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The Dalles Chronicle TheDallesChronicle.com Weekend of February 29 - March 1, 2020 A9 SPORTS TD veterans wrap up regular season on a high note Hawks honor nine seniors before 56-25 win against Hood River Valley Rodriguez ■ Ray The Dalles Chronicle gave praise to a group that he considers his daughters. They have all gone through their share of battles over the years, and the fruits of that work have turned into a playoff berth. “All of them are very special to me,” Stevens said. “When we say family, we really mean family. These girls have formed a tight bond over the years. They have been through so much, and they keep battling, and The Dalles girls basket- they keep going after it. ball players Kilee Hoylman, After being tied for second Rainie Codding, Lauryn Belanger, Jenna Miller, Grace place and not making the Schatz, Mercy I’aulualo, Pearl playoffs last year, it would have been easy for them to Guzman, Dalia Mondragon quit, but they chose not to, and foreign exchange and I love them for that. I student, Esther Ortiz, were showered with flowers, candy love the battle and fight that they have.” and balloons Tuesday night Given the emotions of the in an emotional pregame night, The Dalles struggled ceremony before action The Dalles High School honored nine seniors before the start of Tuesday’s Intermountain Conference game versus Hood River Valley, early with a 21-13 halftime against Hood River Valley at a 56-25 win, at Kurtz Gym. In the photo are, from left to right, Mercy I’aulualo, Jenna Miller, Kilee Hoylman, Rainie Codding, Grace Kurtz Gym. Schatz, Esther Ortiz, Dalia Mondragon, Pearl Guzman and Lauryn Belanger. Sprawled out in the front row is head coach Brian Stevens. Head coach Brian Stevens See TD HOOPS, page A10 Ray Rodriguez photo Resilient Rangers pull off road playoff shocker Darden hits game- winner with 1.9 seconds left in overtime to give Dufur a 62-61 victory Rodriguez ■ Ray The Dalles Chronicle The moment was not too big for the Dufur Rangers. Many of the players have been on the big stage before in football, but facing No. 3-ranked Life Christian in a hostile environment, on the road, was a new level of challenge. Trey Darden scored a basket with 1.9 seconds left in overtime, and Max Morelli misfired on his three-quarter court desperation 3-point- er as time expired and the Rangers pulled off the upset, 62-61, in 1A state sub-round hoops action in Aloha. “It was a pretty great win for us, and it really showed what we can do as a team if we put our minds to it,” Darden said. “With this momentum we have going for us, I don’t think there’s anything we can’t do as a team.” With the win, Dufur advanced to a second sub- round contest versus No. 4 Crosshill Christian (24-2 overall) Saturday in Salem for the right to secure a Baker City berth. On Wednesday, the Lions led 25-24 at halftime, but Dufur regained control with a 20-16 third-quarter spurt, as Cooper Bales exploded for 14 points and the trio of Caleb Olson, Darden and Jacob Peters tallied two points apiece. Both teams were knotted at 49-all with three minutes left in the final frame, and at the 12-second mark, Life Christian (23-3) had posses- sion and missed two poten- tial game-winning attempts. Dufur (16-11) managed just four fourth-quarter field goals, while Life Christian countered with two baskets and 8 of 10 from the line to tie the score, 54-54, at the end of regulation. With less than a minute re- maining in the extra session, the Lions were up by a 58-56 margin, until freshman guard Josh Taylor drained two pressure free throws to tie the score. Later, Bales sank 1 of 2 from the line, which moved Dufur ahead by a 60-59 score. Following a timeout, Morelli had an isolation play called, and he made the basket and drew a foul to inch the Lions ahead, 61-60, but he missed his free throw, so the Rangers pulled down the rebound, pushed the ball downcourt and dished the ball to Darden, who sank the eventual game-winner with 1.9 seconds left. “Going into the game, I knew our team had what it took, and I think it was just the confidence we went in with that pushed us over the top,” Bales said. “We thought they were going to underes- timate us because we were ranked low, which gave us a chip. Now, this makes us feel like we can beat anyone on any night as long as we show up and play hard.” Dufur totaled 23 field goals, five 3-pointers, and went 11 of 22 from the line, 6 of 12 in overtime. Bales scored 16 of his team-high 24 points in the second half and had two points in the fourth quarter and none in the extra period. Peters finished with 12 points, Darden added 11, Taylor and Olson chipped in six each, and Gabe Petroff totaled three points. “It was a big win, and I learned that we could push through and even push hard- er in overtime,” Peters said. “The environment at the gym was so loud that it was cool that it didn’t bother us, and we could just keep playing. Overall, this was a big win, and we needed it, and it gives us confidence going into our next game.” Life Christian hit 22 field goals, five 3-pointers, and drilled 12 of 18 free throws, 11 of 14 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Morelli dropped 20 points, Blake Lambert ended up with 17, and Kobe Jenson, who was whistled for a technical foul in overtime after fouling out, netted 12 points. Dufur post Trey Darden goes up for a paint shot in 1A basketball action this season. Wednesday in Aloha, Darden hit the eventual game-winning field goal with 1.9 seconds left in overtime to lift Dufur to a 62-61 triumph over No. 3-ranked Life Christian. The Rangers will be in Salem Saturday against No. 4 Crosshill Christian, where a Baker City berth is up for grabs. Ray Rodriguez photo SWC girls can’t sustain their edge in state sub-round loss Redsides have early lead vanish in 69-52 loss to Country Christian WEBER ■ By For MIKE The Dalles Chronicle girls left everything out on the court, and they gave it every- thing that I could ask for.” Trailing 4-2 at the outset of the game, South Wasco sophomore Holly Miles (sev- en points) helped ignite an impressive 12-0 run, as she fired in a three-point jumper to make it 5-4. South Wasco’s duo of freshman Kylie Iverson (12 points) and junior post MOLALLA – It certainly Destiny Mora-Lopez (seven appeared