The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current, April 10, 2019, Page 6, Image 6

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✞✁❡✟✁☎❡✠✡✱ ❆☛✆☞✌ ✍✎✱ ✏✎✍✑
❚ ✁ ✂✄☎✁✆✝✁✆
Harkless’ buzzer-beater leads Blazers to win over rival Lakers
✤❤✥ ❿★★➀➁➂⑨⑧✥➃ ➄✩✥★★
After Magic Johnson shock-
ingly quit his job as the Lakers’
president of basketball opera-
tions right before the game, the
Lakers certainly didn’t play like
a franchise in turmoil.
Maurice Harkless and the
Portland Trail Blazers snared a
huge win anyway.
Harkless hit a corner 3-point-
er at the buzzer, and the Trail
Blazers secured home-court ad-
❁✵✰❂✮❽✹ ●✪✬✺ ✰ ❶❹❻❃❶❹❶ ❅✪✴✬✮❀❂ utive losing season. The Hall of
Tuesday night after Johnson’s
abrupt resignation.
Johnson stunned the Lakers
with his announcement about 90
Fame guard had been in charge
of the Lakers for just 26 months,
and his departure throws the 16-
time NBA champion franchise’s
✯✪✫■✬✭✹ ❈✭✿✮❀✭ ✬✪❁✮❽ ✮✿ ✬✺✭ ✵✰✹✬ ✮❽✹✭✰✹✮✫ ✪✫✬✮ ■❁✺✭✰❅✰✵ ✭❅✭✫ ❈✭❃
❅✰✫✬✰❄✭ ✪✫ ✬✺✭ ✶❀✹✬ ❀✮■✫✻ ✮✿ ✬✺✭ game in the team’s sixth consec- fore it began.
The
pole vault and added two
to take third overall at the
Carnival of Speed Friday
in Milton-Freewater.
The Eagles were paced
by Kade Kilgore and T.J.
Grote taking the top two
spots in pole vault, both
after clearing a mark of
11-feet-6. Tyler Homan
also had two individual
✹✭✴✮✫✻❃❁✵✰✴✭ ✶✫✪✹✺✭✹ ✪✫
the 400 (54.20 seconds)
and the 300 hurdles
(44.19).
Henry Coughlan was
third in both the 1,500
(4:26.77) and the 3,000
(9:37.64) for the Eagles,
who scored 61 points for
✬✺✭ ✶❀✹✬ ✪✫✫✪✫❄✷ ✭❼✬✭✫✻❃
✬✮✯✷ ✺✰✹ ❈✭✭✫ ❀✭✰✵✵❂ ❄✮✮✻✷✸
manager Scott Servais said.
“We had the one home run
early, and I say ‘just one
home run’ because we’re
used to more. We were
able to tack on some runs
late which was really help-
✿■✵✼✸
The Mariners improved
to 11-2 and have scored
✰✬ ✵✭✰✹✬ ✶❅✭ ❀■✫✹ ✪✫ ❶❷ ✮✿
those games. The Royals
lost their eighth in a row.
Gordon singled and
scored on Bruce’s ground-
er in the third. He hit a
tiebreaking two-run single
in the fourth and singled
again in the sixth.
Gordon also made a
couple of nice plays in the
✶✭✵✻✼ ❋✭ ✹✰✪✻ ✺✭ ✪✹ ✺✰❁❁❂
to be spending more time
at second base after play-
✪✫❄ ✿✮■❀ ✻✪❽✭❀✭✫✬ ❁✮✹✪✬✪✮✫✹
last season.
“I like playing second
❈✰✹✭✷✸ ✺✭ ✹✰✪✻✼ ✽➅✺✰✬❊✹ ✯❂
job. We’re not always going
to score a bunch of runs.
