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.
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