Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
BULLDOGS:
Continued from 1B
four championships in a
row and eight of the last nine
at the Class 5A level with the
exception of 2012, all while
undergoing three different
coaching changes.
“Once you kind of build
a reputation in your city and
people start to hear about it
you want to keep the talk up
and prove yourself going back
every year,” said Valen Wyse,
a senior and qualifier at 170
pounds. “So once we got a
name for ourself, I think the
coaching staff has done a good
job of pushing us to keep up
that tradition.”
Hermiston will be gunning
for its 11th state championship
starting this Friday at the
Veterans Memorial Coliseum
in Portland, though the road
won’t be easy. Just seven of
the 16 state qualifiers from the
2016 team returned this season,
and Hermiston qualified 14
total wrestlers this year —
third most in 5A behind Crater
(21) and Sandy (16). Those
numbers mean that Hermiston
already has its hands full before
the tournament even starts, and
will need exceptional perfor-
mances from all 14 wrestlers
in the championship bracket
and in the consolation rounds
to earn those precious bonus
points to boost their march
towards the title.
“Some guys are going to
have to wrestle over their head
at the state tournament,” Wyse
said, “but that’s what we’re
here for.”
Hermiston head coach
Kyle Larson said that he’s not
necessarily worried about the
numbers game, as much as he’s
focused on making sure his
guys wrestle hard and wrestle
well.
“Some years it makes
a difference, some years it
doesn’t. We’ve taken 18 to
the tournament and won state
titles, and we’ve had 11 and
won state titles,” Larson said.
“We just have to worry about
the things we can control and
score as many points as we can,
and that’s how we’re going to
win this tournament.”
Leading the charge for the
Bulldogs will be seniors Valen
Wyse and C.J. Hendon, who
are the lone two returning
state placers from 2016. Wyse,
the defending 152-pound
state champion, moved up to
170 pounds this season and
comes into the tournament off
a second consecutive district
title which helped him earn the
No. 1 seed in the state bracket.
Meanwhile, Hendon earned a
third place finish last season
and comes into the state tour-
nament with the No. 1 seed at
138 pounds.
Other returners with state
experience include Adrian Tuia
(No. 2 seed at 145), Julio Leiva
(No. 7 at 170), Joey Gutierrez
(No. 3 at 182), Kenny Bevan
(No. 5 at 220) and Beau Blake
(No. 5 at 285). All five wres-
tlers come in following top-2
finishes at districts and are
determined to turn in a much
better performance at state this
time around and Wyse said that
the key to victory starts with
those five.
“When we had to pull it
together as a team we did it at
the Oregon Classic Tournament
last month,” Wyse said. “So
if we can get that mojo going
again at the state tournament
and put it together, beat up on
people wrestle like bullies, it’s
definitely going to pay off for
us.”
Hermiston will finish up
their week of practice with
a light workout on Thursday
afternoon before packing up
and making the trek to Port-
land. Larson said that after a
real hard week of workouts
last week, this week has been
more focused on fine-tuning
techniques and making sure
the guys stay fresh enough
to wrestle at their best come
Friday.
“We
talked
(Monday)
about just getting on mat and
wrestling guy in front of you,”
Larson said. “It doesn’t matter
if he’s a Crater guy or a kid from
Bend or wherever, you step on
mat and wrestle as hard as you
can and give all effort you have
and the outcome will be there
at the end of the six minutes or
the end of the tournament with
the team points.
“I really feel the guys are
fired up and excited to get there
so I think we’re going to roll
in there and guys will compete
and give best effort for sure.”
—————
Contact Eric at esinger@
eastoregonian.com
or
541-966-0839. Follow him on
Twitter @ByEricSinger.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Men’s College Basketball
DUCKS:
Syracuse knocks off Duke
Associated Press
SYRACUSE, N.Y. —
John Gillon hit a 3-pointer
from the top of the key at
the buzzer, and Syracuse
upset No. 10 Duke 78-75
on Wednesday night as
the Orange kept alive their
postseason hopes.
Syracuse
(17-12,
9-7
Atlantic
Coast
Conference) had lost
three straight and needed
another signature victory
to go with its two top-10
No. 10 Duke Syracuse
75
78
wins to bolster its
resume for a berth in the
NCAA Tournament. The
Orange have two games
remaining, at Louisville
on Sunday and at home to
Georgia Tech on March 4.
Duke (22-6, 10-5
ACC) had won seven
straight and entered the
Continued from 1B
game tied for second in
the ACC with Louisville,
a game behind North
Carolina, which hosted
the
Cardinals
later
Wednesday night.
