Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday,June16,2021
13
SPORTS
Lady Riverhawks get win on Senior Night
Weber
■ By For Mike
Columbia Gorge News
The Dalles High
Riverhawks girls basketball
team last week won one of
three Class 5A Intermountain
Conference games — a
Senior Night victory over
Gorge rival Hood River
Valley.
The Riverhawks (2-6 IMC,
2-6 overall) won their second
game of the season 57-33
over HRV (0-7 IMC, 0-9 over-
all) on Senior Night June 10
at The Dalles High School. In
a pregame ceremony, the trio
of Hawk seniors, Cadence
Snyder, Hanna Ziegenhagen
and Keisha Oregon, were
honored while accompanied
by their parents, for their suc-
cessful careers on The Dalles
High basketball team.
“It’s definitely weird
knowing that we won’t play
another game in this gym,
which seems kind of crazy
and it’s sad,” said Oregon.
“It’s going to be even more
emotional for us when we
actually play our last game of
the season and it will also be
sad for the other girls too, be-
cause we’re so close to them.
I feel like the larger crowd
here on Thursday is what
really kept us going and since
it was senior night, we really
felt motivated to play with a
higher energy level against
Hood River.”
Snyder led the Hawks in
scoring with 14 points and
junior Monica Rojas scored a
career-high 12. The 57 points
scored by the Hawks was
their highest scoring total of
the season and the 33 points
scored by Hood River was the
fewest by a Hawk opponent
this season.
“It was kind of bitter-
sweet, but I didn’t even cry,
surprisingly,” said Snyder.
“Some of the younger girls
cried because we’re definite-
ly so close with them. The
Hood River game was a lot of
fun, we all hustled well, and
everyone played really good.
It seems like Hood River is
the only team we can beat
this year.”
On June 8 the Hawks
traveled to Central Oregon
and lost 43-28 to the defend-
ing (2019) IMC champion
Redmond Panthers (3-5
IMC, 3-5) at Redmond High
School. In this second match-
up between the two squads,
the Hawks had a much better
effort than what they had in a
May 25 season opening 50-22
loss to Redmond at home.
Oregon led the Hawks in
scoring with seven points
and freshman Jeilane Stewart
and Ziegenhagen each
scored six. The 15-point
loss to Redmond was also
the smallest margin of the
Hawks’ six defeats and nearly
half of the 28-point deficit in
the first game.
The Hawks, guided by
Coach Keith Howe, faced the
Crook County Cowgirls (5-3,
IMC, 5-5) June 11 and lost
45-25. Playing for the second
consecutive day, the Hawks
had a strong first half, while
trailing just 21-17 at halftime.
“This loss was definitely
due to the game on Thursday
(versus Hood River) because
the girls went full out, playing
so hard from start-to-finish
and giving 100 percent ef-
fort,” said Howe. “Everything
went our way and we had
the fewest turnovers of any
game this season, so that was
a good victory. We were right
in the game tonight (versus
Crook County) we were down
two after one and down just
four at halftime. Everyone put
experience than us, so I’m
proud of what we’ve accom-
plished this season,” said
Howe.
The Hawks played without
Jeilane Stewart in the second
half, because she injured a
finger in the first half and was
unable to play after that.
“We just ran out of gas
and we were exhausted from
yesterday’s game (versus
Hood River),” said Snyder.
“We started letting up on our
defense and we were getting
tired and then we all started
hanging our heads a little
bit. We started making bad
passes and we just were not
boxing out well enough, and
they (Cowgirls) were getting
a lot of offensive boards.
Having a few days off to rest
is going to help us and I think
we’re going to play better
in our last two games and
Natasha Muzechenko, far right, shoots a three-point jumper. The Riverhawks won their last home
maybe have a chance to win
game against Hood River Valley.
Mike Weber photo
one more game.”
