E AST O REGONIAN
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
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B1
WIAA realignment shakes up MCC, moving Kamiakin and Wa-Hi
Hermiston will remain
in 3A division, which
will have expanded
state tournaments
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
HerMIsTOn — The Wash-
ington Interscholastic activi-
ties association (WIaa) released
the classification numbers for the
2020-24 cycle Sunday, and while
Hermiston will remain in the 3A
classification, the Mid-Columbia
Conference will have a different
look come fall.
Kamiakin will move up to 4A,
while Walla Walla will move down
to 3A.
The realignment still gives the
MCC four 3A schools — Hermiston,
Kennewick, Southridge and Wa-Hi.
The 4A schools are Kamiakin,
Hanford, Richland, Pasco and Chi-
awana, which is the largest high
school in Washington with more
than 2,100 students in grades 9-12.
The MCC teams still will play a
regular-season schedule, then split
for the playoffs.
The MCC is part of District 8
with the Spokane schools, where
three 4a schools — Ferris, uni-
versity and Mead — will drop to
3A and join Cheney, North Central
(2A for football) and Mt. Spokane.
Because of the large number
of 3A schools (79), the amount of
playoff berths a district receives
will change, but those numbers
have not been announced.
“We don’t know about the allo-
cations, but it could be at least
one or more,” Hermiston athletic
director Larry Usher said.
What is known is that the 3A
BMCC PREP BASKETBALL
Pilot Rock
clinches first
league win
East Oregonian
PILOT ROCK — Weston-McE-
wen and Pilot Rock were tied 13-13
at the half, and the Rockets trailed
late in the game before rallying for
a 33-22 Blue Mountain Conference
win of the season Saturday.
“Both teams played extremely
hard,” Weston-McEwen head coach
Jeff Griggs said of the tense con-
test. “I was proud of our comeback
effort.”
W-M’s Trinity Hearn sank a pair
of free throws with 13 seconds left in
the game for a one-point advantage,
but the Rockets were able to get their
first BMC win of the season.
Lillie Brewer led the Rockets
(5-12, 1-6 BMC) with 11 points,
including three treys. Emily Lam-
bert followed with 10 points.
The TigerScots were led by Ellie
Scheibner with nine points, while
Bailey Munck added seven and
Charli King six.
Pilot Rock travels to Hep-
pner for a 6 p.m. game Thursday.
Weston-McEwen (2-16, 0-7 BMC)
visits Stanfield at 6 p.m. Friday.
By BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
TANFIELD — Saturday’s bat-
tle with Heppner was the kind
of basketball game that Stanfield
head coach Devin Bailey loves.
In a Blue Mountain Conference
matchup, Stanfield managed to escape
the Mustangs 67-62 in a back-and-forth
contest that finally saw Stanfield break
away for good with a six-point run mid-
way through the fourth quarter, putting
some distance between them and the
Mustangs, who had held the lead since
quarter three.
“These are the fun ones,” an exasper-
ated Bailey said. “We’ve been in a lot of
close games this year. That’s how most
of this season has been. You learn how to
respond, don’t overreact to anything, and
weather their runs.”
Heppner sophomore Brock Hisler hit
two straight baskets in the final two min-
utes that let the Mustangs take a 45-41
lead at the buzzer, but Stanfield got their
six-point run going midway through
quarter four that gave them a 55-51
lead. It was an advantage they would
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
See Tigers, Page B2
Jackson Lehman (11), of Heppner, grabs a rebound during Saturday’s Blue
Mountain Conference matchup with Stanfield.
S
Girls basketball
Los Angeles where they had
once celebrated five NBA cham-
pionships won by Bryant and the
Lakers.
This time, they were united
in shock and sadness hours after
Bryant, his daughter Gianna and
seven others were killed in a heli-
copter crash northwest of the city
on Sunday.
