Wednesday, February 9, 2022
A9
SPORTS
Outlaw boys storm back to stun Grant Union
Jackson Decker
scores 18 points in
the fourth quarter
as Enterprise
earns 60-55 win
Chieftain staff
ENTERPRISE — The Enter-
prise boys basketball team was on
its way to another Blue Mountain
Conference defeat Saturday, Feb.
5.
Instead, Jackson Decker caught
fire and sparked a comeback to
propel the Outlaws into the win
column.
Decker scored 18 of his game-
high 20 points in the fourth quar-
ter as Enterprise stormed back
from a 16-point deficit after three
to stun Grant Union, 60-55, and
end a nine-game losing streak.
The Outlaws trailed by just six
at halftime, but Grant Union got
rolling in the third with 22 points
to open up a 48-32 lead and take
control of the game.
Or so it seemed.
Decker, who through three
quarters had just two free throws,
heated up from the floor, and espe-
cially from 3-point range. The
senior connected on five 3-point-
ers to turn the game around and
ignite a 28-point fourth-quarter
for Enterprise, including a pair of
3s late that helped put Enterprise
ahead for good. Grant Union,
meanwhile, was held to just two
Ronald Bond/Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Enterprise’s Jackson Decker works against Imbler’s defense during a contest Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. In a game
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, Decker scored 18 fourth-quarter points to rally the Outlaws to a 60-55 win over Grant
Union.
field goals as they saw the lead
squandered away.
Decker was one of two Out-
laws in double figures, with
Gideon Gray adding 18 points.
Gray carried the offense much of
the night, with 15 of those points
coming in the first three quarters.
Spencer Decker and Chase
Duncan each added six points.
Enterprise (3-17, 1-9) fin-
ishes the season Feb. 11 at Pilot
Rock and Feb. 12 at home against
Weston-McEwen.
Enterprise
needs to win both games to have
a shot at a tie for fifth place in the
BMC and a possible spot in the
district tournament.
Also
Wallowa 35, Griswold 26:
The Cougars took down Griswold
for the third time this season,
this time beating the Grizzlies at
home, 35-26, Feb. 5 in Old Ore-
gon League play.
Wallowa broke the game open
in the second quarter with a 14-2
run to take a 24-6 lead at the
break, and the lead grew to 19
by the end of three quarters. The
Grizzlies scored 14 in the fourth
to make the final score closer than
Wallowa goes 2-1 during busy week
Cougars have a
chance to finish
second in OOL-North
with a win this week
Also
Enterprise 53, Grant Union
39: Enterprise posted a strong first
half to build a big lead on the way
to a 53-39 home win over Grant
Union on Feb. 5 in Blue Mountain
Conference play. The win secured
third place in the BMC for the
Outlaws headed into the district
tournament in next week.
Both Jada Gray and Rilyn
Kirkland scored eight first-half
points as the Outlaws raced to a
19-4 first-quarter lead and built
a margin by halftime of 27-13.
Grant Union pulled to within 10
through three quarters, but Gray
— who finished with a game-high
See Boys, Page A10
WRESTLING
McDowell
takes third at
BEO Invite
Delapena just
misses out on girls
state tournament
Chieftain staff
WALLOWA — The Wallowa
girls basketball team went 2-1
during a busy week, and finished
it with a 48-35 home victory over
Griswold on Saturday, Feb. 5 in
Old Oregon League play.
The third game of the season
between the teams was the clos-
est, but the Cougars gradually
pulled away for the victory.
Zoe Hermens scored seven
points in each half and finished
with 14 points. She was one of
three Wallowa players in dou-
ble figures. Abby Straight added
12 points and Libby Fisher had
10 points. Fisher scored six in
the opening quarter as Wallowa
opened a 14-8 lead, and had eight
by halftime, by which time the
Cougars pull ahead 23-14.
Wallowa (13-7, 7-3) finishes
the regular season Feb. 11 in
Joseph, and, with a win, could
force no worse than a tie for sec-
ond in the OOL-North or take sec-
ond outright.
the game was.
Gabe Nobles scored 11 points
to lead the Cougars in the win.
Ryder Goller added eight points
and Willie Gibbs chipped in with
seven points. Both Nobles and
Gibbs had five points in the sec-
ond to help build the lead.
Walowa (5-14, 3-6) visits
Joseph Feb. 11 in its final regu-
lar season home game. The Cou-
gars are set to finish no worse than
third in the OOL-North.
Nixyaawii 45, Joseph 30:
The Joseph boys basketball team
wrapped up a busy 2-1 week with
a 45-30 setback against Nixyaawii
on the road Feb. 5, in Old Oregon
League play in Mission.
