6A — BAKER CITY HERALD
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2019
BAKER GIRLS BASKETBALL SEASON OPENER
BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL SEASON OPENER
Baker’s 2nd-half rally
falls short against Bucks
■ Gabe Gambleton scores 15 of Baker’s 20 points during the third quarter as the
Bulldogs cut a 21-point lead in half, but Pendleton’s early advantage proves too big
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Gabe Gambleton swished
another three-pointer, the
Baker crowd roared, and a
most improbable rally sud-
denly seemed possible.
It was not to be.
The Baker boys basket-
ball team sliced deeply into
Pendleton’s large lead during
a third-quarter comeback
that electrifi ed Bulldog fans
Wednesday night.
But Baker couldn’t
maintain its momentum in
the fi nal quarter, and the
senior-laden Bucks went on
to a 75-63 win in the season
opener for both teams.
“I thought we came out of
the locker room and played
a much better second half,”
said Gambleton, the junior
point guard who scored 15
of Baker’s 20 points in the
third quarter as the Bulldogs
trimmed a 21-point halftime
defi cit to 11 points entering
the fi nal quarter.
“Our defensive intensity
increased a lot.”
A rally didn’t seem likely
in the fi rst few minutes of the
third quarter.
Pendleton scored two of
the fi rst three baskets, both
by senior Tanner Sweek, and
the second one matched the
Bucks’ largest lead at 47-24.
But then Gambleton took
over.
He hit a three-pointer and,
after teammate Jamisun
Rigueiro made a three-point-
er, Gambleton scored the last
12 points of the quarter for
Baker.
The Bulldogs’ swarming
defense, meanwhile, includ-
ing full-court pressure and
midcourt trapping, thwarted
a Pendleton offense that had
been running smoothly.
Gambleton’s three-pointer
with less than a minute left
in the quarter brought Baker
to within 52-42 — closer than
the Bulldogs had been since
the fi rst quarter.
Gambleton, one of three
returning starters, said his
third-quarter outburst wasn’t
exactly planned.
“I thought it was just in the
fl ow of the offense,” he said.
“The shots were there and I
took them and they happened
to go in.”
Pendleton regrouped
during the break before the
fourth quarter.
The Bucks went on a 6-2
run to start the quarter, and
Baker couldn’t get closer than
Kathy Orr/Baker City Herald
Gabe Gambleton drives past Pendleton’s Tanner Sweek Wednesday in the Baker gym.
Gambleton led Baker with 22 points in a 75-63 loss to the Bucks.
10 points the rest of the way.
Baker coach Jebron Jones
said that although he was
pleased with his team’s resil-
ience in the second half, the
Bulldogs can’t start so slowly
against an experienced and
talented team such as Pendle-
ton and expect to win.
The Bucks advanced to the
Class 5A tournament last
season with a team that had
just two seniors.
“I knew they were good,”
Jones said of Pendleton,
which beat Baker 63-35 in
the teams’ season opener in
2018 and 82-48 later in the
season
“A good team like that, if
they get open looks they’re go-
ing to make shots.”
Jones said Baker’s fi rst-half
defense was lackluster, both
outside and in the paint.
“We didn’t play great de-
fense, on three-pointers or on
layins,” Jones said.
Pendleton made four three-
pointers in the fi rst quarter
en route to a 26-13 lead.
Junior guard Dakota Sams
had 10 points and senior
Lane Maher added 8.
Pendleton scored the
fi rst 6 points of the second
quarter and extended its
lead to as much as 23 before
Gambleton’s 10-footer cut the
halftime margin to 43-22.
Jones said the Bulldogs’
shot selection was poor in the
fi rst half, and particularly
after Pendleton’s lead swelled
to 20 points.
“We took a lot of bad shots,
trying to get a 20-point basket
when there isn’t a 20-point
basket,” Jones said with a
rueful chuckle.
He was happy to see the
Bulldogs learn from their
mistakes, however.
“For the most part we took
good shots in the second half,”
Jones said. “We talked at
halftime about playing with
pride and with passion. They
didn’t want to get embar-
rassed again.”
Baker outscored Pendleton
41-32 in the second half.
After making the four
three-pointers in the fi rst
quarter, the Bucks had just
two in the fi nal three periods.
“We can compete if we do
the right things,” Jones said.
Baker returns to non-
league action Tuesday
evening when it plays host
to Nyssa. The varsity tipoff is
set for around 6:30.
“We’ve just got to come
back Tuesday and play a full
game, not just the second
half,” Gambleton said.
PENDLETON (75)
D. Sams 6 10-13 24, Hoffman 7 1-2 16, Maher
4 1-3 11, Sweek 5 0-0 10, Begay 1 0-2 3, Bron-
cheau 1 1-2 3, C. Sams 3 0-0 6, Roberts 1 0-0 2.
Totals 28 13-22 75.
BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW
Gambleton.
Gambleton, who scored 22 points in Baker’s
Jebron Jones knows all too well how popu- season opener Wednesday against Pendleton
lar the three-point shot is.
(see story above), resumes his role as the Bull-
Too popular, as he sees it.
dogs’ point guard.
