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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2020)
E AST O REGONIAN THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS | FACEBOOK.COM/EOSPORTS A8 BMCC BASKETBALL TIMBERWOLVES FALL SHORT TO CHUKARS Thorns trade key players, move up to top draft pick Sonnett and Foord will go to the Orlando Pride Associated Press PORTLAND — The Portland Thorns traded away U.S. national team defender Emily Sonnett, Australian Caitlin Foord and for- ward Midge Purce in a pair of deals Wednesday and landed the top pick in this year’s college draft. The Thorns sent Sonnett and Foord’s rights, along with the seventh and 14th draft picks, to the Orlando Pride in exchange for the top pick in next week’s draft. Purce was sent to Sky Blue along with a 2021 fi rst-round pick for the rights to midfi elder Raquel Rodriguez. Rodriguez posted thanks to Sky Blue, its fans and her team- mates on Twitter. “We have been through it all, together. I am honored to have been part of such a resilient group of people, and such quality human beings. Wish you all the best for the future. Will always carry all of you in my heart,” she wrote. Sonnett made her World Cup debut last summer in France with the United States, which won its second straight title. She was the fi rst overall pick in the 2016 draft by Portland. Foord, who has played with the Australian national team since 2011, played for Sky Blue from 2013-15 then played abroad for several seasons before return- ing to the NWSL with the Thorns in 2018. Purce came to Portland in 2018 in the dispersal draft after the Boston Breakers folded. She made her fi rst appearance with the U.S. national team in an exhibition against Costa Rica in November. Rodriguez, who has played in 70 games with the Costa Rican national team and scored the nation’s fi rst World Cup goal in 2015, was selected by Sky Blue in the 2016 draft. She had eight goals and fi ve assists in 76 games with the team. In another trade Wednesday, the Houston Dash acquired for- ward Katie Stengel and the No. 22 draft pick from the Utah Roy- als in exchange for second-round picks this year and next. Treasure Valley takes early 15-point lead from which Blue Mountain could not recover By BRETT KANE East Oregonian P ENDLETON — For the Tim- berwolves, the opening six min- utes of their NWAC East basket- ball matchup against Treasure Valley foreshadowed the rest of the game to come. The visiting Chukars took a swift 15-point lead to start the contest, and proceeded to get a game-high 25 points and six 3-pointers from sophomore guard Lilly Kelley, as the Blue Mountain women struggled to recover from their early defi cit and fell 63-52 on Wednes- day night. “It was frustrating,” Blue Mountain head coach Adam Driver said. “We came out fl at and spotted ‘em 15 points right away. (Treasure Valley) is good. They’re solid. They’re a very well-coached team. They’re big, they’re physical, they have size on us, and they used that to their advantage.” Hannah Broyles opened scoring for the Chukars (8-4, 2-1 NWAC) less than a minute after the tip with two straight baskets as Treasure Valley took off with a 15-point, six-minute run that kept the Timberwolves down 15-0 to start. The spree was capped off by a trey from Olivia Holt and two more from Kelley. Blue Mountain managed three bas- kets before the quarter was up — one at the line from Brooke Wheeler, and two inside from Madi McKrola. Wheeler cut the Timberwovles’ defi cit to just nine points at 18-9 with two free throws early in quarter two, but Kelley gave the Chukars some more distance, See Timberwolves, Page A9 Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Blue Mountain’s Katie Skramstad (2) leaps for a layup in the second half against the Chukars. The Treasure Valley Community College Chukars defeated the Blue Moun- tain Community College Timberwolves 63-52 at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton Wednesday night. Chukars soar over Timberwolves in NWAC action By BRETT KANE East Oregonian P ENDLETON — Blue Mountain sopho- more forward and Pendleton native Wes Persinger may have posted a game-high 23 points, but the Timberwolves still suffered their second Northwest Athletic Loss of the sea- son as they fell to their Treasure Valley visitors 73-60 on Wednesday night. Craig Mueller made a layup to give the Tim- berwolves a short lived 4-3 lead with 17:38 to go in the fi rst half, but the Chukars quickly regained control with a fi ve-point run, three of which came from Zach Phillips, to give them a lead that they would hold onto to for the remainder of the half. Scott Ziegner helped Treasure Valley to an eight-point, 21-13 lead seven minutes later. The Chukars took another eight-point advantage off a 3-pointer from Devaughn Williams with 2:52 left in the half, and the Timberwolves responded with a six-point run that brought them within two points. The Chukars got two at the line from Dajon Howe just before the buzzer to hold a 32-28 lead at halftime. Howe opened the second half with a trey to give the Chukars some breathing room, but Pers- See Blue Mountain, Page A9 Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Blue Mountain’s Chris Butcher (3) looks to pass the ball during the fi rst half against the Chukars. The Treasure Valley Community College Chukars de- feated the Blue Mountain Community College Timberwolves 73-60 at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton Wednesday night. SPORTS SHORTS Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith gets 3-year extension Associated Press CORVALLIS — Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith has received a three-year contract extension that would keep him with the Beavers through the 2025 season. Smith, a former Oregon State quar- terback, originally signed a fi ve-year deal when he became coach of the Beavers prior to the 2018 season. The Beavers went 5-7 overall this season and 4-5 in the Pac-12, fi nish- ing in a three-way tie for second place in the league’s North Division. The team improved by three wins over the previous season. “What we saw in Jonathan when we brought him home two years ago con- tinues to be reaffi rmed with the progress shown in all aspects of the program,” Ore- gon State athletic director Scott Barnes said in a statement. “There is still work to be done, but I’m excited coach Smith will be leading our football program for the foreseeable future. Simply put, he’s our guy.” Barnes said that in addition to the con- tract extension, Oregon State made a “size- able fi nancial commitment” to the team’s assistant coaches, although the school did not provide specifi cs. Smith was a walk-on for the Beavers, playing from 1998 to 2001. He was on Oregon State’s 2000 team that went 11-1 and defeated Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl under coach Dennis Erickson. Oregon State coach Jona- than Smith has received a three-year contract exten- sion that would keep him with the Beavers through the 2025 season. AP Photo/Amanda Loman, File
