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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2019)
A10 Wallowa County Chieftain NEWS Wednesday, November 13, 2019 Photos by Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa’s guard, #44, takes the ball aggressively downcourt while Enterprise’s #1 defends. FUTURE STARS Jr. High basketball offers fast, fun games By Ellen Morris Bishop Wallowa County Chieftain F ootball season has vanished under piles of dried leaves and resolutions for a topnotch season next year. Volleyball has been laid to rest. And the county’s cross county athletes have just finished their stellar season. What’s a Wallowa County sports fan to do until December? How about cheering on the local Junior High School basketball squads? Just when you thought life was on hold, basketball has arrived, albeit early and in a smaller package. But good things do come in small packages. While teams of 13, 14, and 15 year-olds may not have the skill or strength of the high school and college players they will someday become, these games are fun and fast- paced. They offer a preview of future stars. And they provide a chance for parents and sports fans to cheer a lot of young athletes who display gumption and heart on the hardwood. Saturday at 10 a.m. the Wallowa Cougars hosted the Enterprise Outlaws. The first J.V. game ended with a score of Cougars 21, Outlaws 31. The varsity game was closer, with the score in the second and third quarters often separated by a single point. At the half, the score was Cougars 14, Outlaws 15. But in the fourth quarter, the Outlaws began to pull ahead, aided by better shooting and defense. The final score was 22-35. Cougar coach Daryl Nobles delegated coach- ing duties to his assistant, Ian Wilson for the Nov. 9 games. Wilson works as a project coordinator for the Grande Ronde Model Watershed as his day job, and has worked as Nobles’ assistant for several years. In the JV game, Wallowa’s #34 contests the ball with an Enterprise player. “I’ve coached some of these kids in T-ball and other sports when they were littler,” he said. “It’s fun watch- ing them grow up and mature into good players.” This year is the Outlaws Jared Bedard ‘s first time coaching. “I’ve always loved the game,” he said, “and its great to see the kids getting better and better with practice.” While most coaches have an “A” team and a “B” team that essentially serve the functions of a J.V. and varsity, Bedard plays his 7th graders as his J.V. and his substantially taller and bigger 8th graders as the varsity. It’s not the most precise kind of basketball, but junior high games more than make up in enthusiasm what they sometimes lack in finesse. These players are learning. Cheering them on is good for everyone. Upcoming games include Joseph at Wallowa, 4 p.m. Nov. 14, Joseph at Joseph 5:30 p.m. Nov. 19, and Enterprise at Enterprise, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3. LEFT TO RIGHT Wallowa’s #11 goes up for a lay-in in the first game of the Wallowa-Enterprise JV and varsity Jr. High School games on Saturday. Coach Jared Bedard offers some advice and critique to the Enterprise 8th grade team during their game with Wallowa. Enterprise won both the “JV” and “Varsity” games. Wallowa’s #34 takes the ball to the basket while Enterprise’s #24 defends.
