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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 2016)
SPORTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS HERMISTON Prep Roundup Vikings grind past Rockets Rambo Umatilla splits afternoon in Pilot Rock Umatil- la’s Jus- tin Marret shoots the ball over Pilot Rock’s Levi Thieme and Bryson Pierce (30) in a non- league game on Wednes- day in Pi- lot Rock. By MATT ENTRUP East Oregonian PILOT ROCK — The Umatilla Vikings boys basket- ball team has a special name for the full-contact practices coach Derrek Lete has been Boys Hoops putting them through this season. Umatilla “We call it the meat grinder,” said Vikings junior Seth Cranston. “There’s no Pilot Rock fouls, so we have to go up strong.” O n Wednesday night the Vikings put the Pilot Rock Rockets through the meat grinder for a 62-30 win in non-conference play. Even without its two most physical players Umatilla (5-2) was able to take control of the paint and force the Rockets’ shooters out to the perimeter, then crashed the boards as a unit to limit their looks. Pilot Rock (6-2) got the majority of its points on fast breaks or at the free throw line, and coach Mike Weinke said the loss felt like a step in the wrong direction despite playing up a classifi ca- tion against the Vikings. “We couldn’t get any offensive fl ow at all, and a lot of that had to do with the way that (Umatilla) played,” he said. “We didn’t match their intensity See PREPS/2B Hermiston handles Ashland at tourney East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris 62 30 CORVALLIS — Xavier Rambo scored 30 points and four Bull- dogs reached double digits as the Hermiston boys basketball made a serious run at 100 on Wednesday in a non-league game Boys Hoops against Ashland. Hermiston was in control the entire way of its 92-66 Ashland rout of the Rebels at the Crescent Valley Tournament, and also got big games from Chance Flores (18 points), Hunter Hermiston Walls (13 points) and Jordan Ramirez (11 points). Hermiston (7-2) found its groove right away and forced some early turnovers by Ashland (3-4) to help build a 21-9 lead after one quarter. “We got out and ran a little bit,” said Hermiston coach Casey Arstein. “The kids stepped up and did a better job of taking care of the ball and making better decisions on offense, and attacking the rim.” Arstein said guard Andrew James (6 points) was a key creator on offense for the Bulldogs, but with all their scoring the team lost focus on its defensive duties. Arstein said Ashland’s 66 points was far more than he found accept- able, and was due to several defen- sive lapses by the Bulldogs. However, he was happy with the team’s effort on the boards and said the game marked another step in the right direction for what he’s targeted as a key area they need to improve in before the start of league play. Hermiston’s next game is Friday at Kittitas (WA). ——— 66 92 NBA Barnes, Mavericks hold off Trail Blazers Lillard’s last-second shot no good By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press PORTLAND — Wesley Matthews spent enough time with Damian Lillard in Portland to know exactly what he was going to do in the waning seconds Wednesday night. “Dame to get the ball and Dame to shoot it,” Matthews said. The former Trail Blazers guard pressured Lillard into missing a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Dallas Mavericks held off a furious Portland rally for a 96-95 victory. “Obviously, I’ve been his team- mate so I know the kind of clutch gene he has,” said Matthews, who played in Portland from 2010-15. “We ended up getting the stop that we needed.” Harrison Barnes had 28 points and Deron Williams added 23 for the Mavericks, who led by 25 in the third quarter. Lillard fi nished with 29 points, including 20 in the third. It was Portland’s fourth straight loss. paces blowout victory AP Photo/Steve Dykes Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews, left, celebrates after Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard missed a last-sec- ond shot at the end of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016. Dallas won 96-95. The Blazers were slow to get going for the second of a back-to-back, but Lillard paced the comeback. His reverse layup pulled Portland to 88-82 with 6:31 remaining. Allen Crabbe pumped his fi st after his 3 with 2:42 left trimmed it to 90-88. After Williams’ jumper for the Mavericks, Al-Farouq Aminu made a 3 and the Blazers were back within two. The teams traded baskets but Dallas turned over the ball on a shot-clock violation leading 96-95 with 