The Eagles played tighter
against the Golden Eagles than a
month ago in an 88-60 loss, and
were within six late, but could not
get over the top.
The Eagles trailed just 14-12
after one, but struggled in the sec-
ond with just five points to fall
behind at the break 26-17. Another
low-scoring quarter saw the mar-
gin grow to 36-24 after three.
Blade Suto scored seven points
to lead Joseph, while both James
Burney and Chase Homan added
five points.
The Eagles (8-8, 6-2) finish the
regular season with a full week
as they visit Powder Valley Feb.
10, host Wallowa Feb. 11 and host
Griswold Feb. 12. The Eagles are
pretty much guaranteed to finish
second in the OOL-North, regard-
less of what happens this week.
Chieftain staff
laws pushed the lead to 14 after
three quarters, then finished with a
strong fourth for the blowout win.
Gray was joined in double fig-
ures by Rilyn Kirkland, who had
10 points, while Madi Wigen
added eight points.
Nixyaawii 76, Wallowa 46:
A big quarter doomed Wallowa
again against Nixyaawii, as the
Golden Eagles scored 28 in the
second quarter to build a 24-point
halftime lead on the way to a
76-46 win over Wallowa Feb. 4.
The Cougars were within
18-12 after one quarter before
Nixyaawii took off to build a
46-22 lead at the half.
Zoe Hermens led Wallowa
with 18 points, including 13 in
the first half. Sophie Moeller
got going in the second half and
HEPPNER — Gunnar McDow-
ell placed third to lead the Enterprise
wrestling team’s efforts at the Bank
of Eastern Oregon Invitational on
Saturday, Feb. 5, in Heppner.
McDowell went 2-1 at 220
pounds. A bye moved him into
the quarterfinals, where he pinned
Emery Hammond of Crane. He
dropped a semifinal match by fall
to Alex Ritter of Baker/Powder
Valley, then bounced back to pin
Jayden Clark of Baker/Powder Val-
ley in the third-place match.
Pearce Schnetzky was the only
other Outlaw to place, going 1-2 at
138 to take fourth. He opened with
a bye, then took a quarterfinal win
over Union/Cove’s Noah Gliddon
by a close 6-4 decision. He followed
with two losses by fall — to Pine
Eagle’s Chase Butner in the semi-
finals, and to Union/Cove’s Gage
Martens in the third-place match.
Tegan Evans went 1-2 at 145,
winning an opening match by fall
over Baker/Powder Valley’s Julian
Garcia, then dropping two matches
by fall — to Jacob Ayala of Irrigon
and to Saul Lopez of Heppner.
Trey Charlton went 0-2 at 285,
dropping two matches by fall. Cody
Fent also went 0-2 at 170, dropping
a match by fall and a second match
by injury default.
For Joseph, Jett Peterson placed
fifth at 113 to lead the way. He
dropped a quarterfinal match to Riv-
erside’s Bryan Madrigal, then after
See Girls, Page A10
See Wrestling, Page A10
Ronald Bond/Wallowa County Chieftain, File
Wallowa’s Zoe Hermens dribbles up the court during an Old Oregon League game Friday, Jan. 28, 2022.
20 points — scored seven points
in the fourth to help keep the Pros-
pectors at bay.
Kirkland finished with 11
points for Enterprise, and Maci
Marr added seven points.
The Outlaws (12-9, 7-3) finish
the regular season Feb. 11 at Pilot
Rock and Feb. 12 at home against
Weston-McEwen.
Nixyaawii 53, Joseph 38: The
Joseph girls hung with Nixyaawii
Feb. 5 before the Golden Eagles
pulled away for a 53-38 victory
in Old Oregon League play in
Mission.
Joseph trailed by just two after
one quarter and 25-17 at the half,
but Nixyaawii had its best quarter
in the third to open up a 15-point
lead at 40-25.
Sarah Orr connected on four
3-pointers and finished with 14
points to lead the Eagles. Aimee
Meyers added 13 points and Coo-
per Nave netted eight points.
Joseph (9-7, 6-2) finishes with
three games this week: at Powder
Valley Feb. 10, at home against
Wallowa Feb. 11 and at home
against Griswold Feb. 12. The
game against Wallowa may deter-
mine who finishes second in the
OOL-North.
Feb. 4
Enterprise 57, Heppner 33:
The Outlaws didn’t allow Hep-
pner to stick around in the rematch
from last month’s close 45-41 vic-
tory, scoring 30 first-half points
on the way to a 57-33 home win
over the Mustangs on Feb. 4.
Jada Gray, who had a game-
high 22 points, scored 16 in the
first half, and 10 in the second
quarter as Enterprise opened up
a 30-17 lead at the half. The Out-
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