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Thursday, January 2, 2020
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A8
Big games ahead to open the Blue Mountain Conference
defending state champs
from heppner will
challenge Weston-McEwen
on Friday in league opener
By BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
aThEna — Being the defending state
champions can come with a lot of pressure to
repeat that success. heppner girls basketball
coach robert Wilson knows this all too well.
“some teams come off state champion-
ships with a lot of success, and others have to
grow again,” he said. “We’re a completely dif-
ferent team than we were last year. We lost six
girls. You have to find the identity of the team
again to start. Because we’re the former cham-
pions from last season, teams are going to be
out gunning for us.”
And that first team coming after the Mus-
tangs will be Weston-McEwen. The two
Staff photo by Kathy Aney, File
Heppner’s Sydney Wilson battles for the ball
with a Coquille player during the 2A Girls
Basketball Championship game on March 2,
2019, at the Pendleton Convention Center.
The Mustangs open Blue Mountain Confer-
ence action at Weston-McEwen on Friday.
teams open Blue Mountain Conference play
at 6 p.m. Friday in athena.
heppner went 6-2 during the preseason,
while the Tigerscots are 1-9.
“We have to come out and bring that same
intensity at every game this season,” Wilson
said. “I teach my girls to play a faceless oppo-
nent every game. They should play aggres-
sively no matter what. Weston-McEwen is an
athletic, scrappy team. The girls are excited to
get back into that league state of mind.”
heppner clinched a 41-40 win over
Coquille to win the 2A state title last year at
the Pendleton Convention Center. The win
capped off a seven-game streak to end the sea-
son. And although the Mustangs graduated
six seniors off last year’s roster, including top
shooter Jacee Currin, they still have plenty left
in their arsenal.
sydney Wilson, a junior forward, is
already proving to be an offensive power for
heppner yet again, recently crossing 1,000
career points after scoring 27 against Myrtle
Point on dec. 19.
“Our conference is going to be improved
this year,” coach Wilson said. “I expect every-
one to be tough. I expect us to be competitive,
and to be right up there for the league title.”
The Pilot Rock boys also begin BMC play
with a lot at stake.
after a 3-19 season last year, and a 2-10 run
in the conference, the rockets are enjoying an
undefeated preseason with a 10-game win
streak. They will open BMC play at 7:30 p.m.
Friday at Enterprise.
“Our expectation is to win every game
in the league,” first-year Rockets head coach
Tyler Zyph said. “We’ll take it one game at a
time.”
and although the rockets have rolled to a
number of big wins throughout the preseason,
Zyph recognizes that there are still improve-
ments to be made before kicking off their con-
ference run.
“We won 10 games, but we didn’t play good
for all of those 10 games,” he said. “There
See BMC, Page A9
OREGON OVERPOWERS
WISCONSIN IN ROSE BOWL
AP Photo/John Raoux
Michigan defensive back Lavert
Hill, left, is called for pass inter-
ference while defending Alabama
wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (4) during
the first half of the Citrus Bowl on
Wednesday in Orlando, Fla.
Tide rolls over
Michigan in
Citrus Bowl
By TIM REYNOLDS
Associated Press
vious three games. The all-star
guard did have 10 rebounds and
eight assists, but he missed his
first six 3-pointers before mak-
ing his only one of the game.
That was on the final shot of
the third quarter, cutting New
york’s lead to 83-77. The Blaz-
ers were still down just six after
OrLandO, Fla. — Jerry Jeudy
could have sat out alabama’s bowl
game and still almost certainly
would have been a first-round draft
pick.
he played instead — and if
this was his finale, his stock likely
soared.
Mac Jones threw three touch-
down passes, Jeudy became the first
alabama player to top 200 receiving
yards in a bowl game and the ninth-
ranked Crimson Tide topped No. 17
Michigan 35-16 on Wednesday in
the Citrus Bowl.
“I’ve played football all my life,”
said Jeudy, the junior who was the
game’s MVP pick. “I couldn’t just
sit out there and watch my team play.
... I love playing football, so I just
came out here and competed with
my brothers.”
