SPORTS
FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016
Sports shorts
Penguins to play
for Stanley Cup
PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Bryan Rust scored a pair of
second-period
goals and
Matt Murray
stopped 16
shots to lift
the Pittsburgh
Penguins to
a 2-1 victory over the Tampa
Bay Lightning in Game 7 of
the Eastern Conference fi nals
on Thursday night to send the
franchise to the Stanley Cup
Final for the fi rst time since
2009.
Pittsburgh will host
Western Conference
champion San Jose in Game
1 of the fi nal Monday night.
Jonathan Drouin scored
his fi fth goal of the playoffs
for the Lightning and Andrei
Vasilevskiy made 37 saves,
but it wasn’t enough to
send Tampa Bay back to
the Cup Final for a second
straight year. Captain Steven
Stamkos had two shots in
his return from a two-month
layoff while dealing with a
blood clot.
1B
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS
Hermis-
ton High
graduates
Crystal
Schmidt,
left, and
David
Barnett
are two of
the NAIA’s
top javelin
throwers
at Carroll
College
in Helena,
Mont.
HERMISTON
Hermiston heavers
among NAIA’s best
David Barnett and
Crystal Schmidt compete
for Carroll at nationals
Photo by Jerek
Wolcott courtesy
of the Indepen-
dent Record
(Editor’s Note: David Barnett won
the NAIA national championship in
javelin on Thursday with a throw of
204.5 feet. Crystal Schmidt placed
fourth with a program-record heave of
151.5 feet.)
By RYAN COLLINGWOOD
Independent Record
HELENA, MONT. — Two years
ago, an unknown number fl ashed
across Carroll defensive end and javelin
thrower David Barnett’s cell phone.
He recognized the 541 area code,
though — matching that of his home-
town of Hermiston — and answered the
call.
“Guess who this is,” a female voice
on the other line sounded. “It’s Crystal
Schmidt, and I’m here in Helena on a
recruiting visit. Let’s get together.”
Schmidt and Barnett were friends
and multi-sport standouts at Hermiston
where Schmidt was a year ahead of
Barnett.
Schmidt was fresh off a two-year
All-American career at Blue Mountain
Community College when she made the
jaunt to Helena. Barnett was a freshman.
The last time the two competed in the
same forum was the 2012 5A Oregon
Track and Field Championships at the
University of Oregon, where Barnett
placed second in the javelin with a
heave of 192 feet, 2 inches. Schmidt
was third with a throw of 125 feet.
But here the two were in Montana’s
capital, away from track and fi eld-rich
Oregon, focused primarily on other
pursuits.
Football brought the 6-foot-3,
See HEAVERS/2B
Six teams host quarterfi nal games
Prep Baseball/Softball
Lillard makes All-
NBA Second Team
PORTLAND — Portland
Trail Blazers guard Damian
Lillard was named to the
All-NBA Second Team, it
was announced Thursday by
the league.
Lillard, 25, averaged a
career-high
FACES 25.1 points,
making him
just the fourth
Trail Blazer
in franchise
history to
average more
than 25.0
Lillard
points per
game. He also produced a
career-best 6.8 assists and
4.0 rebounds in 75 games.
In his fourth NBA season,
Lillard fi nished sixth in the
NBA in scoring and tied for
eighth in assists to become
the fi rst Portland player ever
to rank in the top-10 in both
categories. He also became
the franchise leader in
three-point fi eld goals (828),
and his 229 three-pointers
broke his previous franchise
record for the most made in a
single season.
This represents the
second All-NBA honor for
Lillard after being named to
the Third Team in 2013-14.
“That’s a touchy
subject. I try and
leave that one
alone.“
— Brandon Browner
Seattle Seahawks
defensive back on his
role in helping the New
England Patriots beat
Seattle in Super Bowl
XLIX. Browner is back in
Seattle, where he helped
found the “Legion of
Boom,” this season and
has been working in a
new cornerback/safety/
linebacker hybrid role.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1823 — A $20,000 match
race between American
Eclipse (representing The
North) and Henry (repre-
senting The South) is held at
Union Course, Long Island,
N.Y. American Eclipse wins
in two-of-three heats, after
his original jockey, William
Crafts, is replaced by Samuel
Purdy before the second
heat. The race, witnessed by
60,000 spectators, is the fi rst
to have been timed by split-
second chronometers, which
were imported for the event.
1981 — Julius Erving of the
Philadelphia 76ers is named
the NBAs Most Valuable
Player, making him the only
player to win MVP honors in
both the NBA and the ABA.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com
Weston-McEwen
baseball only squad
on the road
East Oregonian
The Irrigon Knights baseball
team announced its arrival in the
state 2A/1A bracket with the largest
win of the fi rst round on Wednesday
when it rolled past Lost River 17-1.
It was the fi rst state postseason
game for the Knights, and their win
was one of seven for area teams
in the fi rst round of baseball and
softball playoffs.
The No. 4 Knights are one of six
local squads hosting state quarter-
fi nals games today, and will throw
out the fi rst pitch against No. 12
Kennedy at 3:30 p.m.
The Trojans are the lowest
remaining seed in the 2A/1A bracket
after upsetting No. 5 Reedsport 8-6
in the fi rst round.
