A14
Sports
wallowa.com
January 10, 2018
Wallowa County Chieftain
Outlaws boys, girls victorious
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Emma Hite
Alexis Sykora
2 Joseph girls win
volleyball honors
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Joseph Eagles volleyball
coach Jill Hite announced
that two of her players
earned a spot on the state’s
all-stat volleyball team.
Junior Emma Hite received
1st-team honors while
senior Alexis Sykora won a
place on the second team.
Emma Hite is the daugh-
ter of Coach Hite.
Hite served as both a
team captain and floor cap-
tain as a middle hitter this
season. She was instrumen-
tal in running the Eagles’
offense and defense with her
ability to see the floor and
hit the open holes. Despite
her 5-4 frame, she led the
team in kills with 225.
Hite also led the team in
serving aces with 66. Along
with her state first-team
honors, Hite earned first-
team in the league as well
as the district and the state
tournaments.
Sykora is a senior and
also a team captain who
serves as the team’s other
middle hitter. She had only
played varsity volleyball
for two years but did well
in a short time, accord-
ing to Coach Hite. Sykora
led the team in blocks with
40 and was second in kills
with 184. She earned honors
with selection to first-team
all-league and second-team
on the all-state tournament
team.
Eleventh Annual Wallowa County
Digital
The McLoughlin High
Pioneers thought they’d
travel the Outlaw Trail as a
shortcut, but instead, were
gunned down and sent back
home at the hands of the
Enterprise High School girls
and boys teams. The twin
victories took place at Quinn
Court on Jan 4.
The Outlaws boys stopped
a six-game slide with a con-
vincing 45-37 win over the
Pioneers. Mac High won two
previous contests with the
Outlaws this year.
“It feels good to have got-
ten this game,” said coach
Larry Wells. “We finally put
some things together that
worked last night. It was
great to get that at home.”
No one scored in dou-
ble-digits, but eight players
scored points in the contest.
Dylan Marr led the effort
with nine points.
“He had great confidence
and played a good game,”
said Wells. He added that
with eight players scoring
points, the team’s offense
was beginning to gel.
The team attacked the
Pioneers with a new offense,
which helped the Outlaws
neutralize their opponent’s
2-3 zone defense.
“It was something differ-
ent, a little more aggressive,”
Wells said. “It gave us a dif-
ferent look.”
Wells added that the team
was in better physical condi-
tion, which will help down
the stretch.
Steve Tool/Chieftain
Enterprise High School guard Shelby Moncrief looks for an open teammate during the team’s
61-38 trouncing of McLoughlin High School on Jan. 4 at home. Mocrief scored 12, including
two three-pointers, during the contest.
The game was tight from
the get-go, with neither team
able to establish a foothold.
The end of the third quar-
ter saw the game tied at 34.
The Outlaws turned up the
defensive pressure, holding
the over-matched Pioneers to
just three points while scor-
ing 11 to put the game away.
The coach said that he
hoped the team can apply
the lessons they learned
during their rigorous presea-
son schedule and apply them
to league play, which begins
Jan. 13 at Elgin
“We ended the preseason
on a pretty good note, and
we’re sitting in a pretty good
position,” Wells said. “If we
can focus on our Elgin game
coming up and take care of
them, things will look good
for the season.”
The win left the Outlaws
with a 4-7 preseason record.
The Outlaws ladies con-
tinued their winning ways,
easily creaming McLough-
lin, 61-38, with the aid of hot
shooting irons in the persons
of Riley Gray, Karli Bedard
and Shelby Moncrief. The
trio put up 16, 13 and 12
points, respectively. Bedard
shot a smoking 55 percent
from the field while Moncrief
was 2-for-2 outside the paint.
The ladies had some strug-
gles in the first half. They
led 12-8 after the first quar-
ter and 26-18 at the half. The
Outlaws led by 13 going into
the fourth quarter and never
looked back.
Coach Mike Crawford
said that it was the third time
his team had faced the Pio-
neers this season, and he had
seen progress but not enough
to mount a serious challenge
to the Outlaws’ dominance.
“We’re playing really well
right now,” he said.
Crawford noted that he
played all 12 players on his
squad in the fourth quarter. In
fact, only two players on the
team’s roster were scoreless.
“It was fun. Anytime I get
to play all my kids it’s good.”
The win saw the ladies
move to a 9-2 preseason
record and ranked seventh in
the state 2A rankings.
Lady Eagles take two victories, boys split
By Steve Tool
Contest
Who can enter?
All amateur photographers who live in Wallowa County
either full-time or part-time, or who have ever vacationed
in Wallowa County, are eligible. Exceptions: Members of
the Wallowa Valley Photo Club, the staff of the Chieftain,
and their immediate families may not submit entries.
"Immediate family" includes only spouses, parents, and
children.
Public display of photos: All submitted photos will be
displayed on the Chieftain's web site as they are received.
After judging, winning photos will be featured on the Chief-
tain's web site, and as many winning and non-winning
photos as space allows will be featured in the Chieftain's
print edition. Selected winning and non-winning photos
may also appear in a single issue of the Wallowa Valley
Photo Club's monthly newsletter and on the Photo Club's
web site in the context of informing members of the Photo
Club about the contest.
