SPORTS
6A — BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2021
BAKER GIRLS BASKETBALL
BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL
Baker surrenders
lead, falls to Nyssa
Bulldogs win home opener
By Corey Kirk
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
Playing in front of a home crowd for
the fi rst time since Feb. 22, 2020, the
Baker boys basketball team routed
Nyssa, 65-34, Friday, May 28.
Baker improved to 1-1.
A pair of freshmen led Baker’s of-
fense, as Paul Hobson scored 17 points
and Hudson Spike had 16.
Baker coach Jebron Jones, who has
coached the two since they were third-
graders, wasn’t surprised.
“I know what they are about, and I
am proud of them,” Jones said. “Being
just freshmen and playing sports on
the varsity level is tough, and through
two nights so far, they responded re-
ally well.”
Jones said he knew Nyssa likes to
shoot three-pointers, and he empha-
sized the need for Baker defenders to
force Nyssa to look inside for points.
“We wanted to push them off the
three-point line as much as possible to
force them into the key, where we are
a little bit bigger than they are, and
hopefully they would take bad shots or
(make) suspect decisions,” Jones said.
The strategy worked.
Baker turned a seven-point lead
after one quarter to 19 points at half-
time after holding Nyssa to just fi ve
By Corey Kirk
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
Baker’s girls basketball team was unable to hold on to a
13-point lead in the fi rst half and ended up losing 43-41 at
Nyssa in the season-opening game on Friday, May 28.
Baker, the 2019 Class 4A state champions, was playing its
fi rst game since beating Gladstone 53-31 in a playoff game
on March 6, 2020. Baker’s defense of its 2019 state title was
canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Bulldogs were in Forest Grove, preparing for their fi rst state
tournament game, when the event was canceled.
In the fi rst half Friday at Nyssa, Baker coach Mat Sand
was pleased with his team’s performance
“We came out playing like what I was expecting,” Sand
said. “They’re (Nyssa) a decent team.”
Baker’s biggest challenge was Gracie Johnson, Nyssa’s
6-foot-5 sophomore post.
Sand was proud of how Baker sophomore Rylee Elms took
on the task of defending Johnson.
“I put Rylee Elms on her and then just gave her help and
we did an excellent job on her in the fi rst half,” Sand said.
After leading by as many as 13 points in the second quar-
ter, Baker squandered most of its lead by scoring just two
points in the third quarter.
“Most of it is attributed to the fact that we aren’t in basket-
ball shape,” Sand said. “It was our fi rst game of the year, so we
had some really great moments. In the third quarter, when
you only score two points, it’s hard to keep it rolling.”
Sand said he is excited to see how this shortened season
progresses with a team that’s much different — and much
younger — than the squad that didn’t get a chance to defend
its state title more than a year ago. That team had four
seniors.
“I’m not focused on the win/losses of this season, I am
focused on the maturing process that is necessary for the
team to be successful in the start of next year,” Sand said. “I
told them at the end of the game that we are going to learn
from it, learn what we can do differently, and think about
the things that we can grow from here. There’s a lot of great
things we can take away individually and as a team.”
Baker’s lone senior is Sydney Keller. Other returning
players with varsity experience are sophomores Elms, Jozie
Ramos, Macey Moore and Makenzie Flanagan.
Sand said he is glad to have Keller’s experience.
“I just really appreciate her coming out and being the team
leader that she is,” Sand said. “She leads by example but she
also has earned that voice that is necessary for that team.
So I’m glad she is there to instill and be positive in this next
group of girls.”
Baker will play in front of a home crowd today at 5:30 p.m.
against Vale. The teams have Nyssa as a common opponent.
Nyssa beat Vale 45-18 on May 25.
This is Baker’s fi rst home game since the win over Glad-
stone in the playoff game on March 6, 2020.
Corey Kirk/Baker City Herald
Gabe Gambleton goes to the hoop against the defense of Nyssa’s Nico
Gomeza, as teammate Hayden Younger, No. 11, looks on.
points in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Jones was encourag-
ing his players to pass up three-point
shots in favor of higher percentage,
closer attempts. He said the Bulldogs
relied too heavily on long shots in a
79-69 loss to La Grande on May 27.
“I told them we shot way too many
three-pointers, and I told them that
lay-ups defl ate teams,” Jones said.
“I think we scored a lot of lay-ups
(against Nyssa).”
Despite the big halftime lead, Baker
maintained the defensive pressure,
holding Nyssa to eight points in the
third quarter.
“I told them I was proud of them for
how hard they played,” Jones said.
Baker travels to Vale today to take
on the Vikings.
EASTERN OREGON
2021
PHOTO CONTEST
Official Rules:
Photo Contest open now and closes at
11:59 pm Sunday, June 20, 2021.
Staff will choose the top 10. The public can
vote online for People’s Choice from 12:01
am Monday, June 21 through 11:59 pm
Thursday, June 30.
Digital or scanned photos only, uploaded
to the online platform. No physical copies.
Only photographers from Oregon may
participate.
The contest subject matter is wide open but
we’re looking for images that capture life
in Eastern Oregon.
Submit all photos
online at:
Entrants may crop, tone, adjust saturation
and make minor enhancements, but may
not add or remove objects within the
frame, or doctor images such that the final
product doesn’t represent what’s actually
before the camera.
The winners will appear in the July 8th
edition of Go Magazine; the top 25 will
appear online.
Gift cards to a restaurant of your choice
will be awarded for first, second and third
place.
bakercictyherald.com/photocontest
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