Wednesday, December 15, 2021
A9
SPORTS
EAGLES GET FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON
Wallowa,
Enterprise both
drop two over
the weekend
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
NORTH POWDER —
The Joseph boys basketball
team got into the win column
for the fi rst time this sea-
son and did so in convinc-
ing fashion, jumping out to
a 19-0 fi rst-quarter lead and
rolling to a 48-33 win over
Tri-Valley, Idaho, on Satur-
day, Dec. 11, at the Calvin
Hiatt Memorial Tournament
in North Powder.
“I was defi nitely really
happy with how my team
came out against Tri-Val-
ley,” head coach Olan Fulfer
said. “I told them a (diff er-
ent) team could have pouted
and given up on the week-
end (after two losses), but
they came out on fi re. We
had a pretty monstrous lead,
and then the bench came in.”
The lead was 33-11 at
halftime. Tri-Valley cut into
the lead after the break, but
didn’t threaten the Eagles.
Ten diff erent players
scored for Joseph, led by
James Burney, who had 12
points. Kane Johnson added
eight points, wrapping what
Fulfer said was a good
weekend.
“I really like Kane’s
spark off the bench. He came
in and really competed,”
Fulfer said. “He played hard
on defense and hit some big
shots for us.”
The coach also said he
likes the direction the team
is headed currently. He said
there was also a sense of
relief after the team claimed
the fi rst victory.
“I could see it in their
faces after the game, they
were pretty relieved. Defi -
nitely nice to get that fi rst
win,” he said.
Joseph
(1-4
over-
all) heads to the 13 Mile
Shootout on Friday where it
plays Prairie City.
Also Saturday
Trout Lake 58, Wal-
lowa 44: The Wallowa boys
basketball team is making
strides.
The Cougars played their
closest game of the season
Saturday, Dec. 11, against
Trout Lake. Wallowa hung
close the entire night, and
was within striking distance
after three quarters, but in
the end fell, 58-44.
“The kids are getting bet-
ter by the day,” head coach
Deon Chandler said.
Wallowa held the lead
after one quarter at 12-7.
Trout Lake pulled ahead
with a 20-point second quar-
ter and went into the break
leading 27-21. The teams
continued to jockey back
and forth in the third, and
Trout Lake went into the
fourth leading 43-36 before
pulling away in the fourth.
“We were up in that game
(but) kids got tired,” Chan-
dler said. “I think that had a
lot to do with it. We pulled
ahead 1-2 (points), but a
couple crucial turnovers got
us.”
Kellen Knifong led a bal-
anced Cougar attack, scor-
ing 12 points, including
eight in the second half. Wil-
lie Gibbs added 11 points
and both Isaac Barnum
and Gabe Nobles had nine
points.
Chandler said the team is
showing improvement.
“It was very encourag-
ing. Made them feel com-
fortable,” Chandler said of
the close game, the fi rst time
Wallowa has been within 15
points of its opponent this
season. “About the same
level of skills. They had fun
playing that game. It was
very encouraging for them.
Every game (there) is more
improvement, and they’re
enjoying it.
Wallowa (0-5 overall)
travels to the Helix Tour-
nament on Friday, Dec. 17,
and will fi rst play the Uma-
tilla JV.
Jordan
Valley
65,
Enterprise 48: Jordan Val-
ley’s Jace Grenke scored 33
points to power the Mus-
tangs past the Enterprise
boys basketball team, 65-48,
Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Cal-
vin Hiatt Memorial Tourna-
ment in North Powder.
“Jordan Valley just shot
lights out. I want to give
credit where credit is due,”
head coach Kyle Crawford
said.
Jordan Valley opened up
ENTERPRISE
AT JOSEPH
SNOWED OUT
The doubleheader be-
tween the Enterprise and
Joseph girls and boys
basketball team, sched-
uled for Tuesday, Dec.
14, was canceled due to
inclement weather. As of
deadline Tuesday after-
noon, a makeup date had
not yet been determined.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
James Burney (21) works against a Jordan Valley defender at the Calvin Hiatt Memorial
Tournament held at Powder Valley High School on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. The Joseph Eagles
boys basketball team fell to the Jordan Valley Mustangs in the tournament 42-32.
a 10-point fi rst-quarter lead
and opened it up to 33-21 at
the break.