Gillon finished with
26 points and Tyus Battle
had 18 for Syracuse in a
game that featured 11 ties,
half of them in the closing
minutes.
Luke Kennard led
Duke with 23 points,
Jayson Tatum had 19
points and 13 rebounds.
Grant Mullins and Brooks
traded jumpers before Bird
missed a contested 3-pointer
with 28 seconds to go. Tyler
Dorsey hit one free throw
before Ivan Rabb tied the
game with a putback of his
own miss with 9.7 seconds
to play.
That set the stage for
Brooks, who hit the 3 that set
off a wild celebration for the
Ducks.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon: The Ducks
finished the season unde-
feated at home where they
have a nation’s best 42-game
winning streak. They need
to prove they can win
away from home if they
want to have success in the
postseason. This comeback
win was a start but the task
will only get tougher in the
Pac-12 and NCAA Tourna-
ments.
UP NEXT
Oregon: Visits Stanford
on Saturday.
California: Hosts Oregon
State on Friday.
WRESTLING: Holcomb heads Pendleton’s five competitors
Continued from 1B
Also going for Riverside are
senior Ruben Villa (285), juniors
Andrew Barker (120), Kevin
Altamirano (126), and freshmen
Fernando Ortega (106) and Jordy
Mendoza (220). Barker qualified
last season at 113 pounds but did
not place.
————
First round match-ups
106 - Fernando Ortega (R) vs. Ryan Penrose (Dayton);
120 - Andrew Barker (R) vs. No. 2 Isaiah Vazquez (Rain-
ier); 126 - Kevin Altamirano (Riv.) vs. No. 1 David Kerr
(La Pine); 132 - No. 1 Aristotle Rockwell (Riv.) vs. David
Katon (Rainier); 220 - Anthony Kernal (Riv.) advances
with bye; 220- Jordy Mendoza (Riv.) vs. No. 2 Chase
Onstot (Willamina); 285 - Ruben Villa (Riv.) vs. Beau
Reynolds (Warrenton).
Pendleton Buckaroos
Morgan Holcomb has been
arguably the best wrestler for the
Pendleton Buckaroos in recent
years, qualifying for the state tour-
nament in each of his four years at
the school.
But as good as he has been,
Holcomb has not yet been able to
get over the hump at state. He turned
in a third place finish as a freshman
at 120 pounds, failed to place as
a sophomore, and then another
third place finish as a junior at 145
pounds. Holcomb slots into the 160
pound bracket as the No. 2 seed this
year, hungry for the elusive state
championship after a dominant
37-3 campaign that included 23
victories by pin this year.
Also going at 160 pounds
for Pendleton is senior Scott
Chambers, who qualified for the
second-straight season with a third
place finish at districts. Chambers
is unseeded in the bracket, though
he is determined to turn in a much
better performance this year after
failing to place last season.
Alex Rendon has had a breakout
sophomore season for Pendleton,
going 32-2 at 132 pounds and
claiming the district title. Rendon
qualified for state as a freshman
last season, but did not place, and
is back this season as the No. 4 seed
EO file photo
Pendleton’s Morgan Holcomb, wrestling here at the 2016 state
tournament, is the No. 2 seed in the 5A 160 pound bracket.
in his bracket.
Jeff Kovach made the most of
his lone season as a Buckaroo, as
the transfer from Ontario came
one spot away from a district title
and earned his second career state
tournament berth. Kovach turned
in a 31-6 season, and will start the
138 pound bracket as the No. 6
seed. And the final competitor for
Pendleton is senior Josh Mendoza
(17-20), who is a replacement for
of Summit, making his first career
appearance at state.
————
First round match-ups
132 - No. 4 Alex Rendon (P) vs. Taylor Giltner (Sandy);
138 - No. 6 Jeff Kovach (P) vs. Evan Powell (Churchill);
160 - No. 2 Morgan Holcomb (P) vs. Kyle Hendrix
(North Eugene), Scott Chambers (P) vs. No. 8 Camer-
on Savage (Crater); 182 - Josh Mendoza (P) vs. Tanner
Sallee (Lebanon).
Mac-Hi Pioneers
The Pioneers fell short of
matching last year’s competitor
total of 12, but they still have an
impressive toal of eight wrestlers
that will be in Portland competing
for state championships this
weekend.
Five of those wrestlers were a
part of the Pioneers’ sixth-place
team finish last season, including
Riley Chester (No. 1 seed at 138
pounds), Kaden Kilburg (No. 4 at
170), Joshua Torres (No. 4 at 195),
Brandyn Chaney (No. 7 at 195),
and Spencer Wells (No. 2 at 220).
Chester is the team’s lone
returning placer with a fifth place
finish in his pocket, and as the No.
