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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2020)
E AST O REGONIAN Friday, March 13, 2020 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS | FACEBOOK.COM/EOSPORTS B1 March Madness: NCAA tournaments canceled due to coronavirus By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer March Madness came to a screeching halt before a bracket could even be filled out. The Ncaa canceled its men’s and women’s basket- ball tournaments Thurs- day because of the spread of coronavirus, putting an abrupt end to the season less than a month before cham- pions were to be crowned. The unprecedented move comes a day after the Ncaa announced the games that were scheduled to start next week would go on, but played in mostly empty are- nas. That plan was scrapped as every major american sports league from the NBa to MLB put the brakes on its season due to concerns about the pandemic. “This decision is based on the evolving cOVid- 19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to the spread of the pandemic and the impracticality of host- ing such events at any time during the academic year given the ongoing deci- sions by other entities,” the and lacrosse. The stunning end to the major college basket- ball season came about four “I’M DISAPPOINTED, BUT I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND” - Kelly Graves, Oregon women’s basketball coach Ncaa said in statement. The Ncaa can- celed championships in every spring sport, which include hockey, baseball hours after a frantic morn- ing when conference tour- naments around the coun- try came to a sudden stop. Moments away from tipoff at some arenas, and min- utes apart, each Power Five conference — the atlan- tic coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences — canceled its remaining games. at Madison Square Gar- den in New york, the Big East game between creigh- ton and St. John’s did start, but at halftime the confer- ence called off that game and all the rest. Turns out that was the last division i basketball to be played this season. “This has been the most extraordinary stretch of days i’ve ever had or ever seen in my 30-plus years of working in the sports busi- ness,” Big East commis- sioner Val ackerman said. Smaller conferences fol- lowed suit, shutting down their tournaments, and within a few hours 58 men’s games scheduled in 16 con- ferences had been canceled. Then the conferences began shutting down all ath- See NCAA, Page B2 CORONAVIRUS FALLOUT Staff photo by Kathy Aney, File Pendleton’s Muriel Hoisington (34) goes up for a shot as Lauryn Be- langer (15), of The Dalles, defends during an Intermountain Confer- ence game at Warberg Court on Jan. 31, 2020. Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Student athletes work on drills during the Pendleton High School track practice on Thursday afternoon. Coronavirus is changing the landscape of sports hermiston will host Kamiakin in a soccer match Saturday By ANNIE FOWLER East Oregonian H ErMiSTON — Sorry, mom and dad, you will not get to see your daugh- ter throw the javelin, your son score the game-winning goal in soccer, or your kid hit a walk- off home run to win the game. The hermiston School dis- trict has announced it will play and host spring sporting events with no fans — for now. This policy is in accordance with the guidance from the gov- ernor’s office, with the excep- tion of essential personnel and credentialed media, no specta- tors will be permitted to attend in-district sporting events in an effort to halt the spread of cOVid-19. “right now, this is until april 10,” hermiston athletic director Larry Usher said. “We will reevaluate after that. This will not be real popular with our parents and fans, but it’s a gov- ernment proclamation. What are we to do?” Usher said the school district agrees with the policy. “No question,” Usher said. “at the rate it’s spreading, we need to take steps to prevent the coronavirus.” The Bulldogs will host Kamiakin at noon Saturday in a Mid-columbia conference boys soccer match. hermiston also will host Pendleton in a track dual on March 20. in a news release Thursday, the Pendleton School district said it is holding outdoor ath- letic competitions as planned, but asked that fans practice social distancing. “We are moving forward with our spring sports,” Pendle- ton ad Troy Jerome said. “We are working very closely with the Oregon health departments and agencies to make decisions in regard to student safety.” hermiston’s Mcc partners are still on board with spring sports, except for Walla Walla, Washington. Walla Walla high School has suspended all athletic com- petitions, home and away. it did offer a ray of hope in its news release, saying that the rescheduling of activities and events will be made avail- able when conditions improve See Landscape, Page B2 White to bring versatility to Mt. hood volleyball irrigon volleyball player haley White joins St. Bernards volleyball squad as a utility player By BRETT KANE East Oregonian irriGON — haley White remembers protesting when her mom took her to her first youth volleyball practice as a child. “i didn’t originally want to play volleyball,” White said. “My mom forced me to go to my first practice when i was 10. i was in tears.” Fast forward eight years, and not only did White complete her senior season as one of the Knights’ top volleyball players, but she has also committed to take her skills to the collegiate level, signing a letter of intent to serve as a utility player for the Mt. hood community college St. Bernards volleyball team on Saturday. “i love it,” said White, 18. “Volleyball is both a team and individual sport — you feel a lot of pressure on yourself as an indi- vidual to make the play and help your team.” as it turns out, her mother played a hand in getting her col- legiate volleyball career rolling, too. See White, Page B2 Contributed photo Haley White, left, poses for a photo with St. Bernards head volleyball coach Kristina Crivello after committing to play volleyball for the St. Bernards on Saturday at Mt. Hood Community College. Sophomores shine in IMC all-league selections By BRETT KANE East Oregonian PENdLETON — When you take a look at this year’s inter- mountain conference girls bas- ketball all-league selections, one name stands out: Muriel hoisington. The Pendleton sophomore point guard is the only Buckaroo present on the IMC all-league first team, joined by ridgeview senior alaina clark, ridgeview junior Paige Pentzer, The dalles senior Kilee hoylman, and ridgeview sopho- more Jenna albrecht. “Muriel is a really good player, and the other coaches recognized that,” Pendleton girls basketball head coach Kevin Porter said. “She’s got the will to be as good as she possibly can be.” Pendleton senior Sami Spriet was named to the second team. after injuries affected Pendleton’s roster, Spriet and carissa cooley were the only two seniors on the Buckaroo squad moving into the postseason. “Sami is that player that every coach wants,” Porter said. “She’s a good leader. She gives every ounce of effort that she has every day. She has an amazing attitude and personality. i could go on and on about Sami.” chloe Taber, one of the Bucks’ top shooters from beyond the arc, was also selected to the sec- ond-team list. Taber was the sec- ond team’s lone sophomore, which was otherwise filled out by four seniors. “She’s one of the best shooters i’ve coached,” Porter said of Taber. “She’s confident. She’s willing to take those big shots. Not everyone has that in them. i’m super excited to see what she can do in the next two years.” redmond senior Ellie corwin See IMC, Page B2