We’re going to have some
real close contests and
❂✮■❊❅✭ ❄✮✬ ✬✮ ❁✵✰❂ ✻✭✿✭✫✹✭✼✸
Kansas City manager
See Mariners / Page 7A
Eagles
14 points. Hunter Young-
blood led La Grande by
taking second in the long
jump
(19-feet-10-1/2)
and Union was led by
✯✮❀✭ ❀■✫✫✭❀❃■❁ ✶✫✪✹✺✭✹ ✬✺❀✭✭ ✹✪❼✬✺❃❁✵✰✴✭ ✶✫✪✹✺❃
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
Dee Gordon helped Seattle
with his bat and his glove.
The Mariners are rolling
along quite nicely at the
moment.
Gordon got three hits
and drove in two runs as
high-scoring Seattle ex-
tended baseball’s best re-
cord with a 6-3 victory over
the Kansas City Royals on
Tuesday night.
Jay Bruce hit his AL-
leading seventh homer in
games.
“Our lineup, top to bot-
Joseph
❈✮❂✹ ✬❀✰✴✲ ✰✫✻ ✶✭✵✻ ✬✭✰✯
❁✮✹✬✭✻ ✰ ❶❃❷ ✶✫✪✹✺ ✪✫ ✬✺✭
✤❤✥ ❿★★➀➁➂⑨⑧✥➃ ➄✩✥★★
❏❸❸❑ ✬✺❀✮■❄✺ ✬✺✭✪❀ ✶❀✹✬ ❶❸
See Blazers / Page 7A
Eagles take third at
Carnival of Speed
✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩ ★⑧⑨⑩⑩
Mariners
continue
surprising
start, top
Royals
ing the Mariners’ string
to 13 games at the start of
the season with at least
one home run, matching
the Detroit Tigers in 2017.
The 2002 Cleveland In-
dians (14 games) are the
only team since 1908 to
open the season with more
games with home runs.
Seattle also matched the
2000 St. Louis Cardinals
with the most home runs
Yet the Lakers nursed a fourth-
quarter lead against the Blazers,
who needed this victory much
more. After Harkless tied it on
a layup with 33 seconds left and
Seth Curry stole the ball from
✬✺✭✪❀ ✬✺✪❀✻❃❁✵✰✴✭ ✶✫✪✹✺✼ ✾✫
▲▼◆❖ P◆◗◗❘✇❛② ❙❯▼❱▼ ❳❖❛ ❨❩❩❛ ❬❖❱◗
❭♦❪❫❴❵ ❪❫❜❝♦❞ ❢❣❣✐ ❥❝❦❫❧ ❪❵♦♠❜ ❪❫❞♥❝❜♣ qr❞❝❜♣ ✐ ❣✐❦s❵ t✐❪❦ ✉✐tt❧ ♠❝tt ❴t✐① ♥♦tt❫①③✐tt
✉♦❞④❞❫✐❪r❞❫⑤✐tt❫① ⑥♦❣❣r❜❝❦① ⑥♦tt❫♣❫❧ ✐❜q ♠❝tt ❪❝♣❜ ❵❫❞ t❫❦❦❫❞ ♦✉ ❝❜❦❫❜❦④❵r❞❪q✐①⑦
New role at next level won’t
faze Joseph senior standout
❇✘ ✙✚✛✜✢✣ ❇✚✛✣
✤❤✥ ✦✧★✥✩✈✥✩
Joseph High School
senior Emma Hite has
played almost every posi-
tion on the volleyball court
during her prep career.
One position she hasn’t
played, though, is the
one that will be her focus
when she takes the next
step to the collegiate level.
Hite has verbally com-
mitted to play volleyball
at Treasure Valley Com-
munity College as a de-
fensive specialist/libero
and will sign her letter of
ning 47 matches during
the two-year span.
But she’ll be in unchart-
ed waters when she joins
the Chukars, as she shifts
from setting, spiking and
blocking to digging and
passing as an exclusively
back-line player.