1 seed and a 22-7 record going into
the championships he is set up for
an even better finish. Also earning
a Top 2 seed in his class is heavy-
weight Donnie Clark, who rolled to
a 19-9 record and a district title to
earn his placing.
One wrestler to keep an eye on
is Jesse Jones at 106 pounds, who
compiled a 13-5 record and a No. 4
seed in his freshman season.
————
First round match-ups
106 - Jesse Jones (M) vs. David Villegas (Cascade);
138 - Riley Chester (M) vs. Cameron Crenshaw (South
Umpqua); 170 - No. 4 Kaden Kilburg (M) vs. Jarett
Gago (Molalla); 182 - Patton Wright (M) vs. Justin Self
(Henley); 195 - No. 4 Joshua Torres (M) vs. Zachary
Lepre (Sutherlin), No. 7 Brandyn Chaney (M) vs.
Dawson McKibbin (Tillamook); 220 - No. 2 Spencer
Wells (M) vs. Mario Hanson (Crook County); 285- No. 2
Donnie Clark (M) vs. Philip Hernandez (Marshfield).
Irrigon Knights
The move up to Class 3A did
wonders for the Irrigon Knights, as
a team that had just two state quali-
fiers one year ago is sending seven
competitors this year following a
third place team finish at the district
tournament.
None of the Knights earned
seedings due to the 3A seeding
only the top four in each weight
class, though that does not mean
the Knights lack any firepower
with its seven. Senior Jose Romero
compiled a 23-5 record this season
and finished third at districts as
did senior Franco Sanchez (18-9
at 160), while sophomore Brady
Harrington (13-7 at 170) and junior
Tucker McAllister (11-15 at 195)
earned second place finishes to earn
their spots.
Four Knights already find them-
selves in the quarterfinals before
the tournament even starts because
of byes, including Romero (138),
Aguilera (145), Sanchez (160) and
McAllister (195).
———
First round match-ups
138 - Jose Romero (I) bye to quarterfinals; 145 - Josh
Aguilera (I) bye to quarterfinals; 160 - Franco Sanchez
(I) bye to quarterfinals; 170 - Brady Harrington (I) vs.
Maxwell Castillo (De La Salle North Cath.), Colby Krogh
(I) vs. Sabino Corona (Dayton); 195 - Tucker McAllister
(I) bye to quarterfinals; 285 - Luke Meyers (I) vs. Aaron
Hiatt (Dayton).
HEPPNER/IONE
Heppner lost its dominant
lightweight wrestler to graduation
last year (Ryan Smith), but got a
surprising season from sophomore
Trevor Antonucci who turned in a
20-10 season and a state qualifica-
tion at 106 pounds in his first season
in the blue-and-gold. Antonucci will
start the state tournament unseeded,
where he will first face No. 3 seed
Kailia Jackson of Vernonia for a
spot in the quarterfinals.
Heppner’s best chance at state
championship success lies in the
195 pound bracket with Cord
Flynn. The senior was a state
runner-up a season ago, and steam-
rolled through his season to go 33-1
and won a district title to help earn
himself the No. 1 seed at state.
Flynn will start his journey
through the bracket against
Culver’s unseeded Cylus Hoke.
Flynn and Hoke met once prior this
season, where Flynn defeated Hoke
by 19-3 tech fall at the Jo-Hi Invite
semifinals on Jan. 6.
WIESE: Played a big part in the turnaround of women’s program
Continued from 1B
ment the following week, Oregon
State will likely host first-round
NCAA Tournament games as the
team looks to improve on last
season’s Final Four run.
When Oregon State hired Rueck
in 2010, the Beavers had seen a
mass exodus of players from a team
that dropped 17 straight games
the previous season. He was left
to build a Division I roster nearly
from scratch and held open tryouts
with the promise of walk-on status
and a chance at earning a scholar-
ship down the road.
The Beavers’ climb was steady
and in 2014 — Wiese’s sophomore
year — the team reached the
NCAA Tournament for the first
time in 18 years. After finishing a
then-school record 13-5 in Pac-12
play, the Beavers were runners-up
in the conference tournament and
advanced to the second round in
the Big Dance.
The next season, Oregon State
popped into the AP Top 25 for
the first time since 1996, won the
Pac-12 regular-season title to end
Stanford’s string of 14 seasons
with at least a share of it, and again
advanced to the second round in
the NCAAs.
Last year, the Beavers collected
a first-ever conference tournament
championship, and, of course, that
first Final Four appearance.
Wiese grabbed Rueck’s atten-
tion at Pinnacle High School
in Phoenix. She fell in love
with Corvallis and started as a
freshman. The next year, it became
clear to her that Rueck’s “vision”
was turning into reality.