The Hawks played the
Pendleton High Buckaroos
first quarter. Crook County
more tough games against
out so much effort the night
(5-1 IMC, 5-1) Tuesday (re-
the top two teams in our
before and they were all just responded with a 4-0 run to
take a 13-11 advantage at the conference. We were in both sults came after the printed
too tired in the second half.”
end of the quarter.
games against those teams
The physically exhausted
edition deadline) and their
Muzechenko sank consec- the last time we played
Hawks started feeling the ef-
final regular season contest is
them, but the turnovers hurt Thursday against the league
fects of fatigue in the second utive three-pointers at the
leading Ridgeview Ravens
half and were outscored 13-1 outset of the second quarter, us. We’ve improved in that
in the third quarter and 11-7 propelling the Hawks in front regard and we’re making less (6-0 IMC, 8-1) at 6:30 p.m. at
turnovers now. Our goal was Ridgeview High in Redmond.
with their largest lead of the
in the fourth.
to get one win this year and
The Hawks will conclude
“In the first half, it definite- game at 17-13 with 5:21 left
we got two and we’re hoping this short 10-game spring
until halftime. The Cowgirls
ly felt like we had a chance
to sneak in and get maybe
season on the road with a
to beat them and it would’ve came back to knot it 17-17,
matchup probably against
forcing a Hawk timeout with one more win.”
been great if we could’ve
Utilizing an effective
Redmond during the IMC
3:28 on the clock. Crook
kept going our momentum
defensive full-court press to
District Playoffs June 21-26.
County took a 19-17 advan-
going, but I think we were
create Hawk turnovers, the
The Hawks are currently
all pretty exhausted,” said
tage with 1:50 left and never
Cowgirls scored some fast-
the No. 5 seeded team, and
Ziegenhagen.
trailed again.
In a seesaw first half that
“I couldn’t be more proud break baskets to help extend they’ll face likely No. 4 seed
their lead to 34-18 after three Redmond in a quarterfinal
included five ties and five
of their effort, but they had
quarters and they main-
contest Monday at 6 p.m. at
lead changes, the Hawks took nothing left and they were
Redmond High School. If the
their first lead of the game
physically drained after
tained their momentum for
when sophomore Natasha
playing so hard against Hood the remainder of the contest Hawks win that contest, they
will advance to the June 23
Muzechenko (12 points)
River,” said Howe. “As a
to get their second straight
semifinals and play top-seed-
fired in a three-point field
coach, nothing makes you
win.
goal, putting The Dalles in
prouder than seeing a full
“We’re playing against
ed Ridgeview.
front 11-9 with 1:52 left in the effort like that. We have two
teams that have way more
IMC swim teams converge
on HR Aquatic Center for
2021 district championships
Brandon Risley
■ By Columbia
Gorge News
“We have had to get cre-
ative finding all the pool time
In the sport of swimming, we can so we can get all our
the journey and process of a swimmers in,” said Shortt.
season is just as important as “Also, with the changing and
each individual competition. different schedule, it has
In the season of COVID, the been harder to find meets.”
The Riverhawks were able
journey has been cut short
to secure two competition
while the process has risen
dates before heading to
in difficulty for swimmers
Hood River for district on
across the state.
June 19. Their first meet was
Going into 2020, The
June 3 against Hood River
Dalles Riverhawk swim
Valley.
team was coming off one
Despite a lack of training
of its best years in recent
time, Shortt was impressed
memory, qualifying two
with his team’s perfor-
individual swimmers for
state and a couple relays, as
mance. “I think we swam
well. Looking to duplicate or super well!” he said. “Lydia
improve on those results was (Digenarro) and Micheal
not out of the realm of pos-
(Cole) had some impressive
wins. We were outnumbered
sibilities, but the pandemic
16 to 33 but had a ton of
has since altered those
close races and a couple of
dreams with no state meet
wins.
this year. The high school
“We had a couple of
season ends for IMC swim-
highlights. Lydia Digenarro
mers at Saturday’s district
and Micheal Cole both
meet in Hood River.
won their 50 free races. Our
“We have had the same
challenges other teams have boys 200 free relay (Skyler
Coburn, Carter Randall,
been dealing with, having
to go through all the COVID Wes Parker, Cole) also won
their race. We also had a few
restrictions,” said Coach
PRs: Micheal cut time in
Derek Shortt.
