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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
ghenley@dailyastorian.com
Athletes of the Week
KENZIE
RAMSEY
Warrenton
KAYDEN
GILBERT
Warrenton
Kenzie Ramsey
Warrenton High School
he sophomore wing was playing at another level in Warrenton’s 68-25
T
win over Riverdale. Coming off the bench, Ramsey connected on two
3-pointers late in the first quarter to give the Warriors a 25-4 lead. And she got
he former Warrenton youth wrestler spent the last two years in the Cow-
apa League, but returned to Warrenton for his junior year of high school.
T
And in his first year with the Warriors, Gilbert won a Special District 1 wres-
hotter as the half continued, hitting a string of four straight 3-pointers to fin-
ish the first half 6-for-7 from behind the arc. Ramsey made a return visit to the
zone in the fourth quarter, knocking down two more treys to finish with eight
3-pointers, setting a Warrenton school record. She finished with 25 points.
tling championship at 182 pounds last Saturday at Willamina. After byes in
the first two rounds, Gilbert scored a pin (1:32) over Chris Byrum of Taft in a
semifinal match, then recorded a technical fall (2:38, 18-1) over Dayton’s Leo-
nel Rosas in the championship bout. He will compete in his third state tourna-
ment Feb. 16-17 in Portland.
Warrenton girls defeat
De La Salle for 19th win
Jeff Ter Har/For The Daily Astorian
Former Seaside Gull Maddi Utti
hauls in another rebound in a
Wednesday victory at San Di-
ego State.
Jewell’s Blodgett signs
with George Fox University
The Daily Astorian
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Kenzie Ramsey drains a three-pointer for Warrenton.
Big 30-0 run lifts De La Salle past Warrenton boys
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — The Warren-
ton boys basketball team was trail-
ing by just seven points at halftime
Wednesday night in a Lewis & Clark
League regular season finale with De
La Salle. The No. 1-ranked Knights
ultimately won the game, 79-34.
A score by the Warriors’ Ayden
Stephens had Warrenton within 33-26
at the break.
About eight minutes later, how-
ever, De La Salle was leading 63-26,
following a 30-0 run. Two free throws
by Warrenton’s Dalton Knight with
2.4 seconds left in the third quarter
were the only points of the period by
the Warriors.
In their last season as a member
of the Lewis & Clark League, the
Warriors finish the season 1-22 over-
all, 0-15 in league play. De La Salle
improves to 21-1. Warrenton loses
just two seniors, Logan Fischer and
Ryan Fowler.
The Daily Astorian
SAN DIEGO — Seaside High
School graduate Maddi Utti scored
a game-high 14 points with five
rebounds and four steals to lead
the Fresno State women’s basket-
ball team to a 66-60 win Wednesday
afternoon at San Diego State.
In the middle of an outstanding
freshman season at Fresno State,
Utti was also named Student Athlete
of the Week at FSU for the week of
Jan. 29.
She put together three stellar per-
formances in which she shot 70 per-
cent from the field to lead Fresno
State to wins over Air Force, Nevada
and Wyoming.
The former Gull tallied 11 points
(5-of-6 from the field) and six
rebounds against Air Force and 14
points on 7-of-9 shooting, to go with
six assists and four steals against
Nevada.
Against Wyoming, Utti poured
in 15 points (7-of-12 shooting) and
added four rebounds and three steals.
The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON — With third
place in league already locked up,
the Warrenton girls basketball team
can focus on posting its first 20-win
season since 2009-10.
The Warriors won their 19th
Wednesday at home, a 66-55
decision over De La Salle in a Lewis
& Clark League regular season
finale.
“That’s two of our goals,” said
Warrenton coach Robert Hoepfl. “To
make the state playoffs and win 20
games.”
And the Warriors should be able
to get No. 20 sometime next week.
If Rainier defeats Clatskanie today,
Warrenton would play at Clatskanie
in a league playoff, with the winner
advancing to play Rainier for the No.
1 seed to the state playoffs. The loser
would host the fourth-place team,
currently De La Salle.
A week after making a school
record eight 3-pointers vs. Riverdale,
sophomore Kenzie Ramsey knocked
down six 3-pointers Wednesday.
Teammate Claire Bussert added four
treys and Tyla Little made one, as
the Warriors finished with 11 made
3-pointers.
Bussert led all scorers with 21
points, followed by Ramsey with 20
and Alvarez (who scored the first 10
points of the game) with 16.
While Warrenton finishes 12-4 in
league, the Warriors improve to 19-5
overall, as one of just three teams in
the Lewis & Clark League (Rain-
ier and Clatskanie are the others) to
finish with a winning record. De La
Salle falls to 11-12 overall.
Former Gull Utti flying
high for Fresno State
JEWELL — Jewell High School
senior Niqui Blodgett signed a let-
ter-of-intent to play softball at
George Fox University in a Wednes-
day afternoon signing ceremony.
An audience packed the room to
witness Blodgett signing to extend
her softball career with the Bru-
ins. She is entering her senior sea-
son with the Warrenton Warriors this
spring.
Since Jewell does not have a soft-
ball program, Blodgett has spent the
last three seasons playing softball
at Warrenton, earning first-team all-
league honors in 2016 and ‘17.
“I chose George Fox because of
the amazing education and the thriv-
ing community and beautiful cam-
pus,” Blodgett said, “and the amaz-
ing softball program was of course a
bonus.”
Blodgett had 16 pitching victo-
ries last season, the third-most on
Niqui Blodgett
Jewell senior Niqui Blodgett, who
will be pitching again this spring
for Warrenton, is on her way to
George Fox University after sign-
ing a letter-of-intent Wednesday.
the school’s single season list. Her
career record is 33-30, behind only
Stacey Moore’s career record of
56-22 from 2001-04.
Blodgett was the first Warrenton
pitcher since Moore in 2004 to throw
a no-hitter, pitching two last season.
Blodgett could also surpass Moore
this spring for career strikeouts.
SCOREBOARD
PREP SPORTS SCHEDULE
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
The Warrenton Warriors battle for a rebound.
TODAY
Girls basketball — Jewell at Willamette
Valley Christian, 6 p.m.
Boys basketball — Knappa at Life
Christian, 7:45 p.m.; Jewell at Willamette
Valley Christian, 6 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls basketball — Tillamook at Astoria,
6 p.m.; Valley Catholic at Seaside, 6 p.m.
Boys basketball — Tillamook at Asto-
ria, 7:45 p.m.; Valley Catholic at Seaside,
7:45 p.m.
Swimming — District 1/4A, at Astoria
Aquatic Center, 1 p.m.
SATURDAY
Swimming — District 1/4A, at Astoria
Aquatic Center, 11:30 a.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Warrenton 66, De La Salle 55
DeLaSalle
7 17 11 20—55
Warrenton
16 20 19 11—66
DLS (55): May Brannon 11, Fesser 11,
Pearce 9, Boyd 6, Dalton 6, Miller 6, Imes
5, Van Tyne 1.
WAR (66): Claire Bussert 21,
Ramsey 20, Alvarez 16, Little 7, Kapua
2, Diego, DeJesus, Talancon, Heyen,
Foster.