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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2017)
SPORTS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS HERMISTON Dawgs move to Round 1 after play-in victory BOYS SOCCER Bulldogs splits doubleheader, only one team advances to state tournament Milwaukie Hermiston 1 3 By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ East Oregonian HERMISTON — After pulling off a hat trick on senior night, Joel Mendez was feeling good. And so was the rest of the Hermiston boys soccer team. The Bulldogs ended their regular season with a commanding 8-0 win over Pendleton on Tuesday, and had to prepare for a quick turnaround to keep their season alive. The play-in game at Kennison Field on Saturday did just that. Hermiston hosted Milwaukie for a win or go home match up, and defeated the Mustangs 3-1. The physical match once again showed off the talent of Mendez, as he was responsible for two of the three goals en route to the victory. “It’s the strikers instinct and he’s always had that,” head coach Rich Harshberger said of Mendez. “I look back, and he hasn’t always gotten the most minutes through his sophomore and junior year but he has scored some big goals for us over the years, tonight not the least of any of them. “It’s just that strikers instinct that you can’t train,” he continued. “You can’t teach somebody to do that. They just have to know where to be, know what to expect from their teammates and fortunately these guys have been playing together for a long time so they know what to expect from each other.” Hermiston’s chemistry on the pitch was noticeable from the start of play to the fi nal buzzer. The Bulldogs had their fi rst look at goal almost immediately, but a tough Milwaukie defense broke up one of Hermiston’s many chances at a goal. Minutes later Mendez was in traffi c inside the goal area when a cross came his way. With three defenders on him he managed to head the ball just outside of the goalies reach for his fi rst score of the night in the ninth minute. Hermiston entered halftime with a 1-0 lead. After the break, Mendez knocked in another one. This time he slide the ball into the net to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 2-0. There was no shortage of shots on goal for Hermiston in the second half, but it would take nearly the rest See DAWGS/3B Staff photo by Kathy Aney Hermiston’s Joel Mendez (7) gets ready to change direction as Mil- waukie’s Alex Valyavskiy (19) heads the ball Saturday at Kennison Field. Pro Basketball Saturday Prep Roundup Heppner sweeps its way through Round 1 Toronto downs Portland Mustangs survive while other local schools cut postseason runs short East OREGONIAN REEDSPORT — The Heppner Mustangs entered the fi rst round of the 2A Volleyball State Tournament after not-so-hot performance in the Columbia Basin Conference district tournament. But Heppner didn’t sweat it, and went to town against the Reedsport Braves. The Mustangs (19-8) VOLLEYBALL won in straight sets (27-25, 25-21, 25-20) on the road. “I am very proud of my team’, head coach Mindy Wilson said. “They had to make some adjustments, Heppner which is to be expected. The gym was loud and they had to fi gure out how to be loud too. Them being able to overcome all those little obstacle, shows the growth of this team.” The Braves (14-10) Reedsport didn’t make it easy but an all around team effort pushed Heppner past Reedsport. Morgan Correa led the offense with 10 kills, and recorded two blocks. Nicole Propheter also had an impressive night at the net with seven kills. The defensive efforts were lead by Sydney Wilson, who fi nished the day with 31 digs. Play from the service line also aided in the Mustang’s sweep. Three players came out of the match with perfect serving records. Jaycee Currie and Sophie Grant went 10-for-10 and Madison Combe was 13-for-13. Currin also led the team with 18 assists. “The team support is phenomenal,” Wilson said, “and I couldn’t ask for a better team to take to the State Tournament.” Heppner will play Culver on Nov. 3 at Ridgeview High School in Redmond. The match will begin at 8 a.m. on Court 1. The Mustangs will get a chance to redeem themselves against the Bulldogs, who deliv- ered the sweep in the CBC district tournament. 