BAKER CITY HERALD • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 A5
SPORTS
BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL
La Grande romps past Bulldogs, 76-44
Tigers avenge
Baker’s 67-41
win at La Grande
on Jan. 28
LA GRANDE (76)
Tsiatsos 6 0-0 13, Williams 3
0-0 8, Young 0 0-0 0, A. Rodri-
guez 7 3-3 17, Bell 9 1-2 21,
C. Rodriguez 1 0-0 2, Hunts-
man 0 0-0 0, Schow 0 2-2 2,
Hutchins 6 0-0 13, Staab 0
0-0 0, Begin 0 0-0 0. Totals 32
6-7 76.
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
So much for home court
advantage.
The Baker and La Grande
boys basketball teams seem to
have no respect for the tradi-
tional notion that the home
team, comforted by familiar
surroundings and energized
by its fans filling the gym with
decibels, can overcome rough
stretches.
The last two games between
these rivals, over a span of
nine days, have defied that
convention.
On Tuesday night, Feb. 8, in
a loud Baker gym, the Tigers
scored the final 14 points of
the first quarter and the first
basket of the second to take a
12-point lead.
Baker rallied briefly later in
the second quarter, but the Ti-
gers dominated thereafter and
went on to a 76-44 rout.
The margin of victory was
especially shocking given
what happened on Jan. 28 at
La Grande.
There, the Bulldogs con-
trolled the game from the
start in a 67-41 win that Baker
coach Jebron Jones described
as “one of the funnest games
I’ve been a part of in my
coaching and playing career.”
The rematch was decidedly
less pleasant.
“La Grande came in with
something to prove,” Jones
said after the loss on Tues-
day night. “When you lose on
your home court like they did
the first time, they came out
and played hard all 32 min-
utes. They attacked the glass,
made the right pass. They did
a great job.”
As the wildly different re-
sults in the two games make
clear, almost everything
that worked for Baker at La
Grande nine days earlier was
ineffective Tuesday.
The halfcourt trap that so
discombobulated the Tigers
yielded just a few steals Tues-
day at Baker.
Baker’s fullcourt press was
similarly fruitless.
La Grande coach Mark
Carollo said he emphasized
in preparing his team for the
rematch how vital it was that
they keep their composure
against Baker’s frenetic de-
fense.
“We knew the pressure was
going to come,” Carollo said.
“It was a matter of knowing
where to go with the ball,
frankly just being strong with
the ball. We did a good job of
not getting in a hurry.”
The Tigers also took advan-
tage of Baker’s double teams
to find open teammates in
the key for more than half a
dozen easy baskets.
“It’s about keeping your
head up and seeing your op-
tions,” Carollo said. “If you
have two people guarding
you somebody is going to be
open.”
That Tuesday’s game
was back and forth to start
shouldn’t have surprised any-
one.
Baker’s romp at La Grande
is a stark anomaly on the Ti-
gers’ 12-2 record. Their only
other loss was 57-43 against
Fruitland, Idaho, on Dec. 14.
On Tuesday the teams
traded baskets, and leads,
early.
The score was tied at 5 and
7. Isaiah Jones and Hudson
Spike had consecutive short
jumpers to give Baker an 11-7
lead midway through the first
quarter.
But the Bulldogs didn’t
score again before the break.
Devin Bell started La
Grande’s game-turning 16-0
run with a 3-pointer.
The Tigers scored seven
points in the last 48 seconds,
capped by Sam Tsiatsos’ two
inside hoops, and La Grande
led 21-11 after the first quarter.
Alex Rodriguez opened the
BAKER (44)
Logsdon 1 0-0 3, Harper 0 0-0
0, Gambleton 1 0-0 2, Quin-
tela 0 0-0 0, Younger 1 0-1 2,
Molina 0 0-0 0, Spike 2 2-2 6,
Jones 7 0-2 16, Long 2 0-0 4,
Hobson 5 0-0 11, Charbon-
neau 0 0-0 0, Mitchell 0 0-0 0.
Totals 19 2-5 44.
La Grande 21 23 14 18 — 76
Baker
11 20 7 6 — 44
gon University, was on the
coaching staff at EOU during
the mid 2000s while Car-
ollo, from Hermiston, was an
All-American player for the
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald Mountaineers.)
Baker’s Jaron Long, who missed the previous three games with a knee injury, guards La Grande’s Logan Williams on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in the
“I don’t know if either of us
expected what we got on our
Baker gym.
home court,” Carollo said.
