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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 2015)
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015 SPORTS Sports shorts IRRIGON 0DQQLQJ UHWXUQLQJIRUWK 1)/VHDVRQ ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that Peyton Manning will return for a fourth season in Denver and 18th in the NFL. Manning will reduce his salary from million to FACES $19 $15 million in 2015, accord- ing to the per- son who spoke on condition of anonymity because there Manning ZDVQRRI¿FLDO announcement. However, he can make up all of the $4 million pay cut by reaching certain perfor- mance benchmarks. Manning will take his physical and sign his revised contract Thursday, then return April 13 for team conditioning. 7KH¿YHWLPH093 mulled retirement after the Broncos’ playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts. But he determined he still had the health and hunger to keep playing at age 39. A-Rod singles in ¿UVWDWEDWEDFN TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Alex Rodriguez returned to the New York Yankees after an absence of more than 17 months, lining a single into VKRUWOHIW¿HOGLQKLV¿UVW at-bat and going 1 for 2 with a walk in a 3-1 spring-train- ing loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on FACES Wednesday. Greeted by a 10-second mix of boos and cheers from the crowd of 9,673 as he stepped into the Rodriguez batter’s box for KLV¿UVWJDPH following a one-year drug suspension, Rodriguez was wearing the Yankees’ white uniform with pinstripes for the team’s exhibition season home opener rather than the usual dark blue jersey used in exhibition games. Rodriguez swung at the ¿UVWIRXURISLWFKHVKHVDZ in three plate appearances. Batting second as New York’s designated hitter, he swung past a pair of 91 mph pitches from Philadelphia’s Kevin 6ORZH\LQWKH¿UVWLQQLQJ He lined a soft single to left on an 89 mph 0-2 offer- ing that was over the plate. “I consider it a performance- inspiring drug.“ — Nate Jackson Former Denver Broncos TE at a marijuana busi- ness conference. Jackson said he believes the NFL will soon have to remove marijuana from its list of banned substances. Jackson said he smoked marijuana to avoid opiate painkillers that are readily available to injured players. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1931 — WGL radio EURDGFDVWV WKH ¿UVW JDPH of the American Basketball League championship series. 7KH %URRNO\Q 9LVLWDWLRQV beat the Fort Wayne Hoo- VLHUVLQWKH¿UVWSURIHV sional basketball game to be broadcast live on radio. 1973 — New York Yan- kee pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich announce that they’ve swapped wives and children. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Staff photo by E.J. Harris Irrigon head coach Mitch Thompson, 23, is only fi ve years older than the oldest player on the Knights’ boys basketball team. He has led the team back into the 2A state basketball tournament this week in Pendleton. Young coach could make history 23-year-old leads defending champion Irrigon back into state bracket By ERIK SKOPIL East Oregonian In 1930, Astoria High triumphed over Salem High 32-17 to claim WKHVFKRRO¶V¿UVWVWDWHER\VEDVNHW ball championship. On the sideline for the Fishermen was second-year coach John Warren. A 26-year-old, Warren became the youngest coach in Oregon state history to win a state basketball title. More than eight decades have passed, some 300 championship coaches have clipped down nets, but basketball historians believe Warren’s mark in state athletic lore remains. That could very well change Sat- urday at the Pendleton Convention Center. The top-seed Irrigon Knights have their sights set on a second consecutive state title. And leading WKH .QLJKW¶V