“It’s going to be dif-
✿✭❀✭✫✬✷✸ ✹✺✭ ✹✰✪✻ ✮✿ ❁✵✰❂❃
ing defensive specialist/
libero. “That’s one of the
only positions I have not
played in high school, but
I think (it) will be a good
experience. I’m willing to
try something new, even
✪✫✬✭✫✬ ✬✮ ✯✰✲✭ ✪✬ ✮✳✴✪✰✵ ✰✬ ✬✺✭ ✴✮✵✵✭❄✪✰✬✭ ✵✭❅✭✵✼✸
on Thursday.
“Treasure Valley is the
place that I best felt I
✶✬✷✸ ✹✺✭ ✹✰✪✻✼ ✽✾ ✵✪✲✭✻ ✬✺✭
coach, liked the girls, it’s
relatively close to home
(and) I wanted to be on a
campus I felt I belonged
✮✫✼✸
Hite was primarily an
attacker and setter dur-
ing arguably the best
two-year run in the his-
tory of Joseph volleyball.
The Eagles placed third at
state during the 2017 sea-
son — their best placing
ever — and followed with
a return trip to the state
tournament last fall, win-
check out the
Hite said the TVCC
coach, Erin Mellinger,
asked her what she played
in high school, then ap-
proached her with making
a position change.
“(Mellinger) said, ‘How
do you feel about being
back row as a junior, and
was a setter and attacker
as a senior.
“She did an amazing
job in the back row in the
✯✪✻✻✵✭✷✸ ❍✪✵✵ ❋✪✬✭ ✹✰✪✻✼
The coach said the de-
cision for TVCC came to-
gether like a puzzle, not-
ing she and the Chukars’
coach share a similar
mindset.
“One of the things
I’m big on is coaching a
whole kid, and that’s what
(Mellinger’s)
philoso-
❁✺❂ ✪✹ ✬✮✮✷✸ ❍✪✵✵ ❋✪✬✭ ✹✰✪✻✼
“They’re not just athletes,
❈■✬ ❏✰✵✹✮❑ ✹✬■✻✭✫✬✹✼✸
Jill Hite said versatil-
ity on Emma’s part also
played into the move to a
purely defensive role.
“I think it’s pretty cool
that Emma wants to be
❅✭❀✹✰✬✪✵✭✷✸ ✬✺✭ ✴✮✰✴✺ ✹✰✪✻✼
“She’s not tall, so we knew
✰ ✵✪❈✭❀✮❉❊✸ ❋✪✬✭ ✹✰✪✻✼ ✽✾ if she wanted to play col-
think the experience will
be good for me, and I
✬✺✪✫✲ ✾ ●✪✵✵ ✶✬ ❅✭❀❂ ●✭✵✵✼✸
Jill
Hite,
Emma’s
mother and head coach at
Joseph, said her daugh-
ter isn’t unfamiliar with
playing defense. But it
hasn’t been her main role.
She was an attacker and
played in the defensive
lege ball she probably
wasn’t going to be an at-
✬✰✴✲✭❀✼✸
fourth were Juston Rodg-
ers in the 800 (2:11.45)
and Trey Wandschneider
in the long jump (19-feet-
1-1/2).
The Cove Leopards
and Powder Valley Bad-
gers tied for eighth with
29 points. Cove was led
by Tim Stevens, who
✬✮✮✲ ✶❀✹✬ ✪✫ ✬✺✭ ❸✷❹❹❹
(9:00.35) and second in
the 1,500 (4:05.54). The
Leopards’ 4x400 relay
of Quinn Dobbs, Jack
Silveira, Stevens and
Blake Witten placed third
(3:51.20) and Silveira
was fourth in the 3,000
(9:47.82).
The Badgers, mean-
while, had second-place
✶✫✪✹✺✭✹ ✿❀✮✯ ❈✮✬✺ ❺✭✭✴✭
Dixon in the triple jump
(39-feet-8) and Dominick
Grende in the high jump
(5-feet-10).