“I’m just happy that our boys
“We have a target on our back. The kids
were able to show up tonight.”
Jones said that despite his
have to get used to the fact that people are
disappointment, he under-
stands — and told his players
coming at them.”
— that La Grande’s perfor-
— Baker coach Jebron Jones
mance shows that all of Bak-
er’s opponents are likely to
bring a special intensity to the
game given the Bulldogs’ re-
cord — now 15-5 and 4-1 in
the Greater Oregon League.
“I take it as a compliment,”
Jones said. “We have a target
on our back. The kids have to
get used to the fact that people
are coming at them.”
He conceded that the two
straight losses — Baker lost
69-68 to Powder Valley on a
late 3-pointer by Reece Dixon
on Feb. 5 — stung because
the two opponents are Baker’s
closest foes, geographically,
and both games were in Bak-
er’s gym.
“It hurts a little more be-
cause it’s La Grande, and it’s at
home,” Jones said. “That hurts
the pride a little bit.”
He was glad, though, that
the Bulldogs had little time
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald to think about the two losses.
Baker’s Hudson Spike goes to the basket against La Grande on
They returned to their home
court on Wednesday, Feb. 9,
Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in the Baker gym.
against Vale (the game tipped
off after press time for the
Thursday, Feb. 10, issue).
Jones said the Vikings, like
La Grande and Powder Val-
ley, have something to prove
against Baker.
The Bulldogs beat Vale 88-
87 in a three-overtime thriller
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
on Jan. 18, at Vale.
Baker’s Isaiah Jones is swarmed by La Grande defenders during the
“I’m glad we play tomor-
row,” Jones said Tuesday
Tigers’ 76-44 win in the Baker gym on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022.
night, “just so I can see the
character of the young men.”
scoring in the second quarter Grande’s lead had swelled to
Baker freshman Jaron Long,
with two free throws to push 54-31.
who missed Baker’s previous
La Grande’s lead to 23-11.
Grant Gambleton made a
three games after injuring his
Jones ended the 16-0 run
reverse layin, and Logsdon
knee in the win at La Grande
with an inside basket, and he hit a 3-pointer with 3:30 left
on Jan. 28, returned on Tues-
followed that with a 3-pointer. in the quarter, his fist pump
day. Long entered the game
Hobson scored on a nice pass briefly enlivening the Baker
with five minutes left in the
from Jaxon Logsdon to cut La crowd as he trimmed the lead
Grande’s lead to 25-18.
first quarter and finished with
to 54-36.
After Tsiatsos’ rebound bas-
four points.
But Hutchins had a re-
ket boosted the Tigers’ lead to bound basket and Rodriguez
Baker concludes its GOL
29-20, Jones swished another had yet another layin to push
schedule Friday, Feb. 11,
3-pointer that provoked a roar the Tigers’ lead back to 58-36.
traveling to Ontario for a
from the Baker fans and cut
6:30 p.m. PST tip off.
La Grande then capped its
the lead to 29-23.
If Baker wins it will fin-
nearly flawless performance
But the Bulldogs would
ish with a 5-1 league record.
by scoring the final 12 points
never get closer.
La Grande is 3-1 with games
of the game.
Bell scored seven points in
remaining against Mac-Hi
The Tigers outscored Baker
the final three minutes of the 32-13 in the second half.
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald and Ontario. If Baker and
half, and Rodriguez’s inside
La Grande had four players Baker’s Hudson Spike leaps to block a shot by La Grande’s Jace Schow La Grande are tied, the team
basket with seven seconds left in double figures — in addi-
with the highest RPI ranking
on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in the Baker gym.
pushed the La Grande lead to tion to Bell’s 21, Rodriguez
would host the GOL play-
44-31 at halftime.
had 17, and Hutchins and Tsi- with 16 and Hobson with 11. gested that Jones, his longtime off game on Feb. 19. As of
Bell had 14 of his game-
atsos 13 each.
Carollo admitted that the
friend, probably felt the same. Wednesday morning, Feb. 9,
high 21 points in the first
Baker was ranked eighth, and
Baker had just two play-
outcome surprised him.
(Jones, a former basket-
half, and the Tigers had four
ers in double figures — Jones
And with a laugh he sug-
ball player at Eastern Ore-
La Grande ninth.
3-pointers.
“We came out and shot the
ball extremely well in the first
half,” Carollo said.
Jones had 14 of his 16
points in the first half.
With ruthless efficiency the
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