Long shots dominate TV highlights of bas-
“He’s the general out there on the court,”
ketball games, along with dunks.
Jones said. “I think he understands what I
But Jones, the Baker boys varsity coach,
expect from him as a leader.”
said he has been discouraging his players
Long, at 6-foot-4, is one of the most versatile
from relying too heavily on deep shots.
Bulldogs, capable of shooting from the outside
“Anybody can shoot a 3, but the chances of and scoring from the paint.
it going in aren’t that high,” said Jones, who
Senior Riley Flanagan, one of the best leap-
coached the Bulldogs to the Class 4A playoffs ers in the Greater Oregon League, will move
last season, his fi rst as head coach.
into a starting role, where Jones is counting
Gone from that squad are senior starters
on him to snare rebounds and chip in with
Kaden Sand and Zach Schwin, two of the
baskets inside.
Bulldogs’ better three-point shooters.
“He can jump so high he should do a lot of
“We’re not going to be a great three-point
damage on the boards,” Jones said.
shooting team,” Jones said. “My emphasis has
Rebounding will be a key to the Bulldogs’
not been on that.”
season, he said.
Instead, he said he’s encouraging his play-
“If we don’t outrebound our opponent we’re
ers to work on mid-range shots.
going to have a diffi cult time being success-
Jones lost fi ve seniors altogether, but he
ful,” Jones said.
also returns three starters in seniors Spen-
Newcomers include Spencer Shirtcliff, Bry-
cer Smith and Caden Long, and junior Gabe lan Robb, Jamisun Rigueiro and Jake Wright.
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
BAKER (63)
Smith 1 1-1 3, Gambleton 8 4-5 22, Long 8 4-4
20, Flanagan 2 0-0 4, Wright 3 0-2 6, Van Arsdall
1 1-2 3, Rigueiro 2 0-0 5, Shirtcliff 0 0-0 0. Totals
25 10-14 63.
Pendleton
26 17 10 22 — 75
Baker
13 9 20 21 — 63
Three-point baskets — Gambleton 2,
Rigueiro, Long, Sams 2, Maher 2, Begay, Hoff-
man. Total fouls — Pendleton 16, Baker 22.
Bulldogs top
Pendleton
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
The Baker girls basketball team can hardly improve
on last season — near perfection is like that — but coach
Mat Sand said the Bulldogs relish the challenge.
After going 25-1 and winning the school’s fi rst girls
basketball state championship, the Bulldogs have set
quite a standard.
“A lot of high expectations again,” Sand said. “I think
we have all the ingredients to put something together
that’s special just as we did last year.”
The Bulldogs took the fi rst step toward that goal
Wednesday night by traveling to Pendleton and holding
off the Bucks 37-30.
Sand said the low score refl ected the predictable of-
fensive struggles of two teams playing their fi rst game of
the season.
“It’s always a work in progress,” he said. “We took good
shots for the most part.”
Senior Sydney Younger led the Bulldogs with 15
points, including a pair of three-pointers.
Younger is one of three returning starters. Another
is her backcourt teammate, junior point guard Sydney
Keller. Sand said that experienced duo will be vital to
Baker’s success.
“If you don’t get the ball up the court you’re not going
to have a very good team,” he said. “It’s a huge asset to
have both back. They did a great job (against Pendleton)
controlling the tempo and delivering the ball.”
Gone from the championship team are graduating
seniors and leading scorers Rose Gwillim and Jayme
Ramos. They’re now teammates at Mount Hood Com-
munity College.
“You don’t replace a Rose or a Jayme,” Sand said.
Not exactly, anyway.
But the Bulldogs are fortunate that they can in one
sense replace a Ramos — Jayme’s younger sister, Jozie,
a freshman, scored 12 points in her fi rst high school
game Wednesday.
“The sky’s the limit for Jozie,” Sand said.
Baker’s challenging non-league schedule continues
today in Prineville when the Bulldogs play Estacada in
the fi rst of three games in a tournament. Baker’s fi rst
home game, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. against Burns, is both a
chance to avenge the Bulldogs’ only loss last season, and
to unveil their championship bracket. Sand said Gwillim
and Jayme Ramos plan to attend the ceremony.
PENDLETON (30)
Neveau 3 5-11 11, Samp 0 0-0 0, Wilson 2 0-0 5, Lee 0 0-0 0, Spriet 2 0-1 4, Conley 1 0-0
2, Youncs 0 1-2 1, Taber 0 0-0 0, Garcia 0 0-0 0, Jenness 0 0-1 0, Hoisington 1 5-6 7. Totals 9
11-21 30.
BAKER (37)
Hellberg 0 0-0 0, Keller 0 0-4 0, Younger 4 1-4 15, Zikmund 1 0-0 3, Carter 0 0-0 0, Macken-
zie 0 0-0 0, Nemec 1 2-4 4, Ramos 3 6-9 12, Benson 1 0-0 3. Totals 12 9-21 37.
Baker
11 8 11 9 — 37
Pendleton
6 5 10 9 — 30
Three-point baskets — Wilson, Younger 2, Zikmund, Benson. Fouled out — Ramos,
Jenness. Total fouls — Baker 22, Pendleton 19. Technicals — none.