THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
BAKER VOLLEYBALL SEASON BEGINS
OREGON STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Burns rallies to slip past
Bulldogs in 5-set thriller
■ Hilanders rebound after Baker wins two straight to take a 2-1 lead after three sets
By Corey Kirk
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
The Baker volleyball team
started its shortened season
Tuesday evening with a hard-
fought five-set loss to the Burns
Hilanders in an unusually
quiet Baker gym, with specta-
tors not allowed due to the
pandemic.
With just a week of practice
to prepare, sophomore Jozie
Ramos said she was anxious
about returning to the court for
the first time in more than 15
months.
“I was personally excited but
I was also nervous because we
only had a few practices, and
I didn’t really know what to
expect,” Ramos said.
After splitting the first four
sets, with Baker winning the
middle two, the teams moved to
a winner-takes-all fifth set.
Baker took a three-point lead
early, but the Hilanders rallied
to win the deciding set, 15-10.
Despite the loss, Baker coach
Ali Abrego said she was happy
with the Bulldogs’ effort.
“I think it goes to show their
character, that they are not go-
ing to give up anything without
a fight,” Abrego said. “I am
very pleased with what I saw, I
think it’s very promising.”
Although Burns competes at
the Class 3A level and Baker is
a Class 4A school, the Hilan-
ders are one of the top teams in
their classifications.
Burns returns eight players
from the team that went 26-8
and advanced to the Class 3A
state tournament in 2019.
In the opening set Tuesday,
Baker and Burns played to an
18-18 tie before the Hilanders
raced to a 25-21 win.
Abrego said that during the
break between the first and
second sets she encouraged the
Bulldogs to stay focused.
“It’s really hard to keep your
momentum, keep your energy
and keep your focus, so taking
that as an opportunity to be
mentally tough and to not
give up when we have them,”
Abrego said. “I think that when
we get a rhythm it’s great but
we are still young so keeping
a rhythm is still something
that we will be working on all
season.”
Baker responded to Abrego’s
advice, winning the next two
sets, 25-23 and 25-19.
Ramos said the Bulldogs
were more energetic during
those two sets.
“It really brought the energy
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Baker’s Jozie Ramos, left, waits for action at the net during the Bulldogs’ match
against Burns on Tuesday, March 2, in the BHS gym. Burns won the match in fi ve sets.
Beavers top Cal,
set up rematch
with Oregon
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Taylor Jones had 17 points
and 13 rebounds and Oregon State moved on in the
Pac-12 tournament with a 71-63 opening-round vic-
tory over California on Wednesday.
Talia von Oelhoffen had a career-high 20 points
for fi fth-seeded Oregon State (11-6), which has won
four straight and seven of its last eight. The Beavers
face fourth-seeded and 19th-ranked Oregon in the
quarterfi nals on Thursday.
Leilani McIntosh had 14 points to lead No. 12 seed
Cal (1-16), which trailed by as many as 15 points but
threatened late. Evelien Lutje Schiphol added 13
points and 10 rebounds and Ugonne Onyiah scored
13.
The Beavers had nine games canceled because
of the coronavirus protocols and played the fewest
games of any other team in the conference. But Or-
egon State gained momentum late, with road victories
over No. 10 UCLA and No. 14 Oregon to wrap up the
regular season and increase the team’s chances of
making the NCAA Tournament.
The Beavers used a 14-0 run to take a 31-17 lead
in the second quarter. But Cal’s Sierra Richey made
a 3-pointer and Lutje Schipholt scored on a layup to
close the gap. Oregon State led 39-27 at the break.
Von Oelhoffen, who graduated early from high
school and joined the Beavers in February, led all scor-
ers in the opening half with 13 points.
It was the fi rst meeting between the two teams this
season.
Carmelo leads
Blazers past
Charlotte Hornets
By Anne M. Peterson
AP Sports Writer
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Baker’s volleyball players Hailey Zikmund, center, Jozie Ramos, left, and Campbell
Vanderwiele, rear, during the Tuesday, March 2, match against Burns in the BHS gym.
up and made it feel kind of
normal, we were making our
own energy, making plays and
just feeding off of each other,”
Ramos said.
Abrego said she was
impressed by Ramos, who she
chose as team captain.
Ramos not only was landing
serves consistently, but she also
set up her teammates for scor-
ing opportunities.
“She puts the team above
herself, she’s always hustling,
she’s always setting an ex-
ample of what it means to be a
Baker Bulldog and I’m excited
she’s only a sophomore, she’s
very gifted, a very good-hearted
kid,” Abrego said.
With Baker holding a 2-1
set advantage, the Hilanders
rallied with a dominating per-
formance in winning the fourth
set, 25-8.
Looking ahead to the rest of
the season, which includes 11
more matches through April
5, Abrego said Baker needs to
strive to be mentally sound and
to avoid making self-inflicted
mistakes.
“There’s going to be long
rallies, there’s going to be long
matches, and I think our per-
formance tonight shows that
we can handle it, we just have
to figure out a rhythm and
maintain it,” Abrego said.
