Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Friday, March 3, 2017
2A State Tournament
1A State Tournament
Trojans close out Prospectors
Honkers upset Eagles
Kennedy beats Grant
Union to reach
semifinals
East Oregonian
BAKER CITY — The
Arlington girls basketball
team came into the Class
1A postseason with a No.
12 seed attached to its
name, effectively telling
the team that there were 11
teams better than them in
the tournament.
But the Honkers do not
believe that, and their game
play has shown that.
After taking down the
No. 5 seed in the second
round on Saturday, the
Honkers took on the No. 4
seed Damascus Christian
in the quarterfinals on
Thursday afternoon and
held on for a 44-42 upset
victory. The win sends the
Honkers into the state semi-
finals where they will face
the No. 1 seed Nixyaawii
Golden Eagles on Friday
at 1:30 p.m. at Baker High
School.
Arlington (21-6) had
a balanced scoring effort
in the game, as three
players — Megan Hauner,
Shelby Collins and Emily
Kirby — each contributed
10 points. Collins chipped
in her 10 points on a perfect
5-5 shooting with eight
rebounds, while Kirby shot
By MATT ENTRUP
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — After losing its
last two games of the regular season
and its league championship, defending
2A girls basketball state champion
Kennedy knew it needed to do a better
job in the fourth quarter if it was going
to reach its season’s ultimate goal.
The extra work seemed to pay off
on Thursday in the state quarterfinals
as the No. 3 Trojans
were able to close out Basketball
No. 11 Grant Union
44-33 at Pendleton
Convention Center.
Kennedy
Kennedy (16-10)
rebuffed a five-point
surge by Grant
Union (15-7) to start
the fourth quarter,
and outscored them
10-5 over the final Grant Union
5:30 while shooting
3-of-5 from the field
and 6-of-9 at the free
throw line.
“That’s something we’ve been
working on a lot, trying to get through
the fourth-quarter pushes,” said
Kennedy co-coach Peter Hall, whose
team brings back two starters from its
title run. “Like Grant Union we’re kind
of young, so it’s kind of like, ‘Ok girls,
lets learn, finish this game, and if we
can, move on.’”
“I could tell as soon as the tip-off
went that we were all ready and playing
relaxed,” said Kalyssa Kleinschmit,
who led Kennedy with 13 points.
“We’re really working on the hustle
plays and not giving up and just
controlling the momentum and the pace
from our side.”
Grant Union had earned its spot
in the Elite Eight with a hot-shooting
performance just down the road in Pilot
Rock that saw them sink four three-
pointers in the first quarter, but the
Prospectors couldn’t find their touch in
the airy convention center.
They went 0-for-4 from distance in
the first quarter, and missed their first
seven threes before Mariah Moulton
finally hit one with 5:45 left in the
game. They finished 1-for-13.
“I think the biggest thing was
Kennedy did a good job of spreading
us out a little bit, taking those looks
away, and we just didn’t shoot the ball
well,” said Grant Union coach Mark
Mosley. “We’re kind of one of those
teams where if we start well and we’re
shooting the ball then you better look
out. Unfortunately tonight it just wasn’t
there. … It comes with being young,
but it’s a great learning experience.”
Grant Union shot 11-for-37 (29.7
percent) from the field for the game,
44
33
Basketball
Arlington
Damascus
44
42
5-9 and also snagged eight
boards.
As a team Arlington shot
41 percent from the floor
(21-51), while Damascus
Christian shot 34 percent
(17-50) overall and just
2-17 from 3-point range.
Damascus
Christian
(23-2) took advantage to
start the game, holding a
15-10 lead at the end of
the first quarter and then
a 23-16 lead at halftime.
But in the third quarter the
Honkers flipped the table
and outscored Damascus
Christian 14-4 to hold a
30-27 lead at the end of the
third.
Damascus eventually
tied the game up at 34-34
with 5:43 left to play in the
game, but then a jumper
from Collins gave the
Honkers the lead for good
with 4:45 left.
————
AHS
10 6 14 14 — 44
DC
15 8
4 15 — 42
ARLINGTON — M. Hauner 10, E.
Kirby 10, S. Collins 10, R. McClure 6, J.
Patnode 4, S. Grady 4, H. Davidson.
DAMASCUS CHRISTIAN — N. Manning
18, T. Webb 9, A. Paullin 8, S. Sullivan 7, F.
Richards, A. Love.
3-pointers — AHS 1, DC 2. Free throws
— AHS 1-9, DC 6-11. Fouls — AHS 15,
DC 17.
NIXYAAWII: Both teams
struggled from the field
Continued from 1B
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Grant Union’s Whitney McClellan (24) drives toward the basket as Molly
Jaeger (14), of Kennedy, attempts to get in the way Thursday night during
a OSAA 2A state basketball championship quarterfinal game at the Pend-
leton Convention Center.
and Kennedy was a little more settled at
15-for-37 (40.5 percent).
Kaylin Cantu added 10 points, seven
rebounds and four steals for Kennedy,
and Molly Jaeger had six points and
four assists.
