SPORTS
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2019
THE OBSERVER — 9A
LHS
Continued from Page 6A
time of 1:58.79, and Reagan Kruse,
Capra, Scott and Jensen won the
200 freestyle relay in 1:47.16, also
setting a meet record. The sister
combinations of Kennedy and
Reagan Kruse and Romayne and
Laramie Ricker took the 400 free-
style relay in 4:04.86, winning the
race by more than 23 seconds.
“The things I’ve been really
looking for in these early meets are
the relays, particularly on the girls
side, and I think that we’re well on
the way (to) locking in some fast
relays,” LHS head coach Darren
Dutto said. “Our goal is to put in
quick relays across all three events,
and we have a lot of depth (so) it
looks like that’s going to happen.
I thought the relays were particu-
larly good on the girls side.”
Kennedy Kruse, who individu-
ally added wins in the 200 free-
style (2:10.97) and 500 freestyle
(5:51.82), also called the relays a
strength of the team early on. In
addition to sweeping the top spots
in those three races, La Grande
had two relay teams take third.
“We all love relays. It helps the
team come together,” Kruse said.
“You’re all pushing each other and
all on the same relay cheering for
each other.”
Romayne Ricker, who added an
individual win in the 200 indi-
vidual medley in a record time of
2:17.85 and was second in the 100
backstroke in 1:06.71, agreed on
the strength of the relay teams.
The senior also spoke highly of the
team’s ability to compete well after
a week where “there was half of us
one day and maybe a quarter of us
another day” at practice.
“It was rough, and to have every-
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
Staff photo by Ronald Bond
Kennedy Kruse won a pair of individual races and swam on a
winning relay Saturday for the La Grande girls swim team.
La Grande’s Maria Capra, a foreign exchange student from Italy,
was in on four victories Saturday for the Tigers.
one come out here and do their best,
it means everything,” she said. “It’s
all positivity off the team. We feel
tired and sick, but when we build
each other up, you don’t feel it.”
Scott, who won the 100 breast-
stroke (1:15.26) and took second
in the 100 butterfly (1:05.22), was
also pleased with the team perfor-
mances considering not only the ill-
nesses but that several swimmers
were changed up from their typical
events, including her swim in the
breaststroke.
“Our performances were pretty
great,” she said. “We’ve got a long
way to go, but for this point in the
season it’s pretty awesome.”
The senior also talked about
cheer for each other. That is the
greatest part of our team, and I
believe that can lead to the team
doing great things,” Capra said.
The LHS boys, who were more
hampered by illness, scored 81
points to take second behind
Pendleton (110 points). The Tigers
picked up wins from Glenn Ricker
in the 100 butterfly (58.23) and
the 100 breaststroke (1:10.41).
LHS added second-place finishes
from all three relay teams: the 200
medley relay in 2:09.04 (James
Thurman, Jack Seydel, Ricker and
Alex Larvik, the 200 freestyle relay
in 1:47.07 (Levy Brembach, Kobe
Cooper, Ricker and Thurman), and
the 400 freestyle relay in 4:17.53
what Capra had added in her short
time with the team.
“She was a total surprise,” Scott
said. “She brings a lot of positivity,
a lot of leadership. She’s totally
great. Not only does her skill level
contribute, but her overall being
a friend, being a teammate, just
really brings us all together. It’s
really cool.”
The LHS girls had four addi-
tional second-place finishes — from
Jensen in the 50 freestyle (26.91),
Riley Weigand in the 200 free-
style (2:14.22) and 500 freestyle
(5:51.82), and Reagan Kruse in the
100 freestyle (1:00.15).
“We work all together and I just
love how we push each other, we
ROUNDUP
Continued from Page 6A
TIGERS BURY ONTARIO IN
NAMPA
Also at the Bobcat
Christmas Classic
Friday
La Grande picked up
a win in its final game of
the Today’s Dentistry Elite
Eight, pounding Ontario,
61-16.
The Tigers were already
up 28-10 at the half, then
blanked Ontario in the third
quarter, 21-0, to build the
lead to 49-10 and roll to the
easy win.