Enterprise made a run
to get back into the game,
clawing back to 44-37
through three quarters
behind seven points from
Maclane Melville, but Jor-
dan Valley made 13 of 15
fourth-quarter free throws to
help it stave off an Outlaw
comeback.
“We had some self-in-
fl icted wounds that cost us
momentum,” Crawford said.
Spencer Decker scored
11 points to lead the Out-
laws. Melville added nine
points and Jackson Decker
had eight points.
Crawford said in the
early stages, shot making
has been a struggle for the
Outlaws, yet he thinks the
team is close to having a
breakthrough.
“I feel like we are on the
cusp of being able to put
some things together,” he
said.
Enterprise (1-4 over-
all) then plays at the Union
Bobcat Classic on Thursday
when it plays Powder Valley
at North Powder.
Friday
Jordan
Valley
42,
Joseph 32: A third-quar-
ter swing by the Jordan Val-
ley boys basketball team
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Hayden Hite (11) leaps for a layup at the Calvin Hiatt Memorial
Tournament held at Powder Valley High School on Friday, Dec.
10, 2021. The Joseph Eagles boys basketball team fell to the
Jordan Valley Mustangs in the tournament 42-32.
doomed the Joseph Eagles
on Friday, Dec. 10, at the
Calvin Hiatt Memorial Tour-
nament as the Mustangs ral-
lied for a 42-32 win over the
Eagles in North Powder.
The Eagles led through-
out much of a low-scoring
fi rst half, including a margin
of 9-3 after one quarter and
11-8 after halftime. The half
saw the teams combine to
make eight fi eld goals.
The tables turned in
the third as Jordan Val-
ley outscored Joseph 17-7
— including seven points
from Jace Grenke — to take
a 25-18 lead after three.
Grenke scored seven more
points in the fourth and fi n-
ished with 19 points as the
Mustangs kept Joseph at
arm’s length.
James Burney scored
11 points, including eight
in the second half, to pace
the off ensive eff ort by the
Eagles. Hayden Hite added
six points.
“It felt like we took one
step forward and two back
against Jordan Valley,” head
coach Olan Fulfer said, add-
ing the message to the team
was, “Every single game
we gotta come out the same
— consistent.”
Horizon Christian 64,
Wallowa 29: The Wal-
lowa boys basketball team
dropped the opener of the
Hawk Invite on Friday,
Dec. 10, against host Hori-
zon Christian, Hood River,
64-29.
The Cougars struggled
through the fi rst quarter, and
trailed 20-2 after one, but
gradually found a rhythm
on off ense, especially in the
second half. Gabe Nobles
had 12 of his team-high 15
points in the second half,
including eight of those
points in the fourth quarter.
Kellen Knifong added six
points.
Horizon Christian’s lead
at the half was 37-7, and
43-15 after three quarters.
Adrian 55, Enterprise
33: The Enterprise boys
basketball team saw an early
lead turn into a double-digit
halftime defi cit Friday, Dec.
10, and the Outlaws never
recovered as they fell to
Adrian at the Calvin Hiatt
Memorial Tournament in
North Powder, 55-33.
The Outlaws held a 6-5
lead after one in a defen-
sive-minded early battle,
but Adrian netted 17 points
in the second to take a 22-12
lead at the half. The lead
was 11 after three quarters,
and the Antelopes doubled
the lead with a 19-8 fi nal
period.
“I don’t think either
team had good shots. I just
felt like every moment
was physical,” head coach
Kyle Crawford said. “They
pressed the entire game.
That defi nitely changes the
shot selection quite a bit
when it’s fast-paced like
that.”
Jackson Decker had
eight points, all in the sec-
ond half, to lead the Out-
laws, while both Gideon
Gray and Dylan Jennings
had seven points.
See Eagles, Page A10
Enterprise girls fi nish a 2-1 week
By RONALD BOND
Wallowa County Chieftain
NORTH POWDER —
The Enterprise girls basket-
ball team fi nished a 2-1 week
Saturday, Dec. 11, with a set-
back against Jordan Valley in
their fi nal game at the Calvin
Hiatt Memorial Tournament,
losing 45-21.