Grant Union was led by Moulton
with 11 points, and Madi McKrola
added eight points and seven rebounds.
Hallie Wright chipped in five points and
five steals.
The closest Grant Union got in the
second half was when Wright scored
on a layup to make it 22-19 with 5:28
left in the third quarter. It capped an
8-0 run by the Prospectors that also
featured jumpers from Moulton and
Trinity Hutchison, who added a pair
free throws.
But Cantu answered with a three-
point play when she was fouled in the
paint, and Jaeger turned a Grant Union
turnover into two points the other way
to make it 27-19 with 3:43 left. Grant
Union never got closer than six the rest
of the way.
The win moves Kennedy into the
semifinals for a rematch with Western
Mennonite, who beat them 43-36 for
the Tri-River Conference title on Feb.
18. Their rematch tips off at 6:30 p.m. at
the convention center.
Grant Union play East Linn Christian
in an elimination game at 10:45 a.m. at
Pendleton High School.
———
GU
8 2 13 10 — 33
KHS
12 8 12 12 — 44
GRANT UNION — M. Moulton 11, T. Hutchison 8, M. McK-
rola 8, H. Wright 5, W. McClellan 1, K. Wright, J. Rude.
KENNEDY — K. Kleinschmit 13, K. Cantu 10, M. Jaeger 6,
H. Arritola 4, C. Traeger 4, S. Carley 3, I. Gomez 2, K. Brown
2, A. Frey.
3-pointers — GU 1; KHS 0. Free throws — GU 10-16; KHS
14-18. Fouls — GU 13; KHS 12.
Prep Basketball
Smith, Juul lead CRC all-league selections
Pendleton teams
combine for eight
selections
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
Columbia River Conference
belonged to the Pendleton
Buckaroos in 2017, as the
Buckaroos boys and girls
captured league champion-
ships.
When
the
league’s
coaches voted on the all-con-
ference teams this week the
Buckaroos were well repre-
sented, leading the way with
a combined eight selections
on both teams. On top of
that, boys head coach Kyle
Tedder and girls head coach
Kevin Porter were named the
league’s top coaches.
On the boys side, Pendle-
ton’s senior star Caden Smith
was named the league’s
Player of the Year for the
second consecutive season,
as he carried the load as
the team’s go-to scorer and
guided his Buckaroos to a
perfect 9-0 mark in CRC
play. It also marks the third
year in a row that Smith
landed on the all-league first
team.
Joining Smith on the
first team roster was senior
forward Johnny Stuvland
and senior wing Wyatt
Morris, while junior point
guard Shaw Jerome landed
on the second team.
Hermiston
followed
up Pendleton with three
selections, as senior guards
Xavier Rambo and Chance
Flores each brought home
first team honors, and senior
sharpshooter Hunter Walls
Arlington moves on
to state semifinals
Savannah
Stephens
paced Powder Valley (21-6)
with 15 points, Hallie Feik
added 10 points and nine
rebounds, and Samantha
Kerns had seven points and
12 rebounds.
The
lead
touched
double-digits twice in the
first half, but throughout the
game the Badgers would
answer with little runs and
didn’t trail by more than 10
until the final 30 seconds
of the game. They pulled
within 26-22 when Feik
scored on a fast break with
1:58 left until halftime,
but Schimmel hit a couple
free throws and Sunshine
Fuentes scored on a jumper
to get the lead back to seven
by halftime.
The third quarter was
low-scoring as each team
managed just five points,
and Stewart and Schimmel
each had steals and layups
to make sure Nixyaawii
stayed out in front going
into the fourth at 35-28.
The
teams
traded
baskets to start the fourth
and Powder Valley pulled
within six with just under
four minutes to play when
Stephens hit a three-pointer
to make it 43-37.
That was as close as they
would get the rest of the
way though, and Schimmel
took a steal the other way
for layup, Kaitlynn Melton
hit a jumper in the paint, and
the Badgers were 1-for-5
TIGERS:
Continued from 1B
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Hermiston’s Maddy Juul
was named Columbia Riv-
er Conference girls Player
of the Year by the league’s
coaches on Thursday.
and junior point guard Hallie
Porter on second team. It’s
the second-straight year
making the all-league team
for Greb and McGlothan.
————
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton’s Caden Smith was named Columbia River
Conference boys Player of the Year for the second con-
secutive season by the league’s coaches on Thursday.
brought home second team
honors. It’s the second-
straight year that Flores
finished on the first team
all-league.
On the girls side of things,
Hermiston junior forward
Maddy Juul earned her first
career Player of the Year
honor and her second consec-
utive first team all-league
selection, after she stepped
into Hermiston’s go-to
scoring role with her athlet-
icism and skill inside. Juul
was accompanied by team-
mate Kynzee Padilla on the
first team all-league roster,
as well as freshman guard
Jazlyn Romero and senior
guard Rileigh Andreason on
the second team.
