A8
Wednesday
February 13, 2019
Eagles week sends both cager teams to district
By steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
The Imbler Panthers trav-
eled to Joseph on Tuesday,
Feb. 5 in an unsuccessful
effort to knock the Eagles
off their perch.
The ladies had a rela-
tively easy time of it, coast-
ing to a 56-19 win that saw
every Eagles player gain
valuable and extensive floor
time. Most of the fourth
quarter saw starters doing a
little bench riding although
point guard Emma Hite
remained on the floor to lead
the troops.
Coach Lance Homan said
the ladies played well the
entire game. The balanced
attack allowed the ladies a
21-4 lead in the first quarter
and the Eagles never looked
back.
”We were able to get each
player extended minutes and
really work on things that we
needed to work on,” Homan
said.
Sabrina Albee dished
out 21 points along with 11
rebounds five steals, and
five assists. Emma Hite and
Madelyn Nelson each had
10 points while Camille
Crenshaw hammered out
eight points.
It was a total team win
that we took lots of positive
things away from,” Homan
said.
The girls faced off
against Wallowa on Friday,
Feb. 8, winning a 60-17 vic-
tory with the starters spend-
ing appreciable bench time,
again giving the next gen-
eration of players valuable
floor time.
Coach Homan said the
ladies were looking for-
ward to the game as they
didn’t think they played as
well as their previous meet-
ing although Joseph won.
Homan credited the diffi-
culty with tenacious play on
the Cougars’ part.
The Eagles led 19-4 after
the first quarter with shoot-
ing ace Albee scoring 14
of the points. The Eagles
applied the pressure as well,
which further stymied the
Cougs.
Albee scored 24 points,
snagged eight rebounds, had
four assists, and six steals.
Haley Miller smoked 13
points while Hite added 10
points, seven assists, and six
steals.
Jamie Johnston led the
Cougs with nine points, fol-
lowed by Riley Ferre with
four in the bucket. Several
players scored two points
each.
“It was a nice way to send
our seniors out,” Homan
said. “I was proud of the
total team effort.”
The game at Nixyaawii on
the following day saw more
of the same as the high-alti-
tude Eagles won their 12th
straight game, 60-28.
Coach Homan said that
the Golden Eagles have a
fantastic fan base, and the
trip to Pendleton was long,
but the Eagles responded
with marvelous energy.
The ladies led by 10 at
the half and started their
deadly press after the break.
Awesome Albee burned in
20 points and wrested eight
rebounds while handing
out five assists, and snatch-
Steve Tool/Cheiftain
FOUL — This photo shows the physicality between the Wallowa Cougars and Joseph Eagles basketball teams at Joseph on
Friday, Feb. 8. The Eagles won the game 52-40. The photo was taken after the Cougars resorted to flagrant fouling in a desperate
and unsuccessful attempt to change the Joseph tide late in the game.
Steve Tool
COLLISION COURSE — Floor skirmishes characterized the Joseph/Wallowa boys and girls games on Friday, Feb. 8 in Joseph.
The lady Eagles won their final league skirmish 60-17. On the floor are Eagles player Sabrina Albee (in white) and Cougars
player Ashlyn Young (in black).
ing four steals. Exceptional
Emma Hite rang in with 18
points, five each of rebounds
assists and steals. Nelson
opened the door with 16
points, five boards and four
steals.
“Overall, we had a very
successful weekend and one
that we hope to build on as
the next phase of our season
begins,” Homan said.
The win left the girls in
first place, as they ended the
regular season with a perfect
12-0 league record and 22-2
overall.
The boys game was any-
thing but a lark although
they triumphed, 37-30, in
probably their most physical
game of the year.
The Eagles jumped
out to a quick 6-0 lead in
the first quarter, although
Imbler, bigger and brawn-
ier, got the points right back.
In fact, Imbler played the
entire game with little in the
way of finesse against the
smaller Eagles.