Jones connected with Jeudy for
an 85-yard score on Alabama’s first
snap, DeVonta Smith and Miller
Forristall added touchdown grabs
in the second half for the Crimson
Tide (11-2), which trailed 16-14 at the
break. najee harris ran for 136 yards
and two touchdowns for alabama.
Jeudy finished with six catches
for 204 yards. his previous career-
high for yards was 147 set last season
against Missouri, and the Alabama
bowl record had stood for more than
a half-century — ray Perkins had
178 yards against nebraska in the
1967 sugar Bowl.
“Certainly, he used this oppor-
tunity to showcase his ability so it
probably even enhanced his oppor-
tunities at the next level,” said ala-
bama coach nick saban, whose
team outscored Michigan 21-0 after
halftime. “Very, very proud of our
team.”
Jones — who took over as ala-
bama’s starter when Tua Tagovailoa
was lost for the season with an injury
See Knicks, Page A9
See Bowl, Page A9
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert runs for a touchdown past Wisconsin linebacker Jack Sanborn during the second half of the Rose
Bowl on Wednesday in Pasadena, Calif.
By GREG BEACHAM
Associated Press
ASADENA, Calif. — Justin
herbert faked a handoff and
went on the run of his life in
the fourth quarter of the Rose
Bowl.
Oregon’s 6-foot-6 quarter-
back gracefully stiff-armed Wisconsin
linebacker Jack sanborn at the line of
scrimmage. He surged downfield, found
his blockers and sprinted to the green-
painted end zone, even absorbing a very
late hit from the frustrated Badgers as a
reward.
The Eugene kid who took over his
beloved hometown team during its worst
season of this century had just scored the
decisive touchdown of the biggest win of
his career. a few minutes and a couple of
big passes later, the ducks all celebrated
amid confetti and roses at midfield after
Herbert’s final college game.
“I wish it wasn’t over,” herbert said.
“This has been the best four years of
my life. I’ve been honored to be a part
P
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Wisconsin wide receiver Aron Cruick-
shank celebrates after scoring against
Oregon during the first half of the Rose
Bowl on Wednesday in Pasadena, Calif.
of this team.”
herbert scored his third rushing
touchdown of the 106th rose Bowl on
that thrilling 30-yard run with 7:41 to
play Wednesday night, and no. 7 Oregon
held off no. 11 Wisconsin 28-27 to win
its third straight trip to the Granddaddy
of Them all.
herbert passed for just 138 yards with-
out a touchdown, and Oregon (12-2) man-
aged just 204 yards of offense — the few-
est by any rose Bowl team in 40 years.
The ducks still managed to win yet
another frenetic edition of this venerated
bowl game, surviving six lead changes
and big special-teams mistakes by both
schools.
While the offense sputtered, the
ducks scored 21 points off the Badgers’
four turnovers, including Brady Breeze’s
early 31-yard fumble return for a Td off a
botched punt.
and on the next snap after Breeze
forced another fumble in the fourth quar-
ter, herbert rambled through the Wis-
consin defense for that 30-yard score in
what’s sure to be the signature moment of
the four-year starter’s career.
“I’m going to be honest with you,
we’ve been telling him to run all year,”
See Rose Bowl, Page A9
Knicks spoil Anthony’s return to MSG, win third straight
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK — Mitch-
ell robinson made all 11 shots
and had 22 points, Julius ran-
dle added 22 points and 13
rebounds, and the new york
Knicks spoiled Carmelo Antho-
ny’s strong return to Madison
Square Garden by beating the
Portland Trail Blazers 117-93 on
Wednesday night for their sea-
son-high third straight victory.
anthony scored 26 points,
his most since returning to the
nBa, and was cheered before
and during the game at the
arena where he played 6 1/2 sea-
sons. But he was on the bench at
the start of the Knicks’ 14-0 run
early in the fourth quarter that
broke open the game.
reggie Bullock made two
3-pointers during the spurt and
scored 11 points in his Knicks
debut. he signed with the team
during the summer but hadn’t
played because of a herniated
disk.
damian Lillard was held to 11
points on 5-for-20 shooting after
scoring 30 or more in the pre-