LV \HDUROG ¿UVW year coach Mitch Thompson. Led by the last two Class 2A Players of the Year, Anthony Landeros and Adrian Romero, the Knights (24-1) have not missed a beat with Thompson stepping in for coach Jake McElligott, who depart- ed after last season’s state title to take the Hermiston coaching job. This weekend’s tournament could be more of the same. Irrigon already beat No. 2 seed Toledo in January, and No. 3 Hep- pner and Morrow County rival See YOUNG COACH/2B PENDLETON %XFNDURRVNLFN:LOGFDWV PHS earns another game with win Williams picked up the scoring slack in the second 16 PLQXWHV$IWHUPLVVLQJ¿YH¿UVW half shots — include a couple Wilsonville Pendleton By ERIK SKOPIL of gimmes — she scored PHS’ East Oregonian ¿UVWHLJKWSRLQWVLQWKHVHFRQG to take a 34-20 lead with 2:48 remaining in the period. Pendleton center Kristin The Buckaroos made the Pendleton kept the pressure Williams shrugged off a rough ¿UVWKDOIWROHDGWKH%XFNDURRV initial move to ensure they on the Wildcats, using a full- past visiting Wilsonville and ZRXOGQ¶WEHWKHLQWKH¿UVWKDOI court press to create 12 second into Saturday’s opening round Leading by just two points late half giveaways and keep the LQWKH¿UVWTXDUWHUWKH%XFND of the Class 5A girls state bas- URRV VFRUHG ¿YH XQDQVZHUHG WHS ball-handlers uncom- fortable. Senior guard Darian ketball playoffs. buckets to snag a 20-8 lead. Williams scored 10 of her Four different Buckaroos con- Lindsay had steals on three game-high 16 points in the tributed points to the scoring consecutive third quarter pos- sessions as part of a 10-2 run. second half and the Bucka- surge. “I think what won that game roos pulled away for a 50-33 The advantage dwindled play-in game victory over the XQGHUGRXEOH¿JXUHVMXVWWZLFH was our 100-percent effort be- Wildcats on Warberg Court on again during the game’s re- cause all of us gave 100-per- cent and we gave out our all,” Wednesday. minder. Bodmer said. Williams is one of four se- Senior Marlene Bodmer A Wilsonville comeback nior Buckaroo (16-9) starters keyed the offense early. She attempt never materialized. ZKR UHFRJQL]H WKH VLJQL¿FDQFH scored nine of the team’s open- Pendleton pushed its edge to as Staff photo by E.J. Harris of each game from this point on. ing 21 points and helped the much as 20 points. Pendleton’s Haley Greb drives on Wilsonville’s Betsy Morris in the Bucks’ 50-33 win against “We’re not ready to be done Bucks to a 26-16 halftime edge the Wildcats on Wednesday in Pendleton. See BUCKAROOS/2B quite yet,” she said. over the Wilsonville (12-13). GIRLS HOOPS 50 33 College Basketball 2UHJRQVXUYLYHVKRWO\FRQWHVWHG&LYLO:DU Oregon for- ward Elgin Cook, left, scores in front of Or- egon State forward Olaf Schaftenaar during the fi rst half of an NCAA college basketball game in Cor- vallis, Ore., Wednesday, March 4, 2015. AP Photo/Don Ryan Associated Press &259$//,6 ² (OJLQ Cook scored 17 points to lead Oregon past Oregon State 65-62 on Wednes- MENS HOOPS day night in a hotly con- tested rival- ry game. Oregon Joseph Y o u n g added 15 points, six rebounds and six as- Oregon St. sists for the Ducks (23- 8, 13-5 Pac- 12), who KDYHZRQ¿YHLQDURZ Malcolm Duvivier scored 65 62 See CIVIL WAR/2B MISSION Eagles advance WRVHPL¿QDOV Nixyaawii beats Hosanna Christian in tournament opener East Oregonian BAKER CITY — Elijah Bevis got the Gold- en Eagles off to a fast start and Hunter Melton came up big at the end as No. BOYS HOOPS 5 Nixyaawii held off No. 4 Hosanna Christian 51-46 on Wednesday. Bevis scored 11 of his team- Nixyaawii KLJKSRLQWVLQWKH¿UVWKDOI of the Class 1A boys basket- EDOO VWDWH TXDUWHU¿QDO PDWFK up at Baker High School, but found open looks hard to come by as his team clung to a nar- Hosanna Chr. row lead in the fourth quarter. 51 46 See EAGLES/2B