However, Eagles players
took their lumps and handed
out a few as well. In the end,
it was Eagles finesses and
their camaraderie that won a
game that coach Olan Fulfer
said featured one of their
lowest shooting percentages
of the year.
The Eagles ended the
first half with a 16-13 lead,
but Imbler came out swing-
ing and took a lead through
most of the third quar-
ter before an Eagles three-
pointer at the buzzer put the
team up for good at 24-23.
The Eagles went to work
on the Panthers, suddenly
developing hot hands that
built up a 10-point lead. The
Panthers resorted to inten-
tional fouls and made sure
the Eagles felt them.
The strategy failed. The
Eagles made most of their
fouls shots and Imbler never
got closer than seven.
Big men led the scor-
ing with Hadley Miller net-
ting nine points and Trey
Wandschneider camped on
his hocks with eight. Tyler
Homan netted seven while
TJ Grote and Kade Kilgore
snatched five apiece.
Fulfer pointed out the
under-the-radar play of
Grote, whose calm presence
helped keep the Eagles net-
ted together.
“What he does for our
team is huge,” Fulfer said.
“He got key rebounds and
did key defense. He kept
on an even keel the entire
time. He’s the best defensive
player and someone I can
always count on.”
The coach called the
game “ugly,” but he thought
the Eagles showed the right
stuff in a way they hadn’t
before.
“It shows a lot of growth
on our part,” he said. “Ear-
lier in the season we’d have
folded.”
The Eagles faced virtu-
ally the same situation ver-
sus Wallowa on Friday,
Feb. 8. The Cougs had pre-
viously beaten the Eagles
in the Cougar den, but the
Eagles turned the tables at
their nest, 52-40 in a virtual
slugfest. The game started
out very physical with nei-
ther team willing to stand
down. The lead traded back
and forth with the Eagles not
able to find the bucket with
their shots, but their stellar
defense also kept the game
from getting out of hand. At
the end of the third quarter,
the Eagles hit a three-pointer
that put them ahead to stay,
24-23.
The Eagles regained their
shooting eyes at that point
and gradually built a dou-
ble digit lead. The Cougars
tried fighting back, making
the occasional bucket but
never pulling closer than
six points. Regrettably, the
Cougars resorted to inten-
tional fouling that appeared
more egregious the more the
game got out of the Cougar’s
hands, even when a come-
back was hopeless. The
Eagles responded with sink-
ing an incredible amount
of free throws with Mason
Ferre going 6 for 6 from the
line, for just one example.
Ferre led the Eagles with
14 while Hadley Miller
poured in 13 due to his
toughness inside, which
accounted for numerous
rebounds as well. Tyler
Homan aced nine while
TJ Grote nailed seven, a
big three in second quarter
and four clutch free throws
down the stretch. Kade Kil-
gore sank two three-pointers
for the cause.
Christopher Nobles led
with 18 points, followed by
Tristin Bales with 13 points
in the hoop. Mason Moore
contributed seven points,
and Zane Mallory added
two.
Saturday’s game at Nixy-
aawii saw a bruised and bat-
tered Eagles squad going
down 53-40. Once again, the
Eagles had difficulty finding
the bucket and started the
game down 22-2 in the sec-
ond quarter before bounc-
ing back only down 35-31
at the beginning of the final
quarter. The fourth quar-
ter proved doom for the
Eagles, who lost their shoot-
ing glasses and the game as
a result.
“We got good looks but
couldn’t hit them at all,”
Coach Fulfer said. “Our
defense was good and kept
us in the game. We lost by
13, but I’m proud of my kids
for battling back.”
Homan had a solid game
with 15 through the ring
including three dead-eye
shots from behind the paint
and nine points in the third
quarter comeback. Mason
Ferre pulled nine from his
hat while Chase Murray ran
down seven.
“His demeanor is good
for us and he sees the court
well,” Fulfer said of Murray.
The game ended the reg-
ular season for the boys with
a 9-3 league record for sec-
ond place and 16-8 overall.
They next play Imbler at the
district tournament in Baker
on Thursday, Feb. 14.
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