Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
HERMISTON
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Men’s College Basketball
Hermiston girls AAU teams
make history at state tournament
Arizona No. 1 seed at
Pac-12 tourney after
tumultuous year
By ALEXIS MANSANAREZ
East Oregonian
By JOHN MARSHALL
Associated Press
After the Hermiston
Storm defeated West Linn
33-29 in the 2017 Girls
Oregon Middle School State
Championship for AAU, they
were poised to bring home
some more hardware the
following season. This past
weekend in Central Oregon,
the Storm — along with the
5th grade Hermiston Sparks
and 6th grade Hoopdawgs —
did just that.
With the three victories,
Hermiston became the first
city since the start of the
AAU tournament in 2013 to
win multiple championships
in the gold bracket.
The championship tour-
nament began Friday and
wrapped up play Sunday in
Bend and Redmond.
Three teams made up of
Hermiston-area students qual-
ified to attend the tournament
through top finishes in various
tournaments throughout the
regular season.
The 5th grade Herm-
iston Sparks and 8th grade
Storm earned bids in early
November after finishing in
the top two at a tournament
in Spokane. For the 6th grade
Hoopdawgs, they punched
their ticket in January.
In the gold bracket, which
included middle schools that
feed into a Class 6A/5A high
school program, Hermiston
had to outlast a total of 55
other teams to make it to the
championship game.
The three teams went a
combined 14-0 throughout
the tournament, holding off
its opponents in some tough
matchups — the Sparks
advanced to the title game by
defeating the Churchill Iron
Maidens by one point — and
some blowouts — the Storm
defeated their first opponent
64-20 to open the weekend.
In the title games, the
Storm came back for the win
after starting the first half
behind with a 28-23 victory
over McMinnville.
“I’m proud of the girls
playing hard,” head coach
MaryJane Heideman said,
“and coming away with these
tough wins.”
The Hoopdawgs were
off to a rocky start in their
championship game. They
started down 9-1 in the first
five minutes of the play,
and couldn’t buy a basket.
However, after halftime,
Hermiston found its rhythm
and eventually defeated Sher-
wood 42-37.
The Storm was the final
team to compete, and pulled
away late to seal at 44-39 win
over Sheldon.
———
Contact Alexis at aman-
sanarez@eastoregonian.com
or 541-564-4542. Follow her
on Twitter @almansanarez.
LAS VEGAS — Arizo-
na’s season started under a
dark cloud following the
arrest of assistant coach
Emanuel
Rich-
ardson as part of a
federal probe into
shady recruiting
practices.
Wildcats coach
Sean Miller found
himself in the
crosshairs late in
the season when an ESPN
report alleged he was
caught on an FBI wiretap
discussing a $100,000
payment to lure top recruit
Deandre Ayton to the
school.
Oh, and preseason
All-American
guard
Allonzo Trier had to miss
two games for testing posi-
tive for the same banned
substance that cost him 19
games last season.
Through all the tumult,
the 15th-ranked Wildcats
stayed steady on the court.
“A lot lesser programs,
teams, universities would
have crumbled and we
didn’t,” Miller said. “That
says something about us
and our future.”
Arizona’s
immediate
future is the Pac-12 tour-
nament in Las Vegas this
week. The Wildcats (24-7,
14-4) are the top seed and
one of four teams to get a
bye into Thursday’s quar-
terfinals. They will play the
winner between No. 9 seed
Arizona State and No. 8
Colorado.
Arizona closed the
season with four wins in
five games, its only loss on
the road to Oregon without
Miller, who was held out a
day after the ESPN report.
Miller missed three prac-
tices before vehemently
denying the report in a
statement last Thursday.
Less than three hours later,
university President Robert
C. Robbins said Miller
would remain as coach.
The Wildcats beat
Stanford that night and
overcame an emotional
senior day on Saturday to
pull away from Colorado
late for their fifth Pac-12
title in six seasons.
“Lot of emotions, an
emotional week, a lot of
things flying around,”
Arizona point guard Parker
Jackson-Cartwright said.
“Everybody was just
drained mentally and phys-
ically.”
