Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Ellie Logan
led North-
west Naza-
rene to two
wins, includ-
ing an upset
victory over
Seattle Pacif-
ic, pictured,
last week to
earn GNAC
Women’s Bas-
ketball Player
of the Week
honors.
Logan GNAC Player of Week
Former C/W
standout going
strong at
collegiate level
PORTLA1D — A pair
of solid performances by
1orthwest
1azarene’s
Ellie Logan in the return to
conference play have been
recognized with selections
as the G1AC’s Players of
the Week.
Logan
earned
the
Women’s Basketball Player
of the Week honor after
¿nishing with 31 points
and 11 rebounds to lead the
Crusaders to home wins
over Saint Martin’s and
Seattle Paci¿c.
She scored 12 points and
had eight rebounds in the
86-58 win over the Saints.
Logan came back to
score 19 points, which
included two game-win-
ning free throws with 12
seconds left, in the 66-65
win over the league-leading
Falcons.
Logan enters the week
ranked 10th in the G1AC
in scoring, averaging 12.8
points per game. She leads
the G1AC and is third in
Division II in free throw
percentage at 95.5 percent
(42-44).
Photo courtesy of
GNAC
CBC: Pilot Rock girls coming into league play battle tested
Continued from 1B
Senior guard Fredy Vera
was the only starter to return
to the squad but he hasn’t had
to do it all for the Knights this
season thanks to the matura-
tion of junior guards Austin
Rice and Xavier Rambo and
junior post Hayden White.
Irrigon is 25-1 in its last
two league campaigns and
averages 54.5 points for and
42.9 against this season.
Heppner (10-1), 1o. 7:
The Mustangs are poised
to make a run at the CBC
championship if they can
stay healthy this season after
returning the most talent in
the league. That experience
was paying off early in the
preseason when Heppner
started on a ¿ve-game
winning streak despite just
getting in four practices
between its state title in foot-
ball and its ¿rst game on the
hardwood.
Heppner’s only loss
is to 2A 1o. 1 Imbler, a
47-45 nail-biter in Imbler
that knocked the Mustangs
from their cloud and helped
refocus the team for the ¿ve-
game winning streak it rides
into league play.
Forward Patrick Collins
gives Heppner the best big
man in the CBC — he aver-
ages a double-double — but
the team has already proven
it’s not dependent on his
scoring as guards C.J. Kindle
and Logan Grieb and forward
Weston Putman have all
scored 20 points or more in a
game at least once this season.
The Mustangs are aver-
aging 55.6 points for and 44
against this season.
Stan¿eld (7-1), 1o. 16:
If not for a two-point loss
to 1o. 6 8nion, the Tigers
would be undefeated headed
into league play.
Junior
guard
Dylan
Grogan (6-foot-3) is a
match-up nightmare at the
2A level and is a key reason
¿rst-year coach Victor Baros
has rolled out an all-guard
starting ¿ve to great success.
But the Tigers are far from
reliant on Grogan, and Ryan
Bailey, Tony Flores, Thyler
Monkus and Brody Woods
have all scored 15 points or
more in a game at least once
this season.
The Tigers have notable
wins over 1A powers 1ixy-
aawii, 75-65, and South
Bekah Roe.
If the Rockets can get more
consistent production from
their supporting cast they
could run away with a second-
straight CBC title and wash
away the bitter taste left by last
season’s early playoff exit.
Pilot Rock averages 45
points for and 37.9 against.
Wasco, 46-41, already and
have beaten perennial playoff
squad Horizon Christian
(Hood River) twice.
Those wins are a good
indicator the Tigers will be
one of the toughest squads
in the CBC this season, but
there’s still a little bit of an
unknown element because
Stan¿eld has only played
three teams that are classi¿ed
2A or above (or the Wash-
ington equivalent).
Stan¿eld heads into its
league opener on a four-game
win streak and averages 60.3
points for and 47.9 against.
Weston-McEwen (3-5),
1o. 33: The jury is still out on
how good the TigerScots can
be this season due to some
inconsistent performances.
Senior
center
Alex
Finifrock (6-foot-7) has
shown the ability to take
over a game, but Weston-
McEwen seems to thrive
when it gets balanced scoring
to arrive at its 47.9 points a
game average.
That’s been a key number
this season as Weston-
McEwen has only lost once
when putting up at least 48
points.
To compete for a playoff
spot in the CBC, however,
the TigerScots will have to
¿nd a way to give up fewer
points and their 54.9 points
allowed average ranks dead
last in the conference. Even
without factoring in an 87-57
loss to Kiona-Benton (WA),
the TigerScots are giving up
points at an unmatched rate.
Weston-McEwen enters
league play on a three-game
skid and also is 0-3 on the
road. It lost out on the chance
to test itself against a pair of
2A’s best teams in December
when games at Imbler and
Burns were canceled due to
weather.
Pilot Rock (6-8), 1o.
29: The Rockets suffered
a ¿ve-game losing streak
in December but will enter
league play having won ¿ve
of their last eight and have
shown enough during the
preseason that their CBC
opponents would be wise not
to overlook this young squad.