Lauran Rinker and Ella
Dunlap scored 16 points
apiece to lead the Tigers —
Rinker with 10 in the first
half, and Dunlap 10 in the
second half. Camryn Coll-
man added 12 points.
La Grande (3-3 overall)
travels to the Sisters Holiday
Tournament Friday.
LAST-SECOND FREE
THROW LIFTS BOBCATS
JORDAN VALLEY TOPS
POWDER VALLEY
The Jordan Valley Mus-
tangs jumped out to an early
double-digit lead Saturday
on the way to a 60-20 win
over Powder Valley in the
third-place game.
Keanna Bingham and
Autumn Davis scored five
points apiece for the Badgers
(4-5 overall), who are off
until Dec. 30 when they host
Burns.
ELGIN GETS BY COVE FOR
FOURTH
Jayden Palmer and Tymra
Anderson combined for 75%
of the offense Saturday as
the Elgin Huskies finished
fourth at the Bobcat Christ-
mas Classic with a 44-38 win
over the Cove Leopards.
Palmer scored a game-
high 20 points and Anderson
finished with 13 for the
Huskies. Five other players
scored, but none with more
than three points.
Cove was led by Austin
Observer file photo
Elgin’s Jayden Palmer, shown in a game earlier this sea-
son, scored 20 points Saturday as the Huskies beat Cove.
Kendall, who scored 16
points, and Maggie Frisch,
who added 10 points.
Elgin held a 19-18 lead at
the half, but followed with 14
points in the third to take a
33-25 lead and held on.
Elgin (6-2 overall) visits
Weston-McEwen Dec. 30,
while Cove (4-4) hosts the La
Grande junior varsity Jan. 3.
COUGARS THRASH
CARDINALS
Jamie Johnston poured in
34 points Saturday to out-
score Ione/Arlington on her
own as the Wallowa Cougars
won their third game in a
row, topping the Cardinals
on the road, 59-32
“Obviously Jamie was
a one-woman wrecking
machine today, but our de-
fense and our fight was just
awesome,” head coach David
MCINERNEY
Continued from Page 6A
stints since ending his playing career
in 2004. He has more than seven years
of managerial experience between the
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and High
Howe said.
The Cougars built an early
eight-point lead and were
up 27-17 at the half, then
broke the game open after
the break.
Wallowa (4-4 overall) visits
Echo Friday.
JOSEPH SHAKES OFF
FIRST LOSS, DEFEATS
REDSIDES
Sabrina Albee scored 30
points Saturday to help
Joseph shake off its first loss
as the Eagles topped South
Wasco County, 53-43.
Albee scored 16 in the first
half as Joseph took a 25-19
lead into the break, then had
10 of the team’s 19 in the
third as the Eagles opened
up a double-digit lead in the
second half.
Molly Curry and Camille
Crenshaw had eight points
The Union Bobcats nearly
gave away Friday’s semifinal
at the Bobcat Christmas
Classic, but held on for a
37-36 lead over the Jordan
Valley Mustangs.
Callie Glenn scored 16
points to lead Union, and hit
the game-winning free throw
in the closing seconds to
break a tie after Jordan Val-
ley both even. Kylie Marriott
and Audrey Wells added
seven points.
Union led 30-23 after
three quarters. The Mus-
tangs rallied in the fourth
quarter to tie the score late
on three Kiana Quintero free
throws, but fell short.
HUSKIES SCORE EASY
WIN OVER TIGERS
The Elgin Huskies ended
a two-game losing streak
Friday and breezed past
Dayville/Monument, 44-17.
Tymra Anderson had
15 points for the Huskies,
who had the game well in
LEOPARDS GET BACK IN
WIN COLUMN
The Cove Leopards shook
off a rough third quarter
with a strong fourth Friday
to defeat Council, 36-22.
Cove was held to just a
free throw in the third and
saw a 10-point halftime
lead trimmed to 22-20, but
outscored the Lumberjacks
14-2 in the fourth.
Maggie Frisch scored nine
points to lead the Leopards.