Pendleton also had four
selections, led by junior
workhorse Kalan McGlothan
and Haley Greb on the first
team, followed by junior
forward Maureen Davies
All-Columbia River Conference
Boys
Player of the Year — Caden Smith, sr.,
Pendleton
Coach of the Year — Kyle Tedder,
Pendleton
First team
Caden Smith, sr., Pendleton
Xavier Rambo, sr., Hermiston
Dakota Murr, jr., The Dalles
Johnny Stuvland, sr., Pendleton
Chance Flores, sr., Hermiston
Wyatt Morris, sr., Pendleton
Second team
Dakota Kurahara, jr., Hood River Valley
Shaw Jerome, jr., Pendleton
Eric Flores, sr., The Dalles
JJ Mears, jr., Hood River Valley
Hunter Walls, sr., Hermiston
Carson Flores, soph, Hood River Valley
Girls
Player of the Year — Maddy Juul, jr.,
Hermiston
Coach of the Year — Kevin Porter,
Pendleton
First team
Maddy Juul, jr., Hermiston
Kynzee Padilla, sr., Hermiston
Kalan McGlotahn, jr., Pendleton
Haley Greb, sr., Pendleton
Kailin Hoylman, sr., The Dalles
Brooke McCall, sr., The Dalles
Second team
Jazlyn Romero, fr., Hermiston
Rileigh Andreason, sr., Hermiston
Jodi Thomasian, jr., The Dalles
Maureen Davies, jr., Pendleton
Emily Curtis, soph., Hood River Valley
Hallie Porter, jr., Pendleton
Woods said. “We got a few
turnovers and turned them
into points, and I think that
was a turning point for
us to be able to keep the
lead.”
The Warriors did give
the Tigers another run early
in the fourth quarter to cut
the lead to nine points
twice at 53-44 with 3:41
left to play, but soon after
it was evident that fatigue
had set in. Oakridge had
two players at 30-plus
minutes, while Stanfield
had just one player
(Grogan) that played more
than 24 minutes.
“That’s the biggest
factor for us moving
forward,” senior Jose
Garcia said of Stanfield’s
endurance. “Earlier this
year Enoel (Angel) said
we had to ‘Trust the
Process’ and this is the
process right here and it’s
going good for us.”
Dylan Grogan led the
Tigers in scoring with a
game-high 20 points with
six rebounds and six steals,
while Garcia followed up
with 13 points and Ryan
Bailey had 12. Woods
was also a key contributor
from field in the final three
minutes to seal the game.
Both teams struggled
from the field as Nixy-
aawii was 19-for-57 (33.3
percent)
and
Powder
Valley was 14-for-58 (24.1
percent).
Powder Valley won the
rebounding battle 52-38 and
had 20 offensive boards,
which was one thing that
concerns Maddern going
into the semifinals against
an active No. 12 Arlington
team that scored 19 second-
chance points in its 44-42
win over No. 4 Damascus
Christian.
“They’re
obviously
having a pretty good year
and they have a couple
pretty good players and I
think they match up well
with us,” Maddern said.
“One thing I’m impressed
with them is they just
get after it with offensive
rebounds. That’s something
that I’m concerned for us
because we didn’t rebound
very well.”
Nixyaawii and Arlington
tip-off in the their semifinal
game at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
The game will be broadcast
on the radio by KCUW
104.3 FM.
———
PV
10 13
5 11 — 39
NCS
13 17
4 14 — 49
POWDER VALLEY — S. Stephens 15,
H. Feik 10, K. Williams 7, S. Kerns 7, M.
Hufford, M. Bingham, L. Nedrow.
NIXYAAWII — M. Stewart 20, M.
Schimmel 17, K. Melton 5, E. Looney 3,
S. Fuentes 2, T. Melton 2, S. Fitzpatrick,
E. Butler, K. Mountainchief.
3-pointers — PV 6; NCS 3. Free throws
— PV 5-12; NCS 8-13. Fouls — PV 15;
NCS 16.
for Stanfield, with eight
points, three boards and
three blocks.
Bailey
said
that
continuing to have that
kind of balance on the score
sheet will be important for
the Tigers for the rest of
the tournament.
“Dylan (Grogan) some-
times packs a lot of the
load but it’s nice to take
it off of him,” Bailey said.
“Once teams start focusing
on him, the other guys are
going to have to come
through and we definitely
can. We have a team full of
guys that can take over the
game.”
Snyder
was
the
Warriors’ leading scorer
with 22 points, while
Jonathan
Ncheckwube
followed with 13 to go
with 12 rebounds and five
blocks. Oakridge finished
the game with 23 turn-
overs, and shot 35 percent
(20-57) from the floor.
————
OHS
12 15
6 15 — 48
SHS
18 13 18 10 — 59
OAKRIDGE — J. Snyder 22, J. Nche-
kwube 13, D. Kirkhart 9, M. Nchekwube
2, P. White 2, C. Gregor, M. Powell.
STANFIELD — D. Grogan 20, J. Garcia
13, R. Bailey 12, B. Woods 8, T. Flores 3,
T. Monkus 2, E. Angel 1, J. Galarza, D.
Allan, E. Esquivel, A. Gomez, N. Sanchez.
3-pointers — OHS 3, SHS 4. Free
throws — OHS 5-8, SHS 13-20. Fouls —
OHS 19, SHS 13.