3 AP Photo/Steve Dykes Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan drives to the basket on Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard during the fi rst quarter of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Monday. DeRozan adds 25 to pull Raptors ahead of Blazers By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press PORTLAND — DeMar DeRozan had 25 points and the shorthanded Toronto Raptors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 99-85 on Monday night. The Blazers were foiled at home by a cold second quarter with just six total points and Toronto went on to lead by as many as 26. The win extended the Raptors’ winning streak over Portland to fi ve straight games. Damian Lillard had a season-high 36 points for the Blazers, who got within 13 in the fi nal quarter. CJ McCollum, who had scored 20 or more points in each of Portland’s fi rst six games this season, had 16. Kyle Lowry added a season-high 19 points and NBA Toronto Portland 99 85 added 10 rebounds for the Raptors. Toronto was without center Serge Ibaka, who is averaging 15 points a game this season, because of swelling in his right knee. The knee started to bother him following a victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles on Friday. Jacob Poetl took his place in the starting lineup. The Raptors also missed Jonas Valanciunas for a fourth straight game with a left ankle sprain. DeRozan had 15 points in the fi rst quarter and the teams were knotted at 29 going into the second. DeRozan led the Raptors with 24 points in the 101-92 victory over the Lakers. The Blazers went cold in the second quarter. Really cold. They went 0-for-16 from the fi eld until Evan Turner’s layup with 5 seconds left before the half. Portland’s other four points in the quarter came from free throws and the Raptors led 54-35 at the break. The Blazers’ six total points were a franchise low for the second quarter. Lillard hit a pair of consec- utive 3-pointers and a layup in the third quarter, but the Blazers couldn’t make up much ground. The Raptors led 81-61 going into the fi nal period. Portland went on a 10-5 run to open the fourth and close the gap to 86-71 with 8:55 left. Lillard added a 16-footer to cut the margin to 13. Portland was coming off a 114-107 win at home over the Suns on Saturday. TIP INS Raptors: It was the fourth game of a season-long six game road trip for Toronto. ... The Raptors won both games against the Blazers last season. Trail Blazers: Portland’s lowest point total for any quarter is fi ve points. ... It was the last of a four-game home stand for the Blazers. ... Meyers Leonard is currently out because of right lateral ankle sprain. UP NEXT Toronto plays the Nuggets in Denver on Wednesday. The Trail Blazers visit the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. 0 SANDY 3, PENDLETON 0 — Pendleton fought to keep its postseason hopes alive, but ultimately came up short against Sandy on the road. The Pioneers complete the sweep (25-16, 25-17, 25-23) to knock the Buckaroos out of the 5A state championships. See ROUNDUP/3B Sports shorts Seahawks land needed LT, after sending Lane to Texans RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks have solidifi ed a big area of concern by reaching agreement to acquire veteran left tackle Duane Brown from the Houston Texans for cornerback Jeremy Lane and two draft picks. Seattle general manager John Schneider confi rmed the sides reached agreement on the deal on Monday, but the deal had not been fully fi nalized yet. The agreement happened a day before the NFL trading deadline. Brown made his season debut Lane for the Texans on Sunday against the Seahawks after a lengthy holdout in search of a new contract. Brown played 68 of 71 snaps for the Texans in Sunday’s 41-38 loss to Seattle. Brown is an immediate upgrade for Seattle. The Seahawks have limped along with backup Rees Odhimabo stepping in at left tackle after George Fant was lost for the season to a major knee injury suffered in the preseason. “I told coach, ‘Hey, man, I want to be part of what you’ve got going on. I know it’s going to be special.’ And that’s what’s happening. I’m proud of the success we’ve had as a team. And it doesn’t surprise me one bit where we stand.” — Leonard Johnson Buffalo Bills conerback said of the team’s 5-2 start under fi rst-year head coach Sean McDermott Chiefs force 5 turnovers, beat Broncos 29-19 The Kansas City Chiefs proved Monday night they can play a little defense, too. The same group that struggled to contain the Steelers and Raiders in back-to-back losses shut down Denver, picking off Trevor Siemian three times, picking up two fumbles and taking one of them back for a touchdown in a 29-19 victory over their AFC West rivals. It was precisely the kind of dominant performance the Chiefs (6-2) needed against the Broncos (3-4), whose own league-leading defense held Alex Smith and Co. in check all night. Harrison Butker kicked fi ve fi eld goals for Kansas City, and Smith threw for 202 yards and a touchdown. Most of it went to Travis Kelce, who hauled in seven balls for 133 yards and the score. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1950 Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitols becomes the fi rst African-American to play in an NBA game. 1998 Tee Martin of Tennessee, sets NCAA records with 23 straight completions and 24 over two games in the No. 3 Volunteers’ 49-14 victory over South Carolina. 2004 The New England Patriots lose for the fi rst time in more than a year, falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-20. The Patriots had won 21 straight games, including the playoffs, and a league-record 18 in a row in the regular season. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com