TROJANS’ BUBBLE:
Southern California had a
chance to move itself away
from the NCAA Tourna-
ment bubble in its regu-
lar-season finale against
rival UCLA. An 83-72 loss
keeps the Trojans (21-10,
Photo courtesy of Chris Elliott
Hermiston eighth grade AAU team, the Storm, poses after winning the state cham-
pionship in Redmond. Pictured is: (front row, left to right) Sydney Seavert, Adrianna
Coleman, Faith McCarty, Katelyn Heideman and assistant coach Heidi De La Cruz;
(back row) head coach Aaron Heideman, Morgan Brown, Taylor Durfey, Caitlin An-
derholm, Alexis Kessell, Heavenly Coleman and assistant coach McKenzie Byrd
Photo courtesy of MaryJane Heideman
Hermiston’s 6th grade AAU team, the Hoopdawgs, poses after winning the cham-
pionship in Central Oregon. Pictured is: (front row, left to right): Kaylee Elliott, Izzy
Simmons, Sydney Stocker, Brooklynn Warburton and Nevaeh Thew; (back row)
coach Alissa Simmons Ainsley Philippi, Haylee Mercer, Rian Woodard, Alexis Acker-
man and coach Kay Edwards.
Photo courtesy of Chris Elliott
Hermiston’s 5th grade AAU, the Sparks, team poses after winning the champion-
ship in Central Oregon. Pictured is: (front row, left to right): Madeline Jared, Cam-
ryn Hagel, Addison Garberg, Shayla Stewart and Karsyn Botefuhr; (back row) head
coach MaryJane Heideman, Ellie Heideman, Piper Roberts, Amy Armstrong, Avon-
lea Edwards, Madison Wicks and assistant coach Josh Hagel.
12-6) bubbling.
USC has few marquee
wins, but did finish second
in the Pac-12 behind
Arizona.
“Sometimes common
sense has to prevail, right?”
USC coach Andy
Enfield said.
The
Trojans
open the conference
tournament Thursday,
against the winner
between Oregon State
and Washington.
SUN
DEVILS
BUBBLING:
Unlike
USC, Arizona State does
have marquee wins on its
resume. The Sun Devils
beat Kansas at Allen
Fieldhouse and Xavier on
a neutral court, giving them
arguably the two biggest
wins of any team in the
country. They also went
12-0 in nonconference.
But Arizona State (20-10,
8-10) was inconsistent
through the Pac-12 season,
finishing tied for eighth
with Colorado.
The Sun Devils had 15
conference games decided
by single digits, most since
1996-97, according to
STATS/Pac-12 Network.
“Even though there
are some that might want
to say that that part of the
season was so long ago
that it shouldn’t count, it
does count,” Arizona State
coach Bobby Hurley said
after an 84-83 loss to Stan-
ford on Saturday. “This is
a season. There’s a Pac-12
season and then there’s an
entire season,” he said. “All
the close games just prove
you’re going to have to
bring a very good game to
the table to beat our team.”
UCLA’S
RELIEF:
UCLA avoided ending the
season on a three-game
losing streak, thanks to its
win over rival USC. That
gave the Bruins a Quadrant
1 win, a first-round bye in
the conference tournament
and a little breathing room.
“It puts us in a great situ-
ation,” Bruins coach Steve
Alford said. “Now we get a
little bit more rest.”
UCLA opens against the
Cal-Stanford winner.
UNDERDOG UTES:
Utah lost four of its top
six scorers from a year ago
and was picked to finish
seventh in the Pac-12.
The Utes played with a
mountain-sized chip on
their shoulder all season
and have put themselves
in contention for an NCAA
Tournament berth while
earning Larry Krystkowiak
coach of the year honors
from The Associated Press.
Utah (19-10, 11-7) still
may need to avoid a slipup
in the Pac-12 tournament,
but has put itself in a good
position.
ALL-CRC: Hermiston has four total first-team selections
Continued from 1B
selection and senior point guard
Hallie Porter was selected to
the second team.
Lemberger was Pendleton’s
best shooter this season and
averaged nearly 11 points a
game, and Davies put up 7.4
per-game while being one of
the top rebounders and shot
blockers in the league as well.
The Hermiston Bulldogs also
had numerous selections to the
boys and girls all-league teams.
Starting with the boys CRC
champion Bulldogs, juniors
Ryne Andreason and Cesar Ortiz
were first team selections and
Jordan Ramirez was a second
team pick. Andreason burst onto
the scene as a full-time varsity
player this season and averaged
15.2 points per game in confer-
ence play to lead the Bulldogs
to the title. Ortiz became a well-
rounded player as a junior, but
still showed his lethal scoring
touch by averaging 13.5 points
per-game.