Kierra Moore and Elli Hines-
Dunlap had eight points
apiece.
MUSTANGS PULL AWAY
FROM BADGERS
The Crane Mustangs used
a 16-0 second-quarter run
to distance themselves on
the way to a 53-14 win over
Powder Valley.
Josi Krieger led the Bad-
gers with six points.
PANTHERS SLIP AGAINST
NOTUS
The Imbler Panthers had
an early lead Friday, but a
big second quarter by Notus,
Idaho, changed the game as
Imbler fell, 54-29.
Both Anika McDonald
and Kenna Whitmore scored
12 points for Imbler, and
combined for 11 in the first
quarter as the Panthers
grabbed a 14-10 lead. Notus
followed with a 16-1 run to
take a double-digit lead at
the half and pulled away in
the second half.
The Panthers (0-8 overall)
host Prairie City Jan. 3.
COUGARS RUN WILD ON
THE ROAD
Shanna Rae Tillery scored
19 points and added 13 re-
bounds Friday to lead a bal-
anced attack as the Wallowa
Cougars ran over Condon/
Wheeler, 65-23.
Wallowa raced out to a
quick 18-2 lead and quickly
put the game out of reach,
pushing the lead to 22 by
halftime and 37 after three
quarters.
Jamie Johnston added 18
points and Haley Brockamp
scored 13 for the Cougars.
Eagles handed first loss
The Joseph Eagles squan-
dered an early double-digit
lead Friday and suffered
their first loss of the season
in a 44-42 setback against
Ione/Arlington.
Joseph led 16-4 after one
quarter, but the Cardinals
cut the deficit to two by
halftime, pulled even at 34-
34 after three, then snagged
the win. The Eagles hurt
themselves with struggles
from the free-throw line
in the second half, as they
were just 3-for-15 after the
break.
Sabrina Albee scored 20
points to lead Joseph. Molly
Curry added nine points.
TIGERS DROP GAME TO
FRUITLAND
The La Grande Tigers
dropped their second game
at the Today’s Dentistry
Elite Eight in Nampa, losing
to Fruitland, 54-51.
Stats were not available.
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Don Junker, owner
Desert Mavericks — both Single-A
teams in the Mariners’ farm system —
and Seattle’s Double-A affiliate Jackson
Generals. He also served as a hitting
coach for Texas Tech.
Horner was named California
League Manager of the Year in 2009
and has been on the WSU staff the last
four years. At least a dozen players he
coached have been drafted.
Blue Mountain Community College
head coach Brad Baker and Whitman
College assistant coach Tommy Rich-
ards were the other two finalists.
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Nicole Cathey
hand by halftime. Jocelyn
Palmer added eight points
and Gracie Evans had seven
as seven players scored for
Elgin.
each for Joseph (6-1 over-
all), which travels to Dufur
Saturday.
the first quarter and go
up 12-5 on Brianna Kohr’s
3-pointer. Union, though,
had just three second-quar-
ter points, and Crane inched
ahead 18-13 at the half.
The Mustangs pushed the
lead to 15 in the third and
took a 36-23 lead into the
fourth before Union rallied.
Glenn, who had 14 points
in the fourth, and Marriott
combined for 21 in the final
period. Autumn Daggett
led the Bobcats with eight
rebounds, and Wells had
five steals.
Davis had eight points, 14
rebounds and six blocks for
Crane.
Union (6-2 overall) faces
Condon/Wheeler at the Win-
ter Classic in Mission Friday.
(Brembach, Max Huxoll, Cooper
and Gabriel Zamora). Zamora
individually was second in the 200
freestyle (2:11.30), and Thurman
was second in the 100 freestyle
(58.25).
“The guys side we were missing
four of the 12 guys. I was happy
(the boys team) just competed,
and a lot of the young guys really
stepped up,” Dutto said. “I thought
there were some great swims.”
Cove’s boys were fourth with
23 points, getting wins on the day
from Tim Koza in both the 200
freestyle (1:59.49) and the 100
backstroke (59.02) and a second-
place finish by Taylor Fox in the 50
freestyle (24.68).
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