“I think my favorite moment
was the first time we won the
Pac-12 regular-season champion-
ship. It was on our home floor, it
was my sophomore year and it was
senior day for Ali Gibson, who
was the lone senior at the time,”
she said. “Just to be able to get
that win on our floor in front of our
amazing fans — it was crazy and it
was loud. There were balloons and
confetti, and it really felt like we
were on track.”
The Beavers’ progress has been
incremental but striking. When
Wiese was a freshman, the team
was more likely to be rattled by
little things. Now they are much
more consistent.
“We’ve had to learn these
lessons throughout the years —
that you stay composed, you stay
poised, and you stick to what the
game plan is. You do that, and
you’ll be put in position to be
successful,” she said. “You might
not win every game, but you’ll be
in control.”
Behind the scenes, probably
the thing that stands out most
is that they’re all good friends.
Last season they binge-watched
the TV series “Grey’s Anatomy.”
This season they have gone to
the movies together a few times a
month. Two summers ago, Wiese
held the hand of teammate Breanna
Brown as she was baptized.
The Beavers lost two key players
from their Final Four team — Ruth
Hamblin and Jamie Weisner —
and expectations weren’t as high
this season. But Oregon State has
proven any doubters wrong.
“Sydney has really developed
into a bona fide All-American
player. Her 3-point shooting, her
passing, size, poise, IQ, leader-
ship and defense,” said Stanford
coach Tara VanDerveer, who has
watched Wiese develop over four
seasons. “She is the heart and soul
of the OSU team. This year she is
more impressive without Weisner
and Hamblin.”
Wiese said the team is using the
loss of Hamblin and Weisner as
motivation, showing that Oregon
State has enough pieces and
enough depth to be just as good
— not just this season but going
forward.
Likewise, Wiese said she hopes
she leaves the team in a better
place than when she arrived.
“This place has become my
home,” she said. “This is family to
me. I am so thankful and blessed
that this is the foundation for my
life going forward.”
SCOREBOARD
Local slate
PREP BOYS BASKETBALL
Today
Pendleton at Hood River, 7 p.m.
Friday
#9 Horizon Christian, Tualitin at #8 Uma-
tilla (Class 3A first round), 6 p.m.
#15 Oakland at #2 Stanfield (Class 2A
first round), 6 p.m.
#13 Irrigon at #4 Salem Academy (Class
3A first round), 7 p.m.
#13 Weston-McEwen at #4 Santiam
(Class 2A first round), 7 p.m.
Hermiston at Hood River, 7 p.m.
PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL
Today
Hood River at Pendleton, 7 p.m.
Friday
Hood River at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Saturday
#11 Grant Union at #6 Pilot Rock (Class
2A first round), 5 p.m.
#13 Weston-McEwen at #4 Faith Bible
(Class 2A first round), TBD
Nixyaawii vs. TBD (Class 1A second
round), TBD
Arlington vs. TBD (Class 1A second
round), TBD
PREP WRESTLING
Friday-Saturday
Hermiston, Pendleton, Mac-Hi, Irrigon,
Riverside, Heppner/Ione at OSAA State
Championships, 8:30 a.m.
COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL
Saturday
Wenatchee Valley at Blue Mountain,
4 p.m.
Corban at Eastern Oregon (CCC Tourna-
ment), 7 p.m.
COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Friday
Oregon Tech at Eastern Oregon (CCC
Tournament), 7 p.m.
Saturday
Wenatchee Valley at Blue Mountain,
2 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Friday
Columbia Basin at Blue Mountain, 11
a.m./2 p.m.
Sunday
Blue Mountain at Columbia Basin, 11
a.m./2p.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Friday
Eastern Oregon vs. Northwestern
Nazarene (at Nampa, ID), 1/3 p.m.
Saturday
Eastern Oregon vs. Northwest Naza-
rene (at Nampa, ID), 12/2 p.m.
Blue Mountain at Walla Walla, Noon/2
p.m.
Sunday
Walla Walla at Blue Mountain, Noon/2
p.m.
