Monday, February 25, 2019
The Observer
Returning home as champions
❵❉❄ ⑤❅❂❁❀❜❉❈ ❆❈❉❂❉
❵❉❄ ⑤❅❂❁❀❜❉❈ ❆❈❉❂❉
▲❛ ⑩❖❛❋④◆➆s ❶❛❖❷◆❖ ❸♦❲❘❋s♦❋① P▼♦ P❛s s◆❑♦❋④ ❛ ♣◆❛❖ ❛❊♦① P♦❋ ▼❘s ◗❘❖s❏ ❑▼❛❙❯❘♦❋s▼❘❯❭
●✿❀❀❁❂❂ t❃❀❄❅ ❆❈❉❂❉
▲♦❊❛❋ ❍■❏❑▼◆❖ P♦❋ ❏▼◆ ◗❘❖s❏ s❏❛❏◆ ❑▼❛❙❯❘♦❋s▼❘❯ ◗♦❖ ❱❙❲❳◆❖ s❘❋❑◆ ❏▼◆ ❨❩❬❩ s◆❛s♦❋❭
❵❉❄ ⑤❅❂❁❀❜❉❈ ❆❈❉❂❉
⑥▼❖❘s❏♦❯▼◆❖⑦♦♦④P♦❖❏▼① ❏♦❯① P♦❋ ❏▼◆ s❏❛❏◆ ❏❘❏❳◆ ❛❏ ❬⑧⑨ ❛◗❏◆❖ ❯❳❛❑❘❋❊ ❏▼❘❖④ ❳❛s❏ s◆❛s♦❋❭
❹♦s◆❯▼❺⑦❛❳❳♦P❛➆s ❻❏◆②◆❋ ❍◆❑❷❙❛❋① ❏♦❯① ❑❳❛❘❙◆④ ▼❘s ❏▼❘❖④ s❏❖❛❘❊▼❏ s❏❛❏◆ ❏❘❏❳◆❭
Beckman, Butcher claim state championships Robinson, Woodworth lead Tigers to third
❇ ✁✂✄☎✆✝ ❇✂✄✝
❚❤✞ ✟✠✡✞☛✈✞☛
✼✘✑✤✑✌ ✹✑✯✧✦✒✌ ✜✒✙ ★✩✘ ✜✓✦✙✑✏✬
among the best to ever don a wrestling
singlet in the state of Oregon.
The senior on the Joseph/Wallowa
Eagles wrestling team clinched his third
consecutive Class 2A/1A state title Fri-
✍✒✪ ✒✌✍ ✼✒✘✩✗✍✒✪ ✓✌ ❪☞✗✘✏✒✌✍✎ ✛✌✓✙✜✓✌✔
☞✵ ✘✜✑ ✯✜✒✦★✓☞✌✙✜✓★ ✫✓✘✜ ✒ ✍☞✦✓✌✒✌✘
12-0 major decision over Reedsport’s
✮✜✗✓✙✘✓✒✌ ✼☞✏☞✦☞✌ ✓✌ ✘✜✑ ✛✌✒✏✑ ✒✘ ❫❫❴
pounds.
✰✌✍ ✜✑ ✍✓✍ ✙☞ ✍✑✙★✓✘✑ ✙✩✵✑✗✓✌✔ ✒✌ ✓✌ -
jury early in the season that left the hopes
of the three-peat in peril.
“We went to Culver the second week
of the season. He was in a big match
and he dislocated his elbow,” Joseph/
Wallowa Head Coach Tim Kiesecker
said. “We didn’t even know if he was
See Champs / Page 8A
❇ ✁✂✄☎✆✝ ❇✂✄✝
❚❤✞ ✟✠✡✞☛✈✞☛
Just like they were at the district tour-
nament, the expectations of La Grande
Tigers wrestling Head Coach Klel Carson
were again exceeded.
Parker Robinson and Christopher
Woodworth both claimed state champi-
onships and four more Tigers took sec-
☞✌✍✎ ✏✑✒✍✓✌✔ ✕✒ ✖✗✒✌✍✑ ✘☞ ✓✘✙ ✚✑✙✘ ✛✌✓✙✜
in a decade as it claimed third in the 4A
state tournament Friday and Saturday in
Portland.
✢✣☞ ✜✒✤✑ ✙✓✥ ✦✒✧✑ ✓✘ ✓✌✘☞ ✘✜✑ ✛✌✒✏✙✎
that’s unprecedented,” Carson said.
The coach said the most to make it to
✘✜✑ ✛✌✒✏✙ ★✗✑✤✓☞✩✙✏✪ ✫✒✙ ✬☞✩✗ ✍✩✗✓✌✔ ✘✜✑
Tigers’ state championship season in
1996.
✢✣✜✒✘ ✙✑✦✓✛✌✒✏ ✗☞✩✌✍ ✫✒✙ ✙☞✦✑✘✜✓✌✔
for the ages,” he said.