The Enterprise Outlaws
followed in 10th with 25
points, with Colby Har-
ris leading the way taking
third in the triple jump
(38-feet-9) and Joe Robb
placing fourth in the tri-
ple jump (37-feet-5). Also
in third was the 4x100 re-
lay team of Shane Lund,
Foster Hobbs, Jericho Pe-
ters and Garrett Thorne
(46.06).
The Elgin Huskies,
in 12th with 22 points,
earned a second-place
ers: Jaxon Blackburn in
the pole vault (10-feet-0),
Israel O’Reilly in the 800
(2:14.72) and the 4x400
relay team of Blackburn,
Andrew Lackey, Matthew
Sheehy and Monte Kirby
(3:59.68).
On the girls side, En-
terprise posted a team
score of 36 points to
place sixth. The Outlaws
posted second-place ef-
forts from Karli Bedard
in the high jump (5-feet-
1), Kyla Hook in the 1,500
(5:17.03) and the 4x100
relay team of Hero Pe- Team
ters, Savannah Vaughn, Southern Oreg
Oregon
Ashlyn Gray and Shelby College of Idah
Moncrief (53.17). Mon- Corban
British Columb
crief also took third in the Carroll
Providence
Northwest
200 at 28.44.
Northwest Chr
Joseph, which was Eastern Oreg
seventh with 34 points,
had victories from El-
lyse Tingelstad in the Baker/PV
1,500 (5:09.89) and in Ontario
La Grande
the 3,000 (11:23.52), and McLoughlin
teammate Ella Coughlan
followed by taking second W
Irrigon
in the 3,000 (11:26.55). Vale
Riverside
Elgin and Union tied Nyssa
Umatilla
for eighth with 29 points Burns/Crane
each. Aaliyah Burton led
the Huskies with a win PR/Nixy/Ukia
GU/Prairie
in the 100 (13.16), a sec- Sher/Ar/Con
✮✫✻❃❁✵✰✴✭ ✶✫✪✹✺ ✪✫ ✬✺✭ Dufur/SWC
W
300 hurdles (51.99) and Union/Cove
Heppner/Ione
✰ ✬✺✪❀✻❃❁✵✰✴✭ ✭❽✮❀✬ ✪✫ ✬✺✭ Stan/Echo
100 hurdles (17.19), while
Kaelin Evans was fourth
in the 100 hurdles (17.67).
For Union, Audrey
Wells, Kaitlin Martens,
Abriel O’Reilly and Jai-
mee Baxter took second in
the 4x400 relay (4:34.79).
Baxter was also third in
the 400 (1:04.16) and
the 3,000 (12:00.37) and
O’Reilly came in fourth in
the 1,500 (5:18.95).
Cove placed 10th with
25 points, with Allie Best
leading the way by taking
third in both the javelin
(105-feet-1) and the high
jump (4-feet-10).
Powder Valley, in 15th
place with 19 points,
✭✰❀✫✭✻ ✰ ✬✺✪❀✻❃❁✵✰✴✭ ✶✫❃
ish from Keanna Bing-
Emma Hite, who was
also considering going to
Linn Benton Community
College for basketball be-
fore deciding on TVCC,
has been playing volley-
✶✫✪✹✺ ✿❀✮✯ ✬✺✭✪❀ ❻❼❻❹❹ ham in the long jump (16-
See Hite / Page 7A
See Roundup / Page 7A
❈✰✵✵ ✹✪✫✴✭ ✬✺✭ ✶❀✹✬ ❄❀✰✻✭
relay team of Wyatt Hall-
garth, Clay Wilhelm, Jor-
dan Palmer and Tristan
Simpson (3:49.69). The
Union Bobcats and La
Grande Tigers, mean-
while, tied for 13th with
feet-1) and a fourth-place
✭❽✮❀✬ ✿❀✮✯ ❾✭✵✵✭ ❾✵✰✪❀ ✪✫
the triple jump (30-feet-
9-1/4).
La Grande, which
didn’t get on the score-
on the
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