SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017
1B
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OSAA
in
Trail Blazers control Lakers
need of
another
revamp?
NBA
Some proposed changes
could negatively affect
smaller local teams
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum, right, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young defends during the second
half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, in Los Angeles. The Trail Blazers won 108-87.
Portland gets 10th straight win over Los Angeles
Portland
Trail Blaz-
ers guard
Damian
Lillard, cen-
ter, shoots
as Los
Angeles Lak-
ers guard
Marcelo
Huertas,
right, de-
fends and
forward
Julius Ran-
dle watches
during the
second half
of an NBA
basketball
game, Tues-
day, Jan. 10,
2017, in Los
Angeles. The
Trail Blazers
won 108-87.
By STEVE DILBECK
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — If there’s a mystery to it, the Los Angeles
Lakers can’t solve it. They can only seem to repeat the same story
over and over.
Play the Portland Trail Blazers, lose to the Portland Trail
Blazers.
It happened yet again, with the Blazers using
a dominant third quarter to defeat the Lakers for
the 10th consecutive time, 108-87 on Tuesday
Portland
night.
The Blazers trailed by two to start the
second half, but held the Lakers to 21.7 percent
shooting (5 of 23) and blocked four shots in the
third quarter, outscoring Los Angeles 23-12.
“I’m still trying to fi gure out exactly what
happened in the second half,” Lakers coach Los Angeles
Luke Walton said. “I was shocked.”
C.J. McCollum led the Blazers with 25
points, but Damian Lillard sparked the third-
quarter rally. After starting the game 0 for 8 from the fi eld,
Lillard scored 11 points in the third, perhaps inspired by a double
technical on him and Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell when they
exchanged brief but heated words.
“Don’t poke the bear,” said Portland forward Maurice Hark-
less, who had 14 points. “Let him sleep.”
After scoring 31 points in the second quarter, the Lakers
managed only 30 more in the second half.
“I really didn’t recognize that team,” Walton said.
See BLAZERS/2B
108
87
AP Photo/Mark J.
Terrill
From its founding in a one-class system
under the Oregon State High School
Athletic Association title in 1918 to the
present day stance as a six-class system as
the Oregon School Activities Association,
the prep sports landscape has had many
different appearances.
Another change is coming soon to the
OSAA that could have a large impact on
several local schools.
Beginning in October,
the OSAA’s reclassifi ca-
tion committee started
re-evaluating member
schools and drafting
proposals for the 2018-
2022 time block and
an updated six-class proposal and a new
fi ve-class proposal are both on the table.
According to a report by The Oregonian/
OregonLive, several larger school repre-
sentatives are in favor of the fi ve-class
model, while the majority of smaller
schools are in favor of staying the course
with the six-class system.
Weston-McEwen athletic director
Shawn White spoke at the reclassifi cation
committee’s previous meeting in mid-De-
cember as a representative of all 2A
schools in Eastern Oregon in opposition
of the fi ve class model. White said that he
and the other athletic directors in the area
were in unanimous agreement that the fi ve
class model would create some confl ict.
“Our current system works well, it’s
not broken so no need to fi x it,” White said
on Tuesday. “Our real complaint for the
fi ve classes is it doesn’t really change the
larger school divisions, just moves a few
around for some more desirable leagues,
and instead adds roughly 20 of the 3A
schools into the 2A, which brings up a lot
of fairness and imbalance concerns.”
Also on the table for committee
discussion is a football-only classifi cation
separate from either proposal. It’s an idea
that’s been widely supported by athletic
directors and school offi cials from across
the state, including White.
See OSAA/2B
NFL
Seahawks headed back to Atlanta where loss still lingers
Prosise returns
to practice
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. —
Four years ago, the Seattle
Seahawks walked out of
Atlanta after a defi ning
moment that shaped what has
taken place since.
A 30-28 loss to the
Falcons in the divisional
round of the NFC playoffs
stung and lingered.
To this day it’s still a
touchy subject after Seattle
was unable to hold on to the
lead in the fi nal 30 seconds.
But that loss also became
the foundation for two NFC
championships, a Super
Bowl title and two more
playoff appearances.