See Tigers / Page 10A
Eastern holds on in 2OT thriller Badgers, Eagles,
❇ ✁✂✄☎✆✝ ❇✂✄✝
❚❤✞ ✟✠✡✞☛✈✞☛
Eastern Oregon women’s basketball
✭✑✒✍ ✮☞✒✯✜ ✰✌✱✓ ✲✑✓✙✙✑✌✳✩✜ ✙✒✓✍
even in the midst of what was a tense,
tight, thrilling battle Friday against
✮☞✏✏✑✔✑ ☞✬ ✴✍✒✜☞✎ ✙✜✑ ✫✒✙ ✒✚✏✑ ✘☞ ✛✌✍ ✒
moment to pause and enjoy the game
and the scene.
✢✲✜✑✌ ✘✜✑ ✯✏☞✯✧ ✔☞✑✙ ☞✵ ✒✌✍ ✪☞✩✗
transitioning into the overtimes, that’s
when you’re (saying to the team) ‘Are
you ready? This is fun. This is (the)
★✏✒✪☞✵✙✎✶✷ ✙✜✑ ✙✒✓✍✸ ✢✹✩✘ ✍✩✗✓✌✔✎ ✴
don’t know if you have a time to relax.”
There was little time for anyone in
Quinn Coliseum to breathe until the
Mountaineers, buoyed by a 42-point
night from Maya Ah You-Dias, man-
aged to pull away in the second over-
time for a 96-87 win over the rival
Coyotes in the Cascade Collegiate
✮☞✌✬✑✗✑✌✯✑ ✣☞✩✗✌✒✦✑✌✘ ✙✑✦✓✛✌✒✏✙✸
“All I can say is anything can happen
✓✌ ✺✘✜✑✻ ★✏✒✪☞✵✙✸ ✹☞✘✜ ✘✑✒✦✙ ✒✗✑ ★✏✒✪ -
ing for something, and I give respect to
✮ ☞✬ ✴✎✷ ✲✑✓✙✙✑✌✳✩✜ ✙✒✓✍✸ ✢✣✜✑✪ ★✏✒✪✑✍
tough. They played strong. Mackenzie
Royce, their point guard, played her
Outlaws all bound
for quarterfinals
❵❉❄✿❜❝ t❉❄❝❞❡❢❣ ✐❥❦❣❧♠❣❧
♥❛♣❛q▼r♦■✉✇❘❛s① ❳◆◗❏① ❖◆❛❑❏s ❛◗❏◆❖ s❑♦❖❘❋❊ ❘❋ ❏▼◆ ◗❘❖s❏ ♦②◆❖❏❘❙◆ ③❖❘④❛♣ ❋❘❊▼❏❭
heart out.”
The Yotes almost sprung a major
upset over their Interstate 84 rivals,
but big plays from EOU down the
stretch, including from Ah You-Dias
✒✌✍ ✬✗✑✙✜✦✒✌ ✹✑✤✑✗✏✪ ✼✏✒✘✑✗✎ ✜✑✏★✑✍
EOU reach tonight’s championship
See Eastern / Page 8A
❇ ✁✂✄☎✆✝ ❇✂✄✝
❚❤✞ ✟✠✡✞☛✈✞☛
Defense has been the call-
ing card for the Powder Val-
✏✑✪ ✹✒✍✔✑✗✙ ✔✓✗✏✙ ✚✒✙✧✑✘✚✒✏✏
team this season.
It was again Saturday
night, and it propelled the
✹✒✍✔✑✗✙ ✚✒✯✧ ✘☞ ✘✜✑ ✙✘✒✘✑
✽✩✒✗✘✑✗✛✌✒✏✙✸
✾✑✔✒✌ ✹✓✌✔✜✒✦ ✙✯☞✗✑✍
a game-high 17 points and
Powder Valley forced 27
turnovers and never trailed
in a 49-28 home win over
the Southwest Christian
Wildcats in the second
round of the 1A state play-
☞✵✙✸
“As a team we have good
lockdown defense, so we
know that a lot of teams
can’t really play with us if
we play really tight and ag-
✔✗✑✙✙✓✤✑ ✍✑✬✑✌✙✑✎✷ ✹✓✌✔✜✒✦
said.
The defense has been
stout of late, holding eight
opponents to 30 points or
less during Powder Valley’s
current 10-game winning
streak.
“We talked about defense
in the locker room before,
that (if) we play great de-
fense, everything else will
take care of itself, and it
does,” Head Coach Allen
✹✓✌✔✜✒✦ ✙✒✓✍✸
The defense, highlight-
ed by its full-court press,
harassed the Wildcats
early and often. Nineteen
of Southwest Christian’s
turnovers came in the
✛✗✙✘ ✜✒✏✬✎ ✦✒✌✪ ✒✔✒✓✌✙✘
the press. It helped the
See Hoops / Page 9A