be out there with the teammates, just be playing again.” Kawhi Leonard had 34 points to lead San Antonio (52-15), which had won 11 of See BLAZERS/3B 110 106 AP Photo/Eric Gay Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (27) dunks against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half of Wednesday’s game in San Antonio. MLS Timbers’ Farfan part of youth movement Average age of MLS players dropping By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press Marco Farfan is not only wrap- ping up his senior year in high school, he’s got a gig on the side that keeps him pretty busy, too. The 18-year-old defender is the fi rst homegrown player developed by the Portland Timbers’ academy system. This past weekend he became the youngest player to start for the team when the Timbers visited the LA Galaxy. Portland won 2-0, an accom- plishment considering the Timbers did not win on the road last season. “I don’t think a kid can dream something better than this debuting, playing 90 minutes and getting a clean sheet with the guys out there,” Farfan said afterward. “It was just fantastic.” Farfan, a senior at Centennial High School east of Portland, is part of something of a youth move- ment in Major League Soccer, as individual teams begin to see talent development programs pay off. The average age of the league’s designated players has dropped signifi cantly, too, indicating the league is moving away from the trend in previous years to bring in past-their-prime big names. “Obviously it’s a very unique situation. There’s a high school in this area that has a pro player See YOUTH MOVEMENT/2B Sports shorts Washington fi res Romar SEATTLE (AP) — Washington has fi red coach Lorenzo Romar after 15 seasons at the school, falling short of an NCAA Tournament bid in the fi nal six despite a steady stream of NBA talent. Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen announced the decision Wednesday. Romar was 298-196 in his 15 seasons with the Huskies and was Romar responsible for rein- vigorating a downtrodden program, taking Washington to six NCAA Tournaments and three appearances in the Sweet 16. Washington went 9-22 this season, the worst of Romar’s tenure, and was 2-16 in the Pac-12. “Listen, I’m too old and fat to play basketball, but I’ll challenge Mr. Ball to a one-on-one. How about that?“ — Charles Barkley Basketball Hall of Fame member and TNT NBA analyst responding to a question about LaVar Ball on ESPN’s Mike & Mike. Ball, the father of UCLA star Lonzo Ball, said in his prime he could have beaten Michael Jordan one-on-one despite averag- ing two points a game in college. WIAA board to discuss adding Hermiston this weekend, could vote RENTON, Wash. — During its regularly-scheduled meeting this weekend, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association executive board will discuss and likely vote on Hermiston’s petition to leave the OSAA and join the WIAA, which the school fi rst presented in January. Hermiston athletic director Larry Usher told the East Oregonian on Wednesday that he had a conversation with WIAA executive director Mike Colbrese this week and Colbrese believes the board will likely vote in Hermiston’s favor. However, the ‘yes’ vote is contingent on a full-support vote from the OSAA board, which the organization has been slow to do. Usher and Hermiston superintendent Fred Maiocco have been contacting OSAA board members over the past 24 hours to try and get the members to sign a letter of support to be able to send to the WIAA this weekend. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1941 — Chicago’s Paul Thompson becomes the fi rst NHL coach to pull his goalie for an extra skater but nothing comes of the move, even though Toronto has a man in the penalty box. The Maple Leafs win 3-0. 2001 — A record number of low-seeded teams advance in the NCAA men’s basket- ball tournament. Indiana State, Butler, Temple, Charlotte and Fresno State join 12th-seeded Gonzaga in advancing, meaning 13 of the tournament’s 32 fi rst- round games were won by underdogs. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com