Ramos said the Bulldogs will
also benefit from having more
matches to get used to playing
with each other.
“We just need to communi-
cate and go for the ball and not
be scared,” Ramos said. “It was
really good to play again with
teammates and we haven’t
done that in a while so I’m just
happy we got a game not know-
ing if we had a season. I’m just
looking forward to improving
each game and getting closer
with my teammates.”
The Bulldogs return to action
this evening, March 4, by trav-
eling to North Powder where
they’ll take on Powder Valley at
6:45 p.m., followed by a match
against Union around 8 p.m.
Baker then travels to On-
tario on Saturday, March 6, to
play Greater Oregon League
rival Ontario at 1 p.m. PDT.
Links to live streams of
matches are available on
the Baker Bulldog Nation
Facebook page, https://www.
facebook.com/bhsbulldognation
PORTLAND — After Portland’s Carmelo Anthony
scored 29 points against Charlotte, he exchanged jer-
seys with Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball, who had 30.
It was a bit of mutual Melo admiration.
Anthony had six of Portland’s franchise-record
24 3-pointers and the Trail Blazers snapped a
four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory on
Monday night, March 1.
“I try to embrace the next generation of guys
and the young players,” Anthony said of the jersey
exchange. “It was fun playing against (Ball) tonight.
I’ve been watching him since he was in high school.
Just being across from him tonight, getting a chance
to really see his game up close in person, getting to
see him and what kind of person he is, so it was only
right that we did that tonight.”
At one point Ball hit a 3-pointer and did Anthony’s
signature 3-to-the-dome gesture.
“He can do it. He can only do it one time, but he
can do it,” Anthony laughed. “I blessed him, let him
know that he can carry it on.”
Ball said: “Pretty much it’s just all love and respect
both ways.”
Damian Lillard had 21 points and 10 assists and
Robert Covington contributed a season-high 21
points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who got off
to a sluggish start but led by as many as 19 points in
the fi nal quarter. Lillard also had six 3s.
The Hornets have not won in Portland since
March 2008. Portland had fallen into sixth place in
the Western Conference, a half-game back of San
Antonio.
LaMelo looking like the best of the Ball brothers so far
For the last fi ve years, one family
name seems to stand out in the
world of basketball. During the
2016-2017 NCAA men’s basketball
season, one voice stood out above the
rest, as his boys were dominating
basketball in Southern California on
the high school and college level.
I’m talking about Lavar Ball
and his sons, Lonzo, LiAngelo and
LaMelo.
Lonzo, the oldest, became known
when he helped lead the UCLA Bru-
ins to the Sweet 16 in March Mad-
ness that year, then leaving after his
freshman year for the NBA. Scouted
as an elite guard who thrived in
transition, the Los Angeles Lakers
drafted the Bruin alumnus with the
second pick of the 2017 NBA draft.
While his older brother made it to
the league, LaMelo went a different
route along with his other brother,
LiAngelo. After LiAngelo left UCLA
after a brief stint, these two brothers
went to play in Lithuania profession-
ally, then play for their father’s Junior
Baller Association later that year.
COREY
KIRK
While LiAngelo struggled to main-
tain any sort of momentum, LaMelo
then really broke out when he played
a year in Australia pro league,
cementing the draft stock as a top
pick in the 2020 draft, being taken by
the Charlotte Hornets with the third
overall pick.
Despite his dad’s proclamations
of his greatness, it’s safe to say that
Lonzo’s career has been somewhat
disappointing. His tenure with the
Lakers ended after just two seasons.
Now a member of the New Orleans
Pelicans, he is back in the trade
rumor mill in just his second year
in New Orleans. Lonzo is averaging
about 14.5 points per game, along
with fi ve assists and four rebounds.
Meanwhile, LaMelo, his younger
brother, is leading NBA rookies in
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images-TNS
The Charlotte Hornets’ LaMelo Ball (2) goes to the basket in a Na-
tional Basketball Association game in January 2021.
points, steals, assists and rebounds.
The early favorite for the Rookie of
the Year award, LaMelo has helped
propel the Hornets into the playoff
hunt going into the All-Star break.
Along with Devontae Graham,
LaMelo is part of a top-notch back-
court that gives him room to grow.
He’s averaging 15 points per game,
along with six rebounds and six
assists.
While Lonzo was highly touted
for his passing, LaMelo has shown
how adept he is distributing the
ball, with his assist average better
than his older brother’s.
Lonzo and LaMelo are both
talented players. Though it’s hard
to support Lavar’s narrative that
both of his boys were going to be
among the NBA’s best players, it
looks likely that both will have long
careers in the league.
As for impact, Lonzo seems
destined to be an NBA journeyman
rather than a star. Can he stay
with a team for more than a couple
of years? Lonzo has also battled
injuries since he entered the NBA,
not playing more than 63 games in
a season.
LaMelo, on the other hand, has
shown the sort of promise that
could result in an All-Star selection.
He continues to impress fans with
his ability to fi nd the open team-
mate, or to create his own shot.
It’s evident to me that LaMelo is
destined to accomplish more in the
NBA than his older brother.