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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 2021)
A6 — BAKER CITY HERALD SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2021 SPORTS BAKER GIRLS BASKETBALL BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL Bulldogs rout Trojans Baker turns back Homedale rally, 55-49 By JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com The Baker girls basket- ball team opened its season Thursday, Dec. 2 by treating the visiting Homedale Trojans like younger siblings who can’t keep their older sisters from grab- bing the ball whenever they want it. The pressing early question wasn’t when Homedale would score its fi rst point. Or even when the Trojans would take their fi rst shot. The intrigue was when they would advance the ball beyond halfcourt. It took almost two minutes for Homedale to accomplish that basic feat, and by then Baker’s suffocating press had yielded fi ve steals. This dismal start didn’t doom the Trojans’ chances com- pletely, though, as the Bulldogs failed to convert most of the steals into points. Baker led just 4-0 when Homedale’s Laney Swallow scored inside for the Trojans’ fi rst basket. Homedale even led briefl y, 9-8, on Swallow’s reverse layin with 1:20 left in the fi rst quarter. But the Bulldogs dominated the second half and went on to win 66-36 to give new coach Buell Gonzales Jr. his fi rst win in Baker. “I love their positive at- titudes and their coachability,” Gonzales, who is also the Baker School District’s athletic director, said of the team he started coaching less than a month ago. Mat Sand, who led the Bulldogs to the 2019 Class 4A state title, decided his busi- ness commitments in Western Oregon wouldn’t allow him to coach this season. “This is a talented group,” Gonzales said. “There were a lot of positive things tonight.” Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald Baker junior Jozie Ramos, in white, goes up for a shot while being fouled by Homedale’s Cheyenne Kelly (No. 32) during Baker’s 66-36 season-opening win over the Trojans Thursday, Dec. 2 in the Baker gym. Ramos led all scorers with 28 points. only lead of the game. The list included junior It was a brief advantage. Jozie Ramos, who began her Pierce converted another third year as a starter by scoring a game-high 28 points, including the Bulldogs’ fi rst six points and their last nine. Gonzales said he was pleased with the full-court press that Baker deployed to start the game against the Tro- jans, who fell to 0-3 after losing last month to Idaho opponents New Plymouth (44-22) and Emmett (60-23). He was less satisfi ed with the shooting struggles that prevented Baker from turning its defensive domination into a large early lead. “We had trouble putting the Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald ball in the basket,” Gonzales Baker’s Rylee Elms said. dribbles against the After junior Sydnee Pierce’s defense of Homedale’s steal and layin gave Baker an Amaia Aberasturi on 8-2 lead, Homedale scored the Thursday, Dec. 2 in the next seven points to take its Baker gym. steal into an easy basket to give Baker a 10-9 lead less than 30 seconds later. Makenzie Flanagan fi nished off the fi rst quarter with a pair of free throws and a basket off an assist from fellow junior Rylee Elms to give Baker a 14-9 lead. The Bulldogs extended their run in the second quarter, scor- ing 14 straight points to lead 22-9. But Homedale outscored Baker 11-3 the rest of the quar- ter, and Cheyenne Kelly’s layin at the halftime buzzer trimmed Baker’s lead to 25-20. The Trojans couldn’t carry their momentum into the sec- ond half. Baker scored 10 of the fi rst 12 points, with juniors Brooklyn Jaca and Taylor Gyllenberg each scoring four points in the run. Ramos drew her fourth foul and went to the bench with 1:23 left in the third quarter, but the Trojans didn’t take advantage of her absence. Baker senior Katie Wilde hit an 18-footer in the last minute of the third quarter to boost Baker’s lead to 43-26. The Bulldogs dominated the fourth quarter, 23-10. Six Bulldogs scored in the quarter, led by Ramos, who had 11 points and never picked up her fi fth foul. Gonzales said Baker was much more effi cient in execut- ing its half-court offense in the second half. “They settled down and took their time,” he said. Jaca had eight points. Gyl- lenberg, Flanagan and Pierce had six points each, and Elms scored fi ve points. Baker returns to the court Tuesday, Dec. 7, traveling to Pendleton for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff against the Class 5A Buckaroos. By JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com Baker raced to an early lead then thwart- ed Homedale’s late rally to open the boys basket- ball season with a 55-49 win over the Trojans at Homedale, Idaho, on Thursday, Dec. 2. “It was a great start to the season,” Baker coach Jebron Jones said. With four fresh- men joining a roster of veterans, Jones said he expected struggles in the fi rst game. But aside from sev- eral turnovers — which Jones attributed in part to the fast pace of play he prefers — he said the Bulldogs played well. “We shared the ball extremely well, giving up good shots for great shots,” Jones said. “Of- fensively I think we did a great job.” Baker took a 10-point lead in the fi rst quarter, fueled by an aggressive defense that led to multiple turn- overs and easy baskets. “I think our pres- sure kind of fl ustered them most of the game,” Jones said of the Trojans, who were also playing their fi rst game of the season. “I think they were kind of shocked.” Baker led the entire game, but Homedale chiseled away at the lead and got within two points in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Hudson Spike led Baker with 15 points. Freshman Isaiah Jones had 14 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, in his fi rst varsity game, and sophomore Paul Hobson had 12 points. Jebron Jones said he was especially impressed with his play- ers’ willingness to take offensive charges, doing so fi ve or six times. “That takes a real unselfi sh play to do that,” Jones said. He thinks that will be a key to the Bulldogs’ success this year. “The biggest thing is that they need to check their egos at the door, and to do whatever is best for the team,” Jones said. “That’s my biggest challenge, and I’m look- ing forward to it. They’re all great young men, on and off the court.” Baker played Banks on Saturday morning, Dec. 4 at North Powder. The Baker gym was being used for a wres- tling tournament. The Bulldogs travel to Fruitland, Idaho, on Tuesday, Dec. 7 for a 6 p.m. PST tipoff. Convenient cancer care, close to home. SNOW TIRES are cheaper Now more than ever, your health and well-being are important. than a wreck That’s why we’re proud to provide infusion therapies 7 days a week. 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