For the CRC runner-up
Bulldog girls, junior post Jordan
Thomas and sophomore guard
Jazlyn Romero were both first
team selections and senior
guard Hannah Thompson was
a second team pick. Romero,
a second team selection last
year as a freshman, proved to
arguably the top ball-handler
and one of the top shooters
in the league, alongside her
teammate Thompson. Thomas,
meanwhile, showed tremendous
improvement from her soph-
omore season and developed
into a dominant force inside the
paint.
The complete boys and girls
teams are listed below.
————
Boys All-Columbia River Conference
Player of the Year — Tyler Newsom,
Pendleton, jr.
First Team
Ryne Andreason, Hermiston, jr.; Jonah
Tactay, Hood River Valley, sr.; Dakota Murr, The
Dalles, sr.; Cesar Ortiz, Hermiston, jr.; Dakota
Sams, Pendleton, so.
Second Team
Dakota Kurahara, Hood River Valley, sr.;
Jacob Hernandez, The Dalles, so.; Jordan
Ramirez, Hermiston, jr.; JJ Mears, Hood River
Valley, sr.; Shaw Jerome, Pendleton, sr.; Josh
Nisbet, The Dalles, jr.
Girls All-Columbia River Conference
Player of the Year — Kalan McGlothan,
Pendleton, sr.
First Team
Jaiden Lemberger, Pendleton, sr.; Maureen
Davies, Pendleton, sr.; Jordan Thomas, Herm-
iston, jr.; Jazlyn Romero, Hermiston, so.; Jodi
Thomasian, The Dalles, sr.
Second Team
Hallie Porter, Pendleton, sr.; Hannah Thomp-
son, Hermiston, sr.; Paulina Finn, The Dalles,
sr.; Lauren Orr, Hood River Valley, sr.; Haylee
Baker, Hood River Valley, jr.
Hermis-
ton’s Ryne
Andreason
shoots the
ball over
the top of
Sunset’s
Colby King
in the Bull-
dogs’ 76-61
loss to the
Apollos on
March 7.
Staff photo by E.J.
Harris
————
Contact the East Oregonian
at sports@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0839.
SCOREBOARD
Local slate
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Thursday
EOU vs. Reinhardt (NAIA Championship
First Round - at Sioux City, Iowa), 10:15 a.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Saturday
Shoreline at BMCC (DH), 11 a.m.
Sunday
Linn-Benton at BMCC (DH), 11 a.m.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Thursday
Clackamas at BMCC, 1 p.m.
Friday
SW Oregon CC at BMCC (DH), Noon
Saturday
Northwest Christian at EOU (DH), 11 a.m.
Sunday
Northwest Christian at EOU (DH), 11 a.m.
Basketball
BOYS OSAA PLAYOFFS
Class 6A State Tournament
(at Chiles Center, University of Portland)
Thursday Quarterfinals
No. 1 Jefferson vs. No. 8 Jesuit, 1:30 p.m.
No. 12 Tualatin vs. No. 20 Barlow, 3:15 p.m.
No. 3 Southridge vs. No. 11 Lincoln, 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Grant vs. No. 10 West Salem, 8:15 p.m.
Class 5A State Tournament
(at Gill Coliseum, Oregon State University)
Wednesday Quarterfinals
No. 1 Silverton vs. No. 8 Churchill, 1:30 p.m.
No. 4 Wilsonville vs. No. 5 Springfield, 3:15 p.m.
No. 3 Thurston vs. No. 6 Mountain View,
6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Crater vs. No. 7 South Albany, 8:15 p.m.
Class 4A State Tournament
(at Forest Grove High School)
Thursday Quarterfinals
No. 1 Banks vs. No. 8 Sisters, 1:30 p.m.
No. 4 La Grande vs. No. 5 Valley Catholic,
3:15 p.m.
No. 3 Marshfield vs. No. 6 Newport, 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Seaside vs. No. 7 Mazama, 8:15 p.m.
OSAA GIRLS PLAYOFFS
Class 6A State Tournament
(at Chiles Center, University of Portland)
Wednesday Quarterfinals
No. 1 Southridge vs. No. 9 Clackamas,
1:30 p.m.
No. 4 West Linn vs. No. 5 North Medford,
3:15 p.m.
No. 3 Beaverton vs. No. 6 Sheldon, 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Tigard vs. No. 7 Benson, 8:15 p.m.
Class 5A State Tournament
(at Gill Coliseum, Oregon State University)
Tuesday Quarterfinals
No. 1 Marist 53, No. 9 Crescent Valley 43
No. 5 Silverton 40, No. 4 Springfield 37
No. 6 Bend 26, No. 3 Central 23
No. 2 La Salle Prep 52,. No. 10 Crater 43
Wednesday Consolation
No. 9 Crescent Valley vs. No. 4 Spring-
field, 9 a.m.