Awards: There will be two categories of awards.
1. The People's Choice awards for the most popular
submitted photos, with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in each
division. Everyone can vote by browsing to the Chieftain's
contest web page and choosing their favorite Student
Division photo and their favorite Adult Division photo.
Prizes are $40, $20, and $10, plus certificates.
2. Overall best photos, with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in
each of the two divisions as determined by the judges.
Prizes are $40, $20, and $10, plus certificates. Honorable
Mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the judges.
Prizes for honorable mentions will be certificates.
The Wallowa Valley Photo Club
is solely responsible for all awards.
Deadline: Submissions to the contest may be made
beginning Monday, January 1, 2018 and will be
accepted through Saturday, January 10, 1018. Vot-
ing for the People's Choice award is from Sunday,
January 21, 2018 through Sunday, February 4, 2018.
Winners will be announced in the Wednesday, February
14, 2018 issue of the Chieftain.
Submissions: All submissions must be digital – prints
and slides are not accepted. However, prints and slides
may be scanned and digital copies submitted.
• Digital photos may be submitted via the Chieftain's online
submission form or emailed to PhotoWallowa@
gmail.com. CDs may also be dropped off at the Chief-
tain (209 NW 1st, Enterprise, Oregon).
Complete List of Rules: Please see the website for a
complete
list
of
the
contest
rules
at
www.wallowa.com/photocontest
Wallowa County Chieftain
The Joseph High School
Eagles neared the end of their
seemingly endless streak of
away games at both Echo and
Wallowa Jan. 5-6.
The girls stayed on the
winning path with two vic-
tories by scores of 46-43 and
exactly doubling Wallowa’s 37
points with 74 points.
The Echo game did not
prove an easy win for the
girls. Coach Lance Homan
said his team generally strug-
gles in Echo although he gave
the Cougars credit for a well-
played game, particularly
down the stretch. He noted the
Eagles were less than success-
ful from the free-throw line as
well.
“We struggled to make
shots and didn’t finish the
game like we should have,”
Homan said. “We will learn a
lot from this close victory. I’m
really proud of how the girls
handled themselves and won a
game in which we struggled to
execute.”
Senior Alexis Sykora led
the Eagles with 22 points fol-
lowed by Sabrina Albee with
12. Emma Hite made an eight-
point contribution toward the
win.
The Eagles were nearly
flawless at Wallowa, as the
Cougars suffered the brunt of
one of the Joseph team’s best
games of the season. Homan
said the team displayed poise
and did well shooting from
the floor. Four ladies scored in
double figures for Joseph.
“Our girls came out with a
lot of energy and really played
well, and I’m really proud of
all of our girls,” he said. He
added that Wallowa played
hard and continued to get
better.
Sykora again led the scor-
ing, putting up 23 points. Mad-
Photos by Paul Wahl/Chieftain
Bailey Hafer moves through traffic in Saturday night’s basket-
ball game between the Cougars and the Eagles in Wallowa.
Joseph Chase Murray handles the ball with Cougar players
Christopher Nobles (10) and Tristin Bales in hot pursuit. The
two team played at Wallowa High School Saturday.
elyn Nelson hooked up for 16
points, while Albee was close
on her heels with 15. Hite
also garnered 10 points for the
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Eagles.
The win put the ladies at
3-1 in Old Oregon League play
and 9-2 overall. The Eagles are
ranked eighth in the state.
The boys did not fare well
against Echo, succumbing
53-49. Coach Olan Fulfer said
that the “Mr. Hyde” version of
the Eagles showed up for the
contest.
“We didn’t even get off the
bus at Echo, and all the kids
agree,” Fulfer said. “It was an
eye opener, which is good.”
No one scored exception-
ally high in the game. Tyler
Homan and Chase Murray led
with 11 points each. Caevan
Murray contributed nine in the
Eagles effort.
Saturday’s game saw the
“Dr. Jekyll” team show up at
Wallowa. The Cougars’ gym
became a virtual slaughter-
house as the Eagles pecked
the eyes and the hide from
the felines with a 64-24
annihilation.
“We didn’t want to beat
them that bad, but we were hit-
ting the shots,” Fulfer said. “I
played the bench a ton, and
they played really well.”
The coach said the team
performed with remarkable
efficiency both in choosing
and making their shots and
holding down turnovers to a
bare minimum. Defensively
the Eagles shone as well, hold-
ing the Cougars’ star Chris-
topher Nobles to five points.
Fulfer let his players take turns
guarding Nobles, although a
couple of the players got into
foul trouble as a result.
Fulfer commended the
play of Murray, who scored
22 points. The coach said he
was even more impressed with
Murray’s rebounds and defen-
sive play.
“He got a really good chal-
lenge and played really well,”
Fulfer said.
Fulfer said he was proud of
the way his team performed.
He added that the effort against
Wallowa was the fulfillment of
the way the team wanted to
play. He also noted he was in a
rebuilding year with only two
players who had played con-
sistent varsity ball last year,
and if the team kept building
itself up, it would make serious
noise by the end of the season.
“We’re just trying to find
consistency,” Fulfer said.
“That’s what good teams are
able to do.”
The weekend play saw the
Eagles league record at 2-2,
6-4 overall