It’ll be the second time the teams
have met in Irrigon this season.
The fi rst was a 10-9 Irrigon win on
March 23 that saw the Knights score
four runs in the fi nal three innings to
complete the comeback. The Knights
pounded out 18 hits in that game.
First-round
Irrigon
starter
Austin Rice could be available after
throwing just 76 pitches against
Lost River, and tossed three hitless
innings against Kennedy in March.
No. 6 WESTON-MCEWEN at
No. 3 MONROE, 4:30 p.m. — The
TigerScots are the only team hitting
the road today as they face the
Dragons in the 2A/1A quarterfi nals.
With two common opponents
on their schedule this season, both
teams own one-run wins over Regis
and losses to Stanfi eld.
Monroe is led by a veteran
roster that fi nished runner-up in the
state last season. The TigerScots
fell short of the fi nal bracket last
season but still have a few upper-
classmen left from their runner-up
Golden
State
Warriors’
Draymond
Green (23)
celebrates
after
scoring
against
the Okla-
homa City
Thunder
during the
second
half in
Game 5 of
the NBA
basketball
Western
Confer-
ence fi nals
Thursday,
May 26,
2016, in
Oakland,
Calif.
Golden
State won
120-111.
AP Photo/Marcio
Jose Sanchez
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Irrigon’s Cougar Kroske connects for a sacrifi ce single in the Knights’ 17-1 win against Lost River on
Wednesday in Irrigon. The Knights are one of six local teams hosting state quarterfi nal games on
Friday.
fi nish in 2013-14.
Softball
No. 11 CATLIN GABEL at
No. 3 STANFIELD, 4:30 p.m.
— Catlin Gabel may have put up
11 runs in the opening round of
the state tournament, but its paltry
113 on the season (5.4 per game)
suggests the Eagles could struggle
when they come to Madigan Field.
The Tigers are coming off an 11-2
win over Lakeview, and have been
held to fewer than six runs in a game
just twice this season. Stanfi eld has
reached double digits in each of its
last nine games, and is averaging 13
a game during that span.
The Eagles are scheduled to face
Stanfi eld ace Dylan Grogan, who
has thrown no-hitters in two of his
last four starts and has allowed just
four hits over his last 20 2-3 innings
pitched.
No. 10 SILVERTON at No.
2 PENDLETON, 5 p.m. — The
Buckaroos host the Foxes in a
rematch from last season’s semi-
fi nals, which Pendleton won 10-0
at Steve Cary Field on its way to a
runner-up fi nish in 5A.
The Foxes have yet to face
Pendleton pitcher Lauren Richards,
though, who was at fi rst base for last
season’s meeting.
Richards is coming off a fi ve-in-
ning perfect outing, and has allowed
just six runs on 14 hits while striking
out 42 and going 5-0 in her last 28
innings pitched.
Pendleton is averaging 9.5 runs
a game for the season, 8.8 a game
during its current 10-game winning
streak, and 13-per in its last four.
Silverton, which edged Hillsboro
2-0 in the fi rst round, averages 8.1
runs for the season and 6.3-per during
its three-game winning streak.
No. 8 DOUGLAS at No. 1
MAC-HI, 5 p.m. — Douglas comes
to Yantis Park in the quarterfi nals
for the second season in a row. Last
season the Pioneers beat the Trojans
4-0 on their way to a second-straight
4A championship.
Mallory Copeland allowed just
two hits in her playoff pitching
debut in an 11-1 win over Hidden
Valley on Wednesday, but will face
a Trojans lineup that totaled 15 hits
in an 8-5 win over Crook County in
the fi rst round.
Mac-Hi is coming off a 14-hit
game of its own and both teams are
averaging about 8.5 runs a game
See QUARTERFINALS/2B
NBA Playoffs
Warriors stave off elimination
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen
Curry scored 31 points, raising his
arms in the early moments to awaken
Golden State’s raucous crowd, and the
defending champion Warriors staved
off elimination with a 120-111 victory
over the Oklahoma City Thunder
on Thursday night in Game 5 of the
Western Conference fi nals.
The MVP made a snazzy layup late
and dished out six assists, while Klay
Thompson added 27 points as Golden
State sent the best the best-of-seven
series back to Oklahoma City for
Game 6 on Saturday night. Golden
State trails 3-2 and is trying to become
just the 10th team to rally from a 3-1
defi cit.
“We’re not going home! We’re not
going home!” Curry yelled at the top
of his lungs in the waning moments.
Kevin Durant scored 40 points and
Russell Westbrook added 31 points,
Western Finals
Oklahoma City
Golden State
111
120
• Thunder lead series 3-2
eight assists, seven rebounds and
fi ve steals for the Thunder, trying for
the fi fth NBA Finals appearance in
franchise history and chasing just the
second championship after the 1978-79
Seattle SuperSonics won it all.
The
record-setting,
73-win
Warriors, coming off their fi rst back-
to-back defeats all season, had been
blown out in two losses at Oklahoma
City by a combined 52 points.
Curry shot 9 for 20 and also had
fi ve steals, while Thompson had his
11th 20-point game for the second
straight postseason despite shooting 2
for 9 from 3-point range. Draymond
Green had 11 points and 13 rebounds.