6A — BAKER CITY HERALD
THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021
SPORTS
BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL
Corey Kirk/Baker CIty Herald
Baker’s Rylee Elms defends against La Grande’s Makenna Shorts Tuesday, June 8.
Tigers too much for Baker
By Corey Kirk
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
Baker’s youthful girls
basketball team showed
its inexperience against a
veteran La Grande squad in
a 51-32 loss to the undefeated
Tigers on Tuesday, June 8 in
the Baker gym.
“We are learning how
to grow, we have a great
nucleus, they’re learning
what basketball really means
when it comes to the mental
game, and you can’t coach
experience,” Baker coach Mat
Sand said. “La Grande’s got
the experience.”
Two of La Grande’s fi ve
seniors — Camryn Collman
and Ella Dunlap — ac-
counted for 32 of the Tigers’
51 points.
Baker has only one senior
on its roster, Sydney Keller.
In the fi rst half, the Tigers
scored consistently and
denied Baker second-chance
points, taking a 29-14 lead.
Sand said he reminded the
Bulldogs that they were play-
ing one of Oregon’s top Class
4A teams, and that this is
part of the growth process.
“We get to mature as a
team, we get to learn what
this feels like, we get to learn
how the game fl ows with this
type of competition,” Sand
said.
Baker bounced back with a
strong third quarter, outscor-
ing La Grande 13-11.
Sophomore Macey Moore
scored six of her team-high 10
points during the quarter.
“She’s got a high basket-
ball IQ,” Sand said of Moore.
“She’s going to be an asset for
us as she grows, she’s compet-
ing and doing well.”
Macey and fellow sopho-
mores Jozie Ramos (seven
points), Makenzie Flanagan
(fi ve points), Sydnee Pierce
(four) and Rylee Elms (two)
scored 28 of Baker’s 32 points.
Keller scored the other four
points.
Sand said he was proud
of his team’s effort, as they
played a full court pressing
defense most of the game
despite having played games
the previous two nights.
“That’s when you dig deep
even though you are exhaust-
ed, for them to do that just
shows you their passion, their
desire, their will to compete
and that’s all that I could ask
for as a coach,” Sand said. “I
can build something out of
that.”
Bulldogs stifl e
Powder Valley
Jozie Ramos scored
a game-high 13 points
as Baker beat Powder
Valley 36-21 on Monday,
June 7 at North Powder.
Baker held the Bad-
gers scoreless in the
second quarter, and to
just two points in the
fi nal period.
Sydney Keller added
eight points for Baker,
and Macey Moore six.
He was also grateful for
Keller, a three-year starter
and the lone remaining mem-
ber of Baker’s 2019 Class 4A
state championship team.
“Keller shows up every
night and plays just like that,
she plays at that level of com-
petition and beyond, that’s
her nature,” Sand said. “You
can never fi nd a person with
a bigger heart.”
Sand said he’s confi dent
that the Bulldogs will learn
from the loss to La Grande.
“They’re just going to use
this as a stepping stone and
a building block,” Sand said.
Time
has
come...
Corey Kirk/Baker CIty Herald
Baker’s Grant Gambleton (No. 3) scored a game-high 35 points in a heartbreaking
70-69 loss to La Grande on Tuesday, June 8. Mason Van Arsdall, left, had fi ve points.
Late 3-pointer lifts La Grande
By Corey Kirk
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
An exciting night in the Baker gym
turned dour in the span of a couple seconds.
That’s all the time it took for a three-
pointer to travel from La Grande sopho-
more Sam Tsiatsos’ fi ngertips and slip
through the net.
The shot, with just six seconds left, gave
the Tigers their fi rst lead of the game, at
70-69.
And it was the only lead they needed, as
that turned out to be the fi nal score.
“It’s a tough loss, it’s probably the tough-
est loss that I’ve been a part of for my play-
ing or coaching career,” said Baker coach
Jebron Jones.
Tsiatsos’ game-winner erased what had
been a strong performance by Baker, which
lost 79-69 at La Grande on May 27.
On Tuesday, Baker scored the fi rst 10
points and led 14-3 midway through the
fi rst quarter.
“I knew our kids were going to fi ght hard,
I am glad we came out the way that we
did. I told the dudes before the game that
basketball is a game of runs,” Jones said.
La Grande rallied, closing Baker’s lead to
39-31 at halftime, and to 49-43 entering the
fi nal period.
Starting the second half, Jones encour-
aged his team to maintain its intensity.
“I told the dudes the game was 0-0, we
won the fi rst half but obviously there are
two halves,” Jones said.
The Tigers managed to overcome a career
night for Baker senior guard Gabe Gamble-
ton, who scored 35 points.
“He played a great game,” Jones said of
Gambleton. “I think that he realized this
was the last time playing at home against
La Grande, so he wanted to put his stamp
on the game.”
Freshman Paul Hobson added 19 points,
including fi ve three-pointers.
Though understanding that the team is
frustrated in defeat, Jones is hopeful that
they can recover.
“The hardest part for these guys to under-
stand is they need to move on, but it’s hard
because you are so emotionally tied to the
game,” he said.
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Freshmen Paul Hobson and Hudson
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