that the South Wasco County Redsides were points) each followed by on the verge of an upset in an sinking short jumpers, making it 9-4 and forcing OnPoint Community Credit a Cougar timeout with five Union/OSAA Class 1A girls minutes and 40 seconds left basketball first round state in the opening quarter. playoff game. “Early in the game, I think The Lady Resides (7-5 Big that we definitely felt like Sky League, 12-13 overall) led by 10 points over the No. we had a chance to win the game,” said Mora-Lopez, who 7 ranked Country Christian earned a Big Sky First Team Cougars (9-3 Valley 10 League, 19-9) and had all the All League Award. “Things can change so fast though, momentum in their favor. and I knew that we had to be However, the Cougars ready for them (Cougars). We showed that they were well all gave it our best shot, but it deserving of their high rec- seemed like it hurt us when ognition as they came back I couldn’t play in the third to get a 69-52 win over the Redsides ending their season quarter, and I felt bad that I couldn’t help my team. I had on Tuesday at Country trust in my teammates, and I Christian High School in knew that they would give it Molalla. everything they’ve got, and I The Redsides, in the state felt proud of them.” playoffs for a third straight After the timeout, Mora- year, seemed quite comfort- Lopez scored and Iverson able in their role as a title capped the rally with a contender. three-pointer, making it 14-4 Guided by second-year midway through the first coach Carly Johnson, The Redsides, demonstrated that quarter. Country Christian responded with a rally, out- they were definitely famil- scoring South Wasco 15-5 to iar with the high-pressure knot it 19-19 at the end of the atmosphere of the playoffs as they came out and played quarter. “We did have a chance, but with a high-intensity level offensively and defensively in we just couldn’t maintain our intensity level for the entire the first half. “I’m so proud of the team, game,” Johnson said. The Redsides were we had a super fun time all determined to regain the season and we worked so momentum, and that’s hard in the district tourna- exactly what they did in the ment to get here,” Johnson said. “Our entire season was second quarter. Mora-Lopez, building up to this point and Jade McCoy (team-high 15 points), Iverson, and Hailey we peaked at a good time. Ocacio (nine points) each Our team came together at scored baskets in an 8-0 the end and gave us a good Redside run that lifted South chance in the state playoffs. It was a tough loss, but all our Wasco in front, 27-21, forcing another Cougar timeout with 6:08 remaining until halftime. “We all worked very hard all year to get here, and so I was very excited and very happy to help our team reach the state playoffs,” said McCoy, who capped the year by earning a Big Sky Second Team All-League Award. “It was fun to have the lead; we were playing with a high energy level, and at that point we felt like we had a chance, because anything can happen in the playoffs. They (Cougars) are a very good team, and they’ll probably go far in the playoffs. I think the highlight of the season though was when we beat Ione (a 54-50 win on Feb. 22) to earn a playoff berth that enabled us to be here.” After the Cougars trimmed the margin to 27-26, South Wasco senior Laurynn Davis (two points) sank a jumper to put the Redsides up 29-26. Davis, the only Redsides senior, was playing the final game of her South Wasco County High School career, and she definitely provided her team with a momentum boost at that point of the game. “Laurynn had a little bit of a rough season with some injuries that limited the number of games that she was able to play,” Johnson said. “She played in the last four games, and she helped us a lot with her leadership, and we’re really going to miss her. She did a real good job of helping the younger girls stay focused all year and helping the team play together.” Country Christian again came back with a 14-3 run to take a 40-32 halftime lead and the Cougars never trailed again. The Redsides then had a rough start in the second half, as the Cougars took control of the game in the third quarter. It was a tough situation for the Redsides when Mora- Lopez was whistled for a fourth foul just 17 seconds into the quarter and she had to sit on the bench and didn’t return until the start of the fourth quarter. Her absence hurt the Redsides as the Cougars capitalized with her out of the lineup and outscored the Redsides 18-10 to build a 58- 42 lead after three. The Cougars, led by Valley 10 Player-of-the-Year Lizzy Grandle (19 points) and freshman Annie Bafford (26 points) had the momentum in their favor and extended the margin to their largest Dr. Cullen’s Student of the week lead of the game at 69-46 late in the fourth. The Redsides scored the final six points to trim the final margin. Athlete of the Week Katie Beal Dufur High Senior Alma Garcia, Senior: She is working very hard. She is sticking to getting her goal of graduating. She sits down, gets her work out and gets what she needs done. She has had pretty good attendance and will readily do make up work when she misses school. Congratulations South Wasco sophomore Holly Miles (No. 20) shoots a jumper in the fourth quarter against Country Christian on Tuesday. The Lady Redsides had their season cut short by a 69-52 margin Tuesday in sub-round play in Molalla. Mike Weber/Contributed story Alma Garcia, TDHS On any given night, the Dufur Rangers can have diff erent players help the team. In last Saturday’s Big Sky Confer- ence championship, the Rangers were without injured post presence Brooke Beachamp, so senior Katie Beal rose to the challenge and put up seven points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal to boost her squad to its fi rst district title since 2005. She had a steal and had a rebound and putback for the fi nal basket to seal Dufur’s 50-44 vic- tory over Echo. In two district contests, Beal averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal a game. The Athlete of the Week will receive a large 2 topping pizza from Papa Murphy’s. Congratulations to our winner 2-29-20 Columbia View Dental 1915 E. 19th Street | The Dalles Victor Cullen, DDS 541-296-5677 | Se habla español 1323 W 6th St. • The Dalles • 541-296-1141