And while the people
involved have changed
signifi cantly since that game,
the circumstances are just as
meaningful for Seattle when
it travels to Atlanta for a divi-
sional round playoff game on
Saturday.
Except instead of trying
to create the foundation of
being among the elite, Seattle
is trying to prove it still is
among the elite in the NFC.
NFC Divisional Playoffs
Seattle
Atlanta
Seahawks
Falcons
(10-5-1)
(11-5)
• Saturday, 1:35 p.m.
• at Georgia Dome, Atlanta
• TV: FOX
“It’s one of those games,”
Seattle coach Pete Carroll
said Tuesday of the loss in
January 2013. “It’s one of
those games you store away,
but it doesn’t have anything
to do with what’s going on
now.”
Seattle was an upstart
during the 2012 season.
Led by then-rookie quar-
terback Russell Wilson, the
Seahawks earned a wild-card
spot in the NFC and knocked
off Washington in the
opening round.
Against Atlanta, the No. 1
seed in the NFC that season,
Seattle appeared outclassed,
falling behind 20-0 at half-
time and 27-7 entering the
fourth quarter.
That’s when Wilson
pulled off one of his greatest
rallies to date, leading Seattle
on three fourth-quarter
touchdown drives to take a
28-27 lead with 31 seconds
See SEAHAWKS/2B
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson stretch-
es at the start of practice Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, in
Renton, Wash. The Seahawks are scheduled to play the
Atlanta Falcons in an NFL football NFC playoff game
Saturday in Atlanta.
Sports shorts
Bull riding star found dead at 25
The world of professional rodeo is mourning
the loss of one its brightest young stars with the
unexpected passing of bull rider Ty Pozzobon at
age 25 on Monday.
A report from the Calgary Herald said
Pozzobon, the 2016 Professional
Bull Riders Canada champion
and four-time PBR world fi nalist,
was back home visiting family
in Merritt, British Columbia, and
working cattle while recovering
from a hand injury.
Pozzobon
No cause of death has been
released, but the Herald report said
foul play is not suspected and the coroner is
investigating.
Pozzobon competed in Pendleton and scored
87 points to fi nish second in the fi rst round at
the Pendleton PBR Classic this past Round-Up,
and had a career earnings of more than $250,000
during his eight-year career.
“I think I’m changing the
game. In that sense, I’m
what Steph Curry is to
basketball. Don’t get me
wrong, I don’t necessarily
think Steph Curry is
the best player, but he
changed the game so he’s
going to always go down
as being remembered.“
— Le’Veon Bell
The Pittsburgh Steelers running back
that believes he is leading a position
revolution with his patientience, sim-
ilar to the way Curry changed the
NBA with the 3-point emphasis.
EOU men leap into NAIA Top 5
LA GRANDE — For the fi rst time in
nearly three years, the Eastern Oregon men’s
basketball team has a top fi ve ranking beside
it’s name.
The NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll released
on Tuesday afternoon slotted the
Mountaineers in the No. 5 spot,
up 11 spots from the last ranking
in December. EOU now sits at
15-2 overall this season and are
riding a 10-game win streak overall and has
won each of its fi rst eight games in Cascade
Collegiate Conference play.
Most recently, EOU defeated Warner Pacifi c
(99-79) and Multnomah (91-71) at home over
the weekend.
The Mountaineers are the only CCC team in
the Top 25, though Northwest and Oregon Tech
each received votes. Sitting ahead of EOU are
No. 1 Cornerstone, No. 2 Union, No. 3 Saint
Francis, and No. 4 Northwestern.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1973 — The American
League adopts the designated
hitter rule.
1987 — Denver’s John
Elway leads the Broncos to a
23-20 overtime victory over
the Cleveland Browns to win
the AFC title. Elway caps
a 15-play, 98-yard march
with a 5-yard TD pass to tie
the game with 37 seconds
remaining. Denver would
win in overtime.
2009 — Philadelphia
eliminates the New York
Giants 23-11 to reach the
NFC title game for the fi fth
time in eight seasons. This is
the fi rst game in NFL history
to fi nish 23-11.
Contact us at 541-966-0838 or
sports@eastoregonian.com