Prep Scores
BOYS BASKETBALL
Class 6A
Wilson 55, Lincoln 41
Jefferson 87, Roosevelt 72
Grant 89, Benson 72
Franklin 68, Cleveland 65
North Medford 65, South Medford 43
Westview 63, Oregon City 36
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Class 1A Playoffs
First round
Arlington 45, North Clackamas Christian
39
Powder Valley 60, South Wasco 20
Adrian 49, Joseph 47
Jordan Valley 50, Hosanna Christian 47
Elkton 53, Alsea 41
Willamette Valley Christian 73, Siletz
Valley 49
Country Christian 54, Perrydale 32
Class 5A
Dallas 80, Woodburn 9
Silverton 55, Crescent Valley 14
Corvallis 59, Central 44
Class 6A
Madison 50, Wilson 28
Forest Grove 46, Liberty 31
Basketball
NBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE
W
L
1. Cleveland
39 16
2. Boston
37 20
3. Washington
34 21
4. Toronto
33 24
5. Atlanta
32 24
6. Indiana
29 28
7. Chicago
28 29
8. Detroit
27 30
——
Milwaukee
25 30
Miami
25 32
Charlotte
24 32
New York
23 34
Philadelphia
21 35
Orlando
21 37
Brooklyn
9 47
Pct GB
.709 —
.649
3
.618
5
.579
7
.571 7½
.509 11
.491 12
.474 13
.455
.439
.429
.404
.375
.362
.161
WESTERN CONFERENCE
W
L Pct
1. Golden State 47
9 .839
2. San Antonio
43 13 .768
3. Houston
40 18 .690
4. L.A. Clippers 35 21 .625
5. Utah
35 22 .614
6. Memphis
34 24 .586
7. Oklahoma City 32 25 .561
8. Denver
25 31 .446
——
Sacramento
24 33 .421
14
15
15½
17
18½
19½
30½
GB
—
4
8
12
12½
14
15½
22
23½
Portland
23
New Orleans
23
Dallas
22
Minnesota
22
L.A. Lakers
19
Phoenix
18
———
Monday-Wednesday
No games scheduled.
33
34
34
35
39
39
.411 24
.404 24½
.393 25
.386 25½
.328 29
.316 29½
Today’s Games
Portland at Orlando, 4 p.m.
Charlotte at Detroit, 4:30 p.m.
Houston at New Orleans, 5 p.m.
New York at Cleveland, 5 p.m.
Denver at Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
Friday’s Games
Memphis at Indiana, 4 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia, 4 p.m.
Boston at Toronto, 5 p.m.
Dallas at Minnesota, 5 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m.
Miami at Atlanta, 5 p.m.
Phoenix at Chicago, 5 p.m.
Utah at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Brooklyn at Denver, 6 p.m.
San Antonio at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m.
NCAA
Men’s Top 25
Wednesday’s Games
No. 22 Butler 74, No. 2 Villanova 66
No. 3 Kansas 87, TCU 68
No. 6 Oregon 68, California 65
No. 8 North Carolina 74, No. 7 Louisville
63
Syracuse 78, No. 10 Duke 75
Providence 68, No. 23 Creighton 66
Minnesota 89, No. 24 Maryland 75
Thursday’s Games
No. 1 Gonzaga at San Diego, 7 p.m.
No. 4 Arizona vs. Southern Cal, 7 p.m.
No. 5 UCLA at Arizona State, 6 p.m.
No. 15 Cincinnati vs. Memphis, 4 p.m.
No. 16 Wisconsin at Ohio State, 6 p.m.
No. 20 Saint Mary’s at Pepperdine,
7 p.m.
Women’s Top 25
Wednesday’s Game
No. 1 UConn 90, No. 23 Temple 45
Thursday’s Games
No. 3 Mississippi State at No. 22
Kentucky, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Notre Dame vs. Boston College,
4 p.m.
No. 7 South Carolina at Texas A&M,
6 p.m.
No. 8 Stanford at No. 10 Oregon State,
8 p.m.
No. 8 Florida State vs. Pittsburgh, 4
p.m.
No. 11 Washington vs. Colorado, 8 p.m.
No. 14 Louisville vs. Virginia, 4 p.m.
No. 17 Miami at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m.
No. 18 N.C. State vs. North Carolina,
4 p.m.
No. 20 Syracuse vs. Wake Forest, 4
p.m.
No. 24 Missouri vs. Mississippi, 5 p.m.
No. 25 Michigan vs. Nebraska, 5 p.m.
Hockey
NHL
Wednesday’s Games
Edmonton 4, Florida 3
Washington 4, Philadelphia 1
Anaheim 5, Boston 3
Thursday’s Games
N.Y. Islanders at Montreal, 4:30 p.m.
Calgary at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m.
N.Y. Rangers at Toronto, 4:30 p.m.
Colorado at Nashville, 5 p.m.
Arizona at Chicago, 5:30 p.m.
Boston at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
Friday’s Games
Edmonton at Washington, 4 p.m.
Calgary at Florida, 4:30 p.m.
Ottawa at Carolina, 4:30 p.m.
Arizona at Dallas, 5:30 p.m.