Like many Angelenos, Bryant
was a transplant. Born in Philadel-
phia, he spent some of his earliest
years in Italy, where he learned the
language while his father played
pro basketball. He later returned
AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker
JOSEPH 52, NIXYAAWII 28
— The Golden Eagles defense’s
inability to trap the Eagles’ offense
led them to drop their fourth straight
game.
Sophie Benson led the Golden
Eagles offense with a team-high
eight points.
Sabriana Albee finished with a
game-high 21 points for the Eagles.
Nixyaawii (6-10, 2-3 OOL) hits
the road to Wallowa on Saturday for
a 4 p.m. tip-off.
POWDER
VALLEY
41,
HELIX 29 — The Grizzlies got off
to a slow start with just three points
in the first quarter, leading to a home
loss to the Badgers.
Kyleen Stahancyk led the Griz-
zlies with six points.
Autumn Davis of Powder Valley
turned in a game-high 12 points.
Helix (8-9, 0-6 OOL) will look to
end its six-game losing streak Friday
when it hosts Joseph at 6 p.m.
IONE/ARLINGTON
53,
CONDON/WHEELER 35 — The
Cardinals used a dominant first half
performance to beat the Blue Devils
on the road.
The Cardinals led 27-6 at the half
before the Blue Devils ignited their
offense in the second half.
eva Martin led Ione/arlington
with 16 points. Hailey Heideman
grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
Abby Colby led the Blue Devils
with 16 points.
The Cardinals (9-7, 4-3 BSL) will
play at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Echo.
VALE 51, UMATILLA 37 —
The Vikings got within five points
late in the game, but were unable
to close the gap as they dropped a
home game to Vale.
Taylor Durfey led Umatilla with
a team-high 13 points.
Umatilla (5-13, 1-3 EOL) will
look to break its three-game losing
streak when it travels to Riverside
for a 6 p.m. game on Thursday.
BURNS 39, RIVERSIDE 22 —
Allie Hueckman had a game-high
11 points to lead the visiting Hilan-
ders past the Pirates in Eastern Ore-
gon League play.
See Kobe Bryant, Page B3
People gather Sunday at a memorial near Staples Center in Los Angeles
after the death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
See Roundup, Page B2
STANFIELD
SHUTS DOWN
HEPPNER EARLY
Mustangs’ top
shooter Sydney
Wilson held to
just three points
on the night
By BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
STANFIELD — Before
hitting the court to take on
last year’s defending 2A
state champions, the Stan-
field girls knew they had to
lock down Heppner’s Syn-
dey Wilson if they were to
have a chance.
“We knew she was an
excellent player,” Stanfield
head coach Daniel Sharp
said. “We were focused on
making it as hard on her as
possible. That was the key.”
And the Tigers did just
that. Wilson, a Heppner
junior forward, was held to
just one basket in the first
quarter and three points on
the night as Stanfield rolled
to a massive 54-20 win over
the Mustangs in Blue Moun-
tain Conference play on
Saturday evening.
Wilson and ZaBrena
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
See Stanfield, Page B2
Heppner’s Marlee Mitchell brings the ball down the court
Saturday against Stanfield’s Maggie Sharp (21).
Los Angeles unites in grief for adopted son Kobe Bryant
LOS ANGELES — The chants
rose in the plaza across from Sta-
ples Center. “Kobe!” and “MVP!
MVP!” They came from hundreds
of fans gathered to mourn the
death of Kobe Bryant.
Candles burned alongside
hand-lettered messages scrawled
on signs and the pavement.
Bunches of flowers piled up, some
with purple-and-gold balloons
attached.
Men, women and children of
every ethnicity milled around,
drawn to the heart of downtown
See WIAA, Page B2
PREP ROUNDUP
Stanfield pulls together
a fourth-quarter
comeback to escape
Heppner in BMC action
By BETH HARRIS
Associated Press
will move from 16-team state
tournaments to 20 teams for foot-
ball, volleyball, basketball, soccer,
baseball and softball.
“Not sure how all of that will
work,” Usher said. “The (WIAA)
committees will have to deal with
that.”
Changes also are expected for
wrestling, swimming and track