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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 2017)
SPORTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2017 1B FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS Prep Football Five Bulldogs, four Buckaroos land on all-state teams All fi ve Dawgs earn fi rst team recognition By ERIC SINGER East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Hermiston quarterback Andrew James splits Churchill defend- ers Jax Arnold (12) and Kannon Ruano in the 5A state champi- onship game in Hillsboro. James is one of fi ve Bulldogs to earn all-state honors. As a junior, Hermiston’s Dayshawn Neal burst onto the prep scene as one of the top wide receivers in the state of Oregon. He capped that year with a second team all-state selection, but already knew what his goal was for his senior year with the Bulldogs. “I’m honored (for second team),” Neal told the East Oregonian last year, “but at the same time that sets a new goal for me for next season, gotta get that fi rst team.” Neal followed through on his goal this fall and showed again that he was one of the best athletes in 5A football, and the coaches agreed. On Wednesday, Neal was selected to the fi rst team all-state as a receiver and a defensive back after grabbing 70 receptions for 1,118 yards and 17 touchdowns on offense and 62 tackles with four interceptions on defense. He is one of fi ve Bulldogs to earn all-state honors. Junior quarterback Andrew James (3,515 all-purpose yards, 40 total TD), senior offensive lineman Beau Blake, senior defen- sive back Joey Gutierrez (70 tackles, 6 INT) and senior linebacker Jona- than Hinkle (122 tackles, 4 INT) were all named to the fi rst team. Hinkle (1,424 rushing yards, 18 TD) was also named as a second team running back. Third-year head coach David Faaeteete also earned Coach of the Year honors for leading Hermiston to its second state championship in school history. Hermiston’s longtime rival, the Pendleton Buckaroos, were repre- sented with four all-state selections. Senior wide receiver Shaw Jerome (51 catches, 636 yards, 6 TD) was a second team pick, while senior defensive lineman Greg Lee (76 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss), junior linebacker Kirk Liscom (118 tackles, 6 tackles-for-loss) and junior punter Gabe Umbarger were all honorable mention picks. Pendleton native and Wilsonville senior Draco Bynum was a fi rst team all-state selection at defensive line and a second team selection at tight end. James and Neal are part of six fi nalists for state Offensive Player of See ALL-STATE/2B College Basketball Pro Basketball Ducks lose in battle of Top-10 teams McCollum helps Blazers snap skid By DAVID BRANDT Associated Press STARKVILLE, Miss. — Teaira McCowan completely dominated the fi rst half. After the break, Victoria Vivians took over. Mississippi State might not be quite as deep Women’s as it was Basketball last season during its run to the NCAA Oregon champion- ship game. But the Bulldogs’ stars proved Miss. State they’re more than capable of carrying the team during a marquee matchup. McCowan scored a career-high 35 points and Vivians added 30 to lead No. 5 Mississippi State over No. 9 Oregon 90-79 on Wednesday night. “Tonight we were pretty good, especially offen- sively,” Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. “I just think we’re hard to deal with offensively. I think people are having a hard time guarding us right now.” The 6-foot-7 McCowan was nearly unstoppable, grabbing 19 rebounds and making 15 of 18 shots from the fi eld. She blocked fi ve shots and had 12 of her rebounds on the offensive end. She scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds before halftime, scoring after offensive rebounds and off well-timed passes. “When she’s like tonight — engaged and focused — she’s a See BASKETBALL/2B 79 90 By STEVEN WINE Associated Press MIAMI — Damian Lillard scored seven of his 18 points in the fi nal 3:16, and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame a 16-point second-half defi cit to break their fi ve-game losing streak, beating the Miami NBA Heat 102-95 on Wednesday night. Lillard, who came into the Portland game averaging 26.6 points, had only one fi eld goal in the fi rst 31 minutes. But he converted a three- Miami point play put the Trail Blazers ahead to stay, 98-95, and sank two free throws on their next possession for a fi ve-point lead. CJ McCollum scored 28 points for the Trail Blazers (14-13). They climbed back above .500 and improved to 7-5 on the road. The Heat (13-14) fell below .500 and dropped to 5-7 at home. Miami reserve Wayne Ellington sank seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 24 points. Dion Waiters added 17 points for the Heat, who were hurt by three missed free throws down the stretch. Both teams were short-handed. Heat forward Justise Winslow left the game in the fi rst half with a left knee strain and did not return, and guard Tyler Johnson sat out because of a migraine. Miami was also without center Hassan Whiteside for a seventh consecutive games because of a bone bruise in his left knee. Al-Farouq Aminu had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Portland. Ellington went 5 for 5 from 3-point range in the fi rst quarter, helping Miami to a 33-21 lead. The Heat were up by 16 in the second quarter and again in the third, but a 12-1 run by the Trail Blazers got them back in the game. Lillard’s driving dunk tied it at 86 with seven minutes left. TIP-INS Miami’s Kelly Olynyk had a slight edge in the matchup of former Gonzaga centers. He had 10 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes, and Portland’s Zach Collins had nine points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. 102 95 AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum celebrates after hitting a three-point shot during the fi rst half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday in Miami. INJURY REPORT Trail Blazers: C Jusuf Nurkic (sprained right ankle) missed his third game in a row. ... F/C Meyers Leonard (illness) also sat out. ... F Maurice Harkless (bruised left quad) returned after missing two games. Heat: Coach Erik Spoelstra said Whiteside is working out and feeling better, but he’s not ready to return to practice. UP NEXT Miami: The Heat play at Char- lotte on Friday night. Portland: The Trail Blazers continue a fi ve-game trip when they play Friday night at Orlando. Sports shorts Thunder beat Pacers in George’s return to Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Paul George made a winning return to Indiana, hitting the clinching free throws with 10.7 seconds left in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 100-95 victory over the Pacers on Wednesday night. Steven Adams had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Russell Westbrook fi nished with 10 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists in his ninth triple-double this season. Victor Oladipo led the George Pacers with 19 points and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15. George was booed loudly during introduc- tions and every time he touched the ball. Fans only cheered for George when he was called for a foul or made a mistake and it seemed to take a toll on the four-time All-Star. He fi nished 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting, had two rebounds and four turnovers. “I want to say I am sorry for the way handled the press conference. I know not everybody that was there is here. But I was rude and inappropriate, and I just want to say I apologize for it ... I got an earful from my mom. That’s how I was raised and I appreciate you guys for understanding.” — Marcus Mariota The Tennessee Titans QB start- ed his media availability on Wednesday by apologizing for being short with media during Sunday’s press conference follow- ing the 12-7 loss to Arizona. Seahawks add depth at LB, place OL Aboushi in IR RENTON, Wash. (AP) — With concerns about depth at linebacker, the Seattle Seahawks have promoted linebacker Paul Dawson off their practice squad and placed offensive lineman Oday Aboushi on injured reserve. The Seahawks made the roster moves Wednesday before beginning preparations for Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Seattle is uncer- tain of the status of linebackers Bobby Wagner (hamstring) and K.J. Wright (concussion). Dawson was a third-round pick of the Bengals in 2015. He played 13 games in his fi rst two seasons before signing on to Seattle’s practice squad in November. Aboushi started eight games for Seattle at right guard before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 11 against Atlanta. Rookie Ethan Pocic has fi lled in at the position. THIS DATE IN SPORTS 1986 — Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins sets an NFL record with the seventh 400-yard game of his career as he passes for 403 yards and fi ve touchdowns in an overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams. 1997 — The New York Jets equal the NFL mark for greatest turnaround in modern NFL history with their 31-0 victory over Tampa Bay. The Jets, 1-15 last season, post their ninth win of the season. 2008 — Oakland becomes the fi rst team to lose at least 11 games in six straight seasons after their 49-26 loss to New England. Contact us at 541-966-0838 or sports@eastoregonian.com