With pools being some of both his 100 fly and 50 free;
Quinn Raffensperger and
the last buildings to reopen
Kennedy Abbas also cut time
during the pandemic, the
challenge has not only been in their 100 free. Both Hanna
to find times to train but also Haight and William Hoover
dropped time in their 100
finding teams to compete
breaststroke.”
against.
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After a couple more days
of training the team headed
to Madras for its last tune-up
meet before district.
“I think we’re getting clos-
er to the goals we set before
the beginning of the season,”
said Shortt. “I’m proud of
everyone on this team for
dealing with adversity and
showing that they want to be
here and improve. We have
a really young team this
year and so we’re hoping to
continue to build towards
the future.”
While the journey may
have been cut short, the
process of getting swim-
mers ready for the end of
the season remains the
same. Shortt and his staff
are focused on getting their
team prepared for what is to
come.
“I think we will be; it will
be more difficult with the
short season,” said Shortt
about this week’s district
meet. “In a normal year we
would still be building but
we are already at the end of
the season. I think the kids
are excited for a big meet.”
The IMC district cham-
pionship meet begins at
noon June 19 at Hood River
Aquatics Center.
Petshow
■ By For Joe
Columbia Gorge News
valuable experience,” the
coach added.
The Eagles lost two IMC
games last week — 57-27
The scoreboard doesn’t
June 8 to co-league leading
necessarily show it, and it’s
Ridgeview, and 57-33 June 10
not evident in the win-loss
to Gorge rival The Dalles. In
column, but Coach Steve
the latter game, frosh Marina
Noteboom can see the im-
Castaneda scored 14 points
provement his young Hood
and grabbed five rebounds
River Valley girls basketball
for HRV. Teammate Mallory
team has made this 2021
McNerney, a sophomore,
season.
added nine points and six re-
The Eagles (0-9 overall,
0-7 league) complete their
bounds, and Molly Routson
regular season with three
scored six points.
games this week and then
HRV could not overcome
will play an Intermountain
cold shooting and its inabili-
Conference district playoff
ty to take care of the basket-
game Monday at Crook
ball. “Our Achilles heel all
County.
year has been too many turn-
“I knew going into the
overs and poor shooting, and
season it was going to be
it was no different on Friday
difficult,” Noteboom said.
vs. The Dalles,” Noteboom
“With some of our seniors
said. “We were able to get
not returning for various rea- some good shots but could
son and having to rely on so not connect.”
Two days prior, Noteboom
many freshmen. It was really
got glimpses of what should
unfair to put the freshmen
be a positive future for his
in the difficult position of
having to compete with girls team against Redmond’s
who are 3-4 years older and Ridgeview.
“We have had moments
more experienced.”
That said: “They have had of exciting basketball this
season where everything
great attitudes and have
seemed to click, and we got a
gone out and competed
every night and have gained look at what the future could
HOOD RIVER | THE DALLES | WHITE SALMON
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be like,” he said. “The first
quarter against Ridgeview
was like that. We moved the
ball, got excellent looks at the
basket and made shots and
took care of the basketball.”
The game marked the
return of HRV’s lone senior,
Routson, and junior Reese
Leiblein. “This made us
stronger, especially on the
defensive end,” Noteboom
said.
Castaneda again led the
way with 15 points and six
rebounds. Ryann Rosselle
grabbed eight boards to go
along with her four points;
Routson also scored four.
Hood River was sched-
uled to play Redmond at
home on Tuesday (results
were after the print edition
deadline). The Eagles host
Crook County on Thursday
and travel to Pendleton on
Friday. All those games are
scheduled to begin at 6:30
p.m.
Hood River is the No. 6
seed in the IMC and travels
to No. 3 seed Crook County
for a first-round district play-
off game Monday. Monday’s
winners advance to the
Wednesday semifinals.
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IMC regular season ends
this week for Eagle girls