Like most of the teams
in the CBC, the Rockets
are driven by an excellent
backcourt that can keep them
in any game when their shots
are falling. However, shut-
ting down sophomore guards
Staff photo by E.J. Harris/file
In this Dec. 18, 2015 ile photo Pilot Rock’s Madison
Dave shoots the ball guarded by Enterprise’s Reagan
Bedard in the Rockets’ 38-34 win against the Outlaws
in Pilot Rock.
Bryson Pierce and Chris
Weinke has been an easy
key to victory for opponents
this season so the Rockets
will need more from their
supporting cast to have a shot
at a state playoff berth.
Pilot Rock is averaging
42.4 points for and 43.9
points against this season.
Culver (4-7), 1o. 35:
The Bulldogs have already
eclipsed last season’s win
total (2) but have been wildly
inconsistent under ¿rst-year
head coach Johnny Wilson.
Sophomore guard Weston
Basl and junior center Mike
Davis have been their go-to
scorers so far this season but
the team has suffered from a
reliance on the outside shot
due to an overall lack of
height.
With an average height of
5-foot-9, Davis is their tallest
player listed at just 6-2.
That de¿ciency hurt them
badly in a 65-18 loss to South
Wasco on Tuesday that sends
Culver into league play on a
three-game losing streak.
Culver averages 40.7
points for and 48.5 points
against this season.
CBC GIRLS
2014-15 order of ¿nish:
Pilot Rock (9-1), Weston-
McEwen (8-2), Heppner
(4-6), Stan¿eld (4-6), Culver
(3-7), Irrigon (2-8)
Pilot Rock (9-5), 1o.
6: The Rockets took a few
lumps during a very tough
preseason but should be
well-prepared for anything
they’ll see in league play
because of it.
All of their losses came
to squads that project as
state playoff quali¿ers at
their classi¿cations, and the
Rockets have followed each
of those up with a win. They
enter CBC action having
won ¿ve of their last six.
Senior Madison Dave
has been taking over in the
lead-up to league play and
is averaging 16.6 points in
the Rockets’ last ¿ve games,
but the team has been able to
pull out wins even when the
all-state performer is limited
thanks to the continued
maturation
of
talented
sophomores Kayla Deist and
Weston-McEwen (3-6),
1o. 26: The TigerScots had
more holes to ¿ll in their
starting lineup than any other
CBC team this season and
have fared better than their
record indicates during a
challenging preseason.
Sophomore guard Chelsea
Quaempts is poised for a
breakout season and could
be one of the league’s top
scorers while all-state senior
Ammarae Broncheau has
continued her high level of
guard play as well.
Junior Bailey Hillmick
adds another scoring guard to
the mix, but the TigerScots’
season could hinge on the
play of its posts, which
started hot but have been
struggling to make an impact
on the score sheet of late.
The most notable win
of the preseason for the
TigerScots was 44-27 over
1A 1o. 9 Helix, but that was
their last win as well and they
enter league play on a three-
game losing streak.
Weston-McEwen aver-
ages 42 points for and 41.7
against.
Heppner (2-9), 1o. 30:
The lone bright spot in a
long preseason full of losses
has been the emergence of
freshman guard Jacee Currin.
Her 14 points a game
average is by far the best on
the team as Mustangs 1o. 2
scorers — a group that has
primarily included senior
Jessica Kempken, sopho-
more Morgan Correa and
freshman Madison Combe
— are putting up just around
seven points a night.
That’s a number that has
to come up if the Mustangs
have any hope of competing
in an improved CBC ¿eld.
Heppner comes into
league play on a six-game
losing streak and is averaging
a CBC-low 27.8 points for
and a CBC-high 42.2 against.
Stan¿eld (4-3), 1o. 19:
The Tigers are a tough team
to ¿gure out based on their
preseason performances.
Their wins have come
over teams that are a
combined 13-19 with not a
winning record among them,
while their losses have been
to teams combining for a
27-11 mark.
What can be gleaned
from their non-league games,
however, is that Stan¿eld is
de¿nitely a better team than
they were this time last year.
Junior guard 1atalia
Esquivel has been their most
consistent producer on offense,
but several Tigers have taken
turns leading the team on the
score sheet this season.
The team has fallen off
of late, however, and after
putting up 180 points in its
¿rst three games scored just
119 in its next four.
Stan¿eld averages 42.7
points for and 34.9 against.
Culver (7-4), 1o. 28:
Like the Tigers, the Bulldogs
are a team hoping to make the
leap from perennial doormat
to contender this season.
Also like the Tigers,
Culver may have to settle
for more incremental success
based on preseason results.
The Bulldogs have fared
well against lower competi-
tion but still struggle to beat
teams with winning records.
They’re de¿nitely no
pushover, though, and the
senior-led group is averaging
a CBC-best 30.8 points
against average while scoring
39.9 per game.
Irrigon (3-7), 1o. 27:
The Knights have suffered
a pair of three-game losing
streaks during the preseason
but have been competitive
and are coming off a
one-point defeat at the hands
of 1ixyaawii in their last
tune-up.
However, their wins
come against teams that are a
combined 9-21.