20.3 seconds to go. Lillard’s turnover on the other end gave it back to the Mavs, but Mason Dallas Portland 96 95 Plumlee grabbed Williams’ bad pass and Portland called a timeout with 9.8 seconds left. Then came Lillard’s fi nal attempt at the buzzer. “There’s nobody like Wes Matthews on defense at the end of the game,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “The guy’s unbelievable — one of the guys that really willed us to win.” Lillard said afterward that in the time it took to try and shake Matthews, the clock had run down and he was forced to shoot. But the star guard is confi dent the Blazers will pull out of the funk they’re in. “Our team has faith,” he said. “The best thing is we know we haven’t shown our best.” The Trail Blazers were coming off an emotional game the night before in Sacramento, where they lost 126-121. The Mavericks were again without Dirk Nowitzki because of See BLAZERS/2B AHS 9 23 21 13 — 66 HHS 21 31 21 19 — 92 ASHLAND — P. Fuller 18, J. Hansen 14, M. Pippa 11, A. Swanson 8, J. Atteberry 4, M. Ellis 4, C. Andrews 4, A, Jones 3, J. Wallner-Sentle, C. Jones, L. MacMillen, G. Ekwald. HERMISTON — X. Rambo 30, C. Flores 18, H. Walls 13, J. Ramirez 11, A. James 6, P. Wicks 5, T. Mc- Cullough 4, A. Earl 2, K. Moss 2, J. Hinkle 1, C. Ortiz, A. Mendez, C. Smith. 3-pointers — HHS 8; AHS 8. Free throws — HHS 14-17; AHS 8-13. Fouls — HHS 17; AHS 20. College Football Freeman to return for senior season By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press Oregon running back Royce Freeman says he’ll return to the Ducks for his senior year. Freeman, who was hampered by injuries this season, announced his decision through the school Wednesday. Left tackle Tyrell Crosby, sidelined for the season’s last nine games with a foot injury, went on social media to say he would See FREEMAN/2B Sports shorts Duke guard caught tripping again GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Duke guard Grayson Allen picked up a fi rst-half technical foul after appearing to trip an Elon player Wednesday night. Allen got tangled with a driving Steven Santa Ana on a foul and Santa Ana hit the fl oor. Offi cials reviewed replays that showed Allen kicking his right leg up and catching the back of Santa Ana’s left knee, leading to the technical with 4:15 Allen left. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski pulled Allen and he sat the rest of the half at one point standing with a towel around his neck and shaking his head as a timeout began. The Atlantic Coast Conference reprimanded Allen last season for tripping Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes in a game. That came roughly two weeks after Allen received a fl agrant foul for tripping Louisville’s Ray Spalding. “Growing up in the inner city, a lot of kids didn’t think reading was cool. I’m trying to show them that it is cool and the importance of growing and learning outside of their everyday lives, which is a lot of times sports. Sports are a lot of times our way out.” — C.J. McCollum Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard speaking about his efforts to promote education and literacy in Portland, which has earned him the NBA Cares Community Assist award for November. Police: Floyd’s blood-alcohol level nearly triple legal limit SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A police report released Wednesday says Patriots wide receiver Michael Floyd had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit when arrested on suspicion of driving under the infl uence and other charges earlier this month in Scottsdale, Arizona. Arizona’s legal limit for alcohol is .08; Floyd’s blood-alcohol level was measured at .217. Floyd played for the Arizona Cardinals at the time, but the team released him two days after his arrest. New England then claimed him off waivers. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Floyd was taken into custody early the morning of Dec. 12 after being found unconscious behind the wheel of his running Cadillac Escalade at an intersection in Scottsdale. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1894 — The United States Golf Association is founded, becoming the governing body for the game in the country. 1969 — Pete Maravich sets an NCAA record by hitting 30 of 31 foul shots, and scores 46 points to lead LSU to a 98-89 victory over Georgia. 2003 — Brett Favre passes for 399 yards and four touchdowns a day after his father dies, moving into second place in NFL history for career TD passes while leading the Green Bay Packers to a 41-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