No. 3 Central vs. No. 10 Crater, 10:45 a.m.
Class 4A State Tournament
(at Pacific University)
Thursday Quarterfinals
No. 1 Marshfield vs. No. 9 Valley Catholic,
1:30 p.m.
No. 4 Baker vs. No. 5 Banks, 3:15 p.m.
No. 3 Cascade vs. No. 6 Stayton, 6:30 p.m.
No. 2 Hidden Valley vs. No. 10 North
Marion, 8:15 p.m.
NBA
Tuesday’s Games
Philadelphia 128, Charlotte 114
Toronto 106, Atlanta 90
Washington 117, Miami 113, OT
Houston 122, Oklahoma City 112
Dallas 118, Denver 107
Portland 111, New York 87
Golden State 114, Brooklyn 101
New Orleans 121, L.A. Clippers 116
Wednesday’s Games
Utah at Indiana, 4 p.m.
Houston at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Memphis at Chicago, 5 p.m.
Toronto at Detroit, 5 p.m.
New Orleans at Sacramento, 7 p.m.
Cleveland at Denver, 7:30 p.m.
Orlando at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.
NCAA Men’s Basketball
Top 25 Schedule
Tuesday’s Games
No. 6 Gonzaga 74, BYU 54
Wednesday’s Games
Syracuse vs. No. 12 UNC (ACC Men’s
Tournament), 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
Pac-12 Tournament
at Las Vegas
Wednesday First Round
Arizona St vs. Colorado, Noon
California vs. Stanford, 2:30 p.m.
Oregon State vs. Washington, 6 p.m.
Washington St. vs. Oregon, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday Quarterfinals
No. 1 Arizona vs. Colorado/ASU winner,
Noon
No. 4 UCLA vs. Cal/Stanford winner,
2:30 p.m.
No. 2 USC vs. Oregon St/Washington
winner, 6 p.m.
No. 3 Utah vs. WSU/Oregon winner,
8:30 p.m.
NCAA Women’s Basketball
Tuesday’s Games
No. 22 Green Bay 62, Wright State 44
(Horizon League Championship)
No. 1 UConn 70, No. 19 South Florida 54
(AAC Championship)
Wednesday’s Games
No games scheduled.
Hockey
NHL
Tuesday’s Games
Winnipeg 3, N.Y. Rangers 0
Columbus 4, Vegas 1
New Jersey 6, Montreal 4
Boston 6, Detroit 5, OT
Tampa Bay 5, Florida 4, OT
Minnesota 6, Carolina 2
Nashville 2, Dallas 0
Chicago 2, Colorado 1, OT
Anaheim 4, Washington 0
Wednesday’s Games
Calgary at Buffalo, 4:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 5 p.m.
Arizona at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Auto Racing
NASCAR Cup Series
Upcoming Schedule
Sunday — TicketGuardian 400 at ISM
Raceway, Phoenix, Arizona; 12:30 p.m.
(TV: FOX)
Mar. 18 — Auto Club 400 at Auto Club
Speedway, Fontana, California; 12:30 p.m.
(TV: FOX)
Mar. 25 — STP 500 at Martinsville Speed-
way, Martinsville, Virginia; 11 a.m. (TV: FS1)
Points Standings
Through March 4
1. Kevin Harvick, 135; 2. Joey Logano,
132; 3. Ryan Blaney, 131; Martin Truex Jr.,
115; 5. Kyle Busch, 104; 6. Kyle Larson,
104; 7. Brad Keselowski, 99; 8. Denny
Hamlin, 97; 9. Paul Menard, 96; 10. Austin
Dillon, 94; 11. Clint Bowyer, 93; 12. Aric
Almirola, 93; 13. Kurt Busch, 77; 14. Ryan
Newman, 75; 15. Darrell Wallace Jr., 68; 16.
Chris Buescher, 67; 17. Alex Bowman, 67;
18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 66; 19. Erik Jones,
64; 20. Michael McDowell, 53.
Golf
PGA TOUR
Upcoming Schedule
March 8-11 — Valspar Championship,
Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead), Palm
Harbor, Fla.
March. 15-18 — Arnold Palmer Invitation-
al, Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge, Orlando,
Fla.
March 21-25 — WGC-Dell Technologies
Match Play, Austin CC, Austin, Texas