14
Wednesday,June16,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
SPORTS
The Dalles looks to improve playoff position
■ By Mike Weber
For Columbia Gorge News
The Dalles High Riverhawk
boys basketball team could
very well conclude the reg-
ular season with some mo-
mentum, which is something
they could greatly benefit
from as they prepare for the
upcoming Intermountain
Conference district playoffs
June 21-26.
Having a positive outlook,
while possibly winning
their final two games of the
season, would certainly be
something for second-year
Coach Greg Cummings and
his Riverhawks to get excited
about. Unfortunately, the
Hawks haven’t enjoyed many
positive outcomes during
the short 11-game Class 5A
spring schedule as they’ve
posted a record of 1-7 in
league and are 1-8 overall.
“We had quite a few kids
that were playing baseball
and track and field, so those
kids missed two weeks of
practice prior to the season,”
said Cummings. “Having
three games a week in a com-
pressed schedule like this
also makes it difficult for us
to have many days to practice
too and the kids can’t be in
the gym six days a week.”
Playing a grueling schedule
of three games in four days,
the Hawks started last week
with a close 56-52 loss at
home June 8 to the Redmond
High Panthers (5-2 IMC, 8-2
overall).
“We’re completely revamp-
ing our offensive philosophy
and defensive philosophy,
as well, because we knew
this would be a tough season
based on the other teams in
our league,” said Cummings.
“Those teams have lots of
strong upperclassmen, so we
thought this would be a good
year to revamp some things,
especially since we’re not
competing for a state playoff
berth. It’s kind of one of those
years that we hope to have a
great season for the seniors,
but we’re also preparing
everyone else for our future,
as well.”
The Hawks headed out
onto the road for back-to-
back contests against Gorge
rival Hood River Valley (5-2
IMC, 7-2) Thursday, followed
by Friday’s matchup against
the Crook County High
Cowboys (8-0 IMC, 12-0)
in Prineville. The Hawks
equaled their highest point
total this season, before
losing 74-56 to the Eagles and
then one day later, lost 61-44
to the undefeated and league
leading Cowboys.
“The reality of Friday’s
contest was that the out-
come didn’t really matter too
much,” said Cummings. “We
wanted to go in and try some
different things defensively
and try some different things
offensively that will hopefully
prepare us for the last two
regular season games and
also the district playoffs. We
hope to get fourth place so
that we can have a home
game in the playoffs Monday
and then hopefully, we’ll get
to play in the semifinals on
Wednesday. That would be
cool, because there hasn’t
been a home playoff game
here in a very long time.”
The Dalles fell behind
21-12 after one quarter and
trailed 36-20 at halftime. The
two teams then traded bas-
kets throughout the second
half and the Hawks played
more competitively while
getting outscored by one
point, 25-24.
A young The Dalles squad
was led in scoring by junior
Tristan Bass with 14 points.
Spencer Taylor (10 points),
one of just two Hawk seniors
along with Kenape Stewart,
led the Hawks in rebounds
with eight. Junior Shane
Floyd had seven points and
a team-high four assists.
Sophomore Styles DeLeon
had 11 points and four steals.
Junior Jaxon Pullen had two
points, three assists and two
steals.
“I have a soft spot in my
heart for the seniors because
I’ve coached both of them
since they were in elementa-
ry school,” said Cummings.
“I feel grateful to have had a
very good relationship with
both of them and their fam-
ilies. I really consider both
of those guys just like family
members for me.”
The Dalles Freshman Andre
Niko (22) watches a free throw
go in during Tuesday’s June 8
game in The Dalles, above.
Mark B. Gibson photo
The Hawks were hoping
to get their second win in
Tuesday’s Senior Night home
game against the Pendleton
High Buckaroos (results
came after the printed
edition deadline). The
final regular season game is
Thursday at 6:30 p.m. versus
the Ridgeview Ravens (3-4
IMC, 4-6) at The Dalles High
School. The Hawks could
possibly tie the Ravens in the
standings with a win.
“Pendleton has always
been tough, but they graduat-
ed nine seniors last year, so
that’s why they’re struggling,
but they’re a well-coached
team,” said Cummings.
“We lost a close game to
Ridgeview earlier this season,
so I think we have a good
chance to hopefully win the
last two games. Because of
COVID, it’s been a weird
and very bizarre season and
hopefully things will be back
to normal for basketball next
year.”
The Dalles recorded its
only victory 56-45 over
Pendleton (0-7 IMC) on June
The Dalles junior Jaxon Pullen shoots around Redmond senior Preston Young (20), forcing a foul,
during Tuesday’s game in The Dalles June 8.
Mark B. Gibson photo
1 and they came close to get-
ting a win against Ridgeview,
before losing an overtime
thriller 56-52 June 4 at
Ridgeview High in Redmond.
If the Hawks tie Ridgeview
for fourth place with a 3-7
mark, The Dalles might earn
the No. 4 seed in a tiebreaker
and have a district playoff
home game versus Ridgeview
June 21. Ridgeview’s last
two games are against IMC
frontrunners Crook County
and Redmond, which both
recorded earlier blowout
wins over the Ravens by 30
and 28 points.