The Mustangs were in
control from the outset,
opening up a 14-4 lead after
one quarter then stretching
the margin to 15 at the half
and 25 through three quarters
at 34-9.
The Outlaws did outscore
Jordan Valley in the fourth,
which head coach Mike
Crawford said was a bright
spot.
“We gathered ourselves
in the fourth quarter and
decided we were going to
show them we could play
a quarter of basketball,” he
said.
Maci Marr led the Out-
laws with six points, and
Rilyn Kirkland chipped in
with fi ve points.
Enterprise (3-3 overall)
heads back to North Powder
for the Union Bobcat Clas-
sic, starting play Thursday
against Powder Valley.
Also Saturday
Tri-Valley 37, Joseph
28: The Joseph girls bas-
ketball team used a strong
third quarter to get back into
their game against Tri-Val-
ley, Idaho, on Saturday, Dec.
11, but Tri-Valley fi nished
strong to claim a 37-28 win
in the teams’ fi nal game at
the Calvin Hiatt Memorial
Tournament.
Aimee Meyers, who
scored a game-high 20
points, had nine points in the
fi rst half, but the Eagles got
just two points aside from
Meyers and trailed at the half
20-11.
Meyers continued to lead
the scoring, but got more help
in the scorebook, and Joseph
outscored Tri-Valley 10-4 to
get within 24-21. The Eagles
briefl y pulled ahead in the
fourth quarter, but Tri-Valley
fi nished strong to pull away.
Abby Orr added four points.
“We struggled the fi rst
half with turnovers and run-
ning our off enses,” head
coach Lance Homan said.
“The second half, we came
out and really played good
defense and made open
shots. Aimee Meyers scored
11 of her 20 points in the
second half and that really
sparked us. We were able to
fi ght back and actually take
the lead in the fourth quarter,
but we couldn’t keep it up.
Our girls really played hard
in the second half.”
Joseph (1-4 overall)
next travels to the 13-Mile
Shootout on Friday, where it
fi rst plays Prairie City.
Trout Lake 37, Wallowa
30: Wallowa girls basketball
coach Greg Oveson said his
team let one get away Sat-
urday, Dec. 11, as the Cou-
gars dropped a 37-30 contest
to Trout Lake in Hood River.
“We shot 22% from the
fi eld and had about 30 turn-
overs,” Oveson said. “That’s
what areas we need to work
on. Part of it is we’re not in
shape.”
Six diff erent players
scored for the Cougars, but
the team was held to just
one second-quarter fi eld goal
and fell behind at the break,
18-11. Trout Lake’s lead after
three grew to 27-19. Zoe
Hermens scored all seven of
her points in the fourth to try
and spark a Cougar rally, but
it fell short.
Brockamp fi nished with
nine points to lead the Cou-
gars, who fell to 2-3 on the
season with the setback.
“We just need to fi gure out
how to take care of the ball
and run an off ense. We’re
getting shots, but they’re not
coming out of our off ense,”
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Emma Orr (24) looks to pass at the Calvin Hiatt Memorial
Tournament held at Powder Valley High School on Friday, Dec.
10, 2021. The Joseph Eagles fell to the Jordan Valley Mustangs
in the tournament 37-18.
Oveson said. “We make a
good play, steal the ball and
(then) can’t give it away
quick enough.”
The Cougars play at the
Helix Invite on Friday and
Saturday, and open play
against the Umatilla JV.
Friday
Jordan
Valley
37,
Joseph 18: Joseph ran into
another tough matchup Fri-
day, Dec. 10, against Jordan
Valley, and was limited to 18
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points in a 37-18 loss to the
Mustangs at the Calvin Hiatt
Memorial Tournament.
Joseph was behind 14-6
after one quarter, then was
held to just a fi eld goal in
the second to go into the half
down 21-8. The Eagles out-
scored the Mustangs in the
third to stay within striking
distance at 27-16, but then
were again held to two points
in the fourth.
See Girls, Page A10