6A — BAKER CITY HERALD
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2020
PINE EAGLE BASKETBALL
Spartans edge Imbler
BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL
Baker’s rally falls short at La Grande
By Ronald Bond
The (La Grande) Observer
LA GRANDE — La
Grande sophomore guard
Devin Bell said the Tigers
boys basketball team is es-
sentially beginning a new
season as it looks to right the
ship following a 1-10 start.
They certainly started it
the right way — even if the
outcome was in doubt in the
fi nal moments.
“We were 1-10, and then
we come out and start league
off with a win, and I think it’s
just a start to a new season. I
think it’s going to be a great
season,” Bell said.
Bell led the Tigers with 17
points Friday, and La Grande
opened Greater Oregon
League play with a 56-52
home win over Baker in a
game that saw the Bulldogs
rally from 18 points down in
the fourth quarter.
The Tigers were the ag-
gressors much of the night,
and for the fi rst three quar-
ters they played their best
basketball of the season. Bell
led a barrage from 3-point
range with fi ve triples as La
Grande connected on eight 3s
on the night. The Tigers, who
never trailed, took their larg-
est lead just 20 seconds into
the fourth quarter at 47-29 on
a layup by Brady Hutchins.
“Obviously against your
rival you want to come out
and play your best basket-
ball, (and) tonight we did for
the fi rst three quarters,” La
Grande coach Mark Carollo
said. “We were really on, we
shot the ball well, defensively
we kept guys in front of us,
(and) we took care of the ball.”
Then what seemed like
a certain victory nearly got
door open — connected on
the game-sealing free throws
with 8.9 seconds to go.
“I was a little bit nervous,
but I’ve made so many free
throws, and I was confi dent it
would go in,” Myer said.
The tight fi nish was unex-
pected after La Grande had
dominated most of the night.
The Tigers raced out to a 13-3
fi rst-quarter lead on a Justin
Jenner 3-pointer. Bell caught
fi re in the second quarter
with three 3-pointers, includ-
ing an important trey with
about 15 seconds to play in
the half that stopped a Baker
rally and gave the Tigers a
29-24 lead at the break.
“They played harder than
we did (through the fi rst
three quarters),” Jones said of
the Tigers. “(They) outhustled
us, wanted it more, and then
by the fourth quarter, it was
too little too late.”
“You gotta give them credit
for sticking in there, battling
Ronald Bond /The (La Grande) Observer all the way through,” Carollo
Baker’s Caden Long shoots against La Grande’s Zach
said of Baker. “I knew they
Wiggins, left, and Justin Jenner on Friday.
weren’t going to just lay over,
and we got tight. We got tense
away from the Tigers.
we need to play a little bit
(but) at the end of the day we
The Bulldogs scored seven harder,” Baker coach Jebron were still able to fi nish.”
points in less than a minute, Jones said of the message to
Jenner and Myer joined
getting within 47-36 on a fi eld his team to get the Bulldogs
Bell in double fi gures with 13
goal by Gabe Gambleton. The back in the game. “I think
and 12 points, respectively, to
Tigers briefl y restored order they stepped up to the chal-
help La Grande end a seven-
to push the lead back to 15
lenge in the fourth quarter,
game losing streak.
on Cristian Mendoza’s fl oater, but basketball is four quar-
Long, who had 10 of his
but another Gambleton
ters, and we didn’t do our job team-high 16 points in the
jumper and a 3-point play by the fi rst three.”
fourth quarter for Baker, also
Caden Long cut the margin
The Bulldogs got within 54- had 13 rebounds, four assists
to 51-41 with 4:30 to play.
52 on another lay-in by Long, and three steals. Gambleton
Gambleton’s pullup jumper
and they had a shot at the
added 14 points, and Flana-
made it a six-point game with lead with about 15 seconds to gan had 12 points and 11 re-
2:57 to go, and Baker was
play, but Jamison Rigueiro’s
bounds. Baker outrebounded
down only three points, at 53- open 3-pointer was long, and La Grande by a sizable 38-27
50, on a Riley Flanagan layup La Grande’s Kaleb Myer —
margin, but committed 21
with 57 seconds remaining.
who had just missed the front turnovers while La Grande
“I just told the kids that
end of a 1-and-1 to leave the fi nished with just eight.
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HALFWAY — The Pine Eagle girls basketball team
rallied with a pair of late free throws to beat Imbler
36-35 Friday.
Girls
• Pine Eagle 36, Imbler 35: Two free throws by
Pine Eagle in the fi nal seconds Friday prevented the
Panthers from getting their fi rst win of the season in
an Old Oregon League contest.
Imbler led most of the night, but Pine Eagle grabbed
the lead in the fourth and the teams went back and
forth until the Spartans won it on the late free throws.
Maddie Morgan scored 11 points to lead the Spar-
tans. Karmen Molina and Sammy Pollock each added
nine points.
Pine Eagle (5-4 overall, 1-1 OOL) hosts Powder Val-
ley Saturday.
Boys
• Imbler 45, Pine Eagle 40: The Panthers rallied
from an early 16-4 defi cit Friday to earn a hard-fought
road win to open Old Oregon League play.
Imbler cut the margin to 24-22 by halftime, then
took over the lead, 36-30, after three quarters and held
on.
Four different players — Ethan Brown, Caleb
Brown, Caleb Thompson and Clay Gray — had eight
points apiece for the Spartans (4-5 overall, 1-1 OOL),
who host Powder Valley Saturday.
POWDER VALLEY BASKETBALL
Badgers rout Cove
NORTH POWDER — The Powder Valley Badgers
swept boys and girls games against Cove Saturday.
Boys
• Powder Valley 95, Cove 32: The Badgers fell just
short of the century mark Saturday as they opened
Old Oregon League play with a rout of Cove.
Reece Dixon led four players in double fi gures for
Powder Valley, which had 12 players score, with 18
points. Clay Martin added 15 points, Dominick Grende
had 11 points and Moziss Nesser scored 10 points.
Powder Valley (9-3 overall, 1-0 OOL) hosts Imbler
Tuesday.
Girls
• Powder Valley 37, Cove 28: Belle Blair had 14
points and 11 rebounds Saturday in her fi rst game
of the season, and the Badgers opened Old Oregon
League play with a home win over the Leopards.
Dallee Jo Bingham added 10 points and Keanna
Bingham had eight for Powder Valley.
The Badgers’ boys and girls home games against
Nixyaawii Friday were canceled due to road condi-
tions. A makeup date has not yet been determined.