HRV boys basketball playoff ranking decided this week
Petshow
■ By For Joe
Columbia Gorge News
A first-round
Intermountain Conference
playoff bye and subsequent
semifinal home game are
among the incentives this
week for the Hood River
Valley boys basketball team.
The Eagles (7-2 overall,
5-2 IMC) enter the final
week of the regular season
in third place in the con-
ference behind unbeaten
Crook County (12-0 overall)
and second place Redmond
(8-2). HRV lost to both those
teams in the first half of the
season and the rematches
are this week: Tuesday at
Redmond (result came after
the print edition deadline)
and Thursday at Crook
County. The Eagles conclude
their regular season Friday at
home against Pendleton.
The district playoff format
has the top two teams in the
regular-season standings
earning first-round byes. The
No. 1 and 2 seeds advance
to the June 23 semifinals
and home games against
Monday’s winners. The
championship game is June
26 at the site of the higher
seeded team.
All the playoff spots have
yet to be determined, but
HRV can earn a first-round
bye with a three-game sweep
this week. The Eagles enter
the week with some momen-
tum, riding a three-game
win streak — by an average
margin of 24 points against
the three teams below it in
the standings: Ridgeview, The
Dalles and Pendleton.
The Eagles face the two
teams at the opposite side
of the standings to start the
week. Crook County is led by
senior guard Kevin Sanchez
and 6-foot-6 senior post
Cayden Lowenbach. The
two combined to score 53 of
their team’s 65 points in the
first game against HRV. The
Eagles will seek more consis-
tency against the unbeaten
Cowboys. HRV suffered from
first- and third-quarter lulls,
which enabled Crook County
to build double-digit leads.
Each time, to their credit, the
Eagles clawed their way back
into the game.
“The first time around with
both teams we had chances
to win the game and missed
opportunities,” Head Coach
Christopher Dirks said. “They
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were both great learning ex-
periences and contributed to
this great three-game streak
we are on. We need to put
together two complete games
on the road to get the wins we
need. Neither team will make
it easy as both are talented
and athletic. We need to
focus on what we can do to
make it happen and control
what we can control.”
One thing the Eagles can
control is defense. “We are a
good defensive team, allow-
ing just 47 points per game,”
Dirks said. HRV proved that
during its three-game win
streak heading into the final
week of the regular season.
Those wins included limiting
Ridgeview to 36 points on its
home court June 8.
“Ridgeview was a domi-
nant performance on the de-
fensive end for us,” Dirks said.
“We were up 35-8 at halftime
and held them to 35 percent
shooting on the night. It was
nice to have a game that we
were able to control from
the start. We also did much
better on the offensive end
shooting 52 percent. Leading
up to this game, we were 39
percent from the field from
the season.”
Emanuel Romero had 13
points and five assists, Jack
Siekkinen had 10 points, and
Davis Yates had six rebounds
to lead the offensive catego-
ries for HRV.
Two days later, the Eagles
dispatched Gorge rival The
Dalles, 74-56, in a contest
that started in a friendly man-
ner — with an uncontested
dunk.
“It was our senior night,”
Dirks explained. “It’s always
a fun environment when we
get to play The Dalles, and
we got to honor all of our
seniors. Ian Searcy, who has
had to miss our entire season
due to injury, got to start
the game and score a dunk
as The Dalles was gracious
enough to give him that
opportunity. He then subbed
out and resumed his role as
an assistant coach. It is too
bad he couldn’t play this year,
but I am grateful he got to get
his name called one more
time.”
The Eagles also honored
seniors Emilio Castaneda,
Siekkinen, Zac Wells,
Sebastian Zeman, Michael
Goodman, Yates, and Talon
Achziger. They then steadily
took control of the game,
leading by nine at the half en
route to the 18-point win.
“The guys did a great job
adjusting to what The Dalles
was doing on defense with a
2-3 zone,” Dirks said. “Each
time the game got close, we
would find an opening in the
defense and get a few quick
buckets to keep a lead.”
Romero led the way with
25 points — including 4-of-7
shooting from 3-point range
— and six assists; Yates added
13 points and Siekkinen had
nine rebounds.
Dirks said the season has
just recently settled into a
rhythm, with the “spring”
sports season extending
into the “winter” season.
“We had an interesting first
few weeks as varsity players
were finishing their prior
sport season,” he said. “Aden
Ziemer, Tommy Ziegler, and
Chris Garcia all stepped up
from the JV team to help us
get wins at the varsity level in
our first week of games.
“Because of all of the roster
moves we had to make, we
are just now figuring out
rotations and lineups with a
week left in conference play.
We are getting to know who
we can be and are focused
on peaking in the playoffs to
make a run at the champi-
onship. Taking a step back
and thinking about where we
were six months ago, I just
feel so grateful we were able
to play. I missed this all so
much and I know my guys
did too.”
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