Irrigon has one of the best
players in the conference
in sophomore guard Jada
Burns, but has struggled to
¿nd a consistent 1o. 2 scorer
and has been forced to rely
on a basket or two from
several players to ¿ll out the
score sheet.
Those results haven’t been
stellar as Irrigon averages
just 35.4 points a night while
allowing 39.9.
———
Contact Matt Entrup at
mentrup@eastoregonian.
com or (541) 966-0838.
GRIFFEY: First 1o. 1 overall draft pick to make the Hall of Fame
Continued from 1B
not been active for 10 years were
eliminated under a rules change by
the Hall’s board of directors. With
a younger average electorate, Roger
Clemens rose to 45 percent and
Barry Bonds to 44 percent, both
up from about 37 percent last year.
Clemens has denied using perfor-
mance-enhancing drugs, and Bonds
said he never knowingly took any
banned substances.
“They were Hall of Famers
before all this stuff started,” Griffey
said.
Mark McGwire, who admitted
using steroids, received 12 percent
in his 10th and ¿nal ballot appear-
ance.
Half of baseball’s top 10 home
run hitters are not in the Hall:
Bonds (762), Alex Rodriguez
(654), Jim Thome (612), Sammy
Sosa (609) and McGwire (583).
Rodriguez, who served a yearlong
drug suspension in 2014, remains
active. Thome’s ¿rst appearance on
the ballot will be in 2018.
Griffey believes drug-testing,
which began in baseball in 2003,
should eliminate the possibility of
stigma for the current generation of
players.
“There won’t be any questions
and you’ll know from here on out,”
he said.
Some players who admitted
using steroids claimed they chose
the needle because of pressure to
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 8, 1995, ile photo, Seattle Mariners’ Ken Griffey
Jr. smiles from beneath a pile of teammates who mobbed him
after he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning of
a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Seattle.
compete. Griffey said he never was
tempted.
“I also had a dad that said you’re
never going to be the biggest, you’re
never going to be the strongest
and you’re never going to be the
fastest,” he said. “There’s always
going to be someone in each of
those categories, but the one thing
they can’t do is outwork you.”
“I never really worried about
what somebody else was doing,
because it was out of my control,”
he added. “I was already popular.
It wasn’t that I needed to jump out
and surprise people.”
Griffey and Piazza had
contrasting treks to stardom.
Griffey was selected ¿rst in the
1987 amateur draft and became the
¿rst 1o. 1 to make the Hall. Piazza
was taken by the Los Angeles
Dodgers with the 1,390th pick on
the 62nd round in 1988; since the
draft started in 1965, the lowest
draft pick elected to the Hall had
been John Smoltz, taken with selec-
tion 574 on the 22nd round in 1985.
“It crystalizes how special this
game is,” Piazza said. “It separates
it from other sports. Athletic talent
de¿nitely helps, but it’s not the only
thing that can make you successful.”
Griffey was known simply as
“Junior” by many as a contrast to his
father, three-time All-Star out¿elder
Ken Griffey, who played alongside
him in Seattle during 1990 and
‘91. The younger Griffey became
a 13-time All-Star out¿elder and
¿nished with 630 homers, sixth
on the career list. After reaching
the major leagues in 1989, he was
selected for 11 consecutive All-Star
Games in 1990.
Wanting to play closer to his
home in Florida, he pushed for a
trade to Cincinnati — his father’s
old team and the area he grew up
in— after the 1999 season. But
slowed by injuries, he never reached
100 RBIs again after his ¿rst season
with the Reds, and he moved on
to the Chicago White Sox in 2008
before spending his last season-plus
with the Mariners.
Griffey is likely to become the
¿rst player in the Hall with a Mari-
ners cap. He wouldn’t say whether
his bronze plaque should portray
the look he’s most known for.
“I haven’t really thought about
the hat backwards,” he said.
Piazza said he was directed
not to speak about the hat on his
plaque, which ultimately is decided
by the Hall. After reaching the
major leagues with the Los Angeles
Dodgers in 1992, Piazza was dealt
to Florida in May 1998 before he
could become a free agent, then
traded eight days later to the Mets.
He played for the Mets’ 2000
1ational League champions and
remained with 1ew <ork through
2005, hitting a memorable go-ahead
home run in the ¿rst game in the city
following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
During a career that ended with
San Diego in 2006 and Oakland
the following year, he hit better
than .300 in nine straight seasons
and ¿nishing with 427 home runs,
including a record 396 when he
was in the game behind the plate. A
12-time All-Star, Piazza had a .308
career batting average.
While 6-foot-3, Piazza claims to
not have a distinctive athletic body.
“When you see a basketball guy
out there or a football guy, you kind
of know it,” he said. “And baseball
guys, I think that’s why the public
relates to us.”
1OTES:
Alan
Trammell
received 41 percent in his ¿nal
ballot appearance. ... Curt Schilling
rose from 39 percent to 52, Edgar
Martinez from 27 percent to 43
and Mike Mussina from 25 percent
to 43. ... There were two write-in
votes for Pete Rose, who never was
allowed on any Hall ballot because
of his lifetime ban from baseball.
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