BAKER CITY HERALD • TuEsDAY, MARCH 1, 2022 A7
SPORTS
BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL
Bulldogs rout Outlaws,
advance in playoffs
Baker will play
Gladstone Friday,
March 4, for
berth in state
tournament
Baker vs. Gladstone
comparison
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Sisters won the opening tip
off.
Baker won pretty much ev-
erything else.
Playing like a team whose
season was in the balance,
the Bulldogs dominated the
Outlaws, 61-38, in a Class
4A boys play-in game Satur-
day afternoon, Feb. 26, in the
Baker gym.
Baker’s aggressive defense
kept the Outlaws off balance
from the start, and the Bull-
dogs mixed an array of inside
baskets and 3-pointers to forge
a big lead in the first half and
then cruise to the win in an an-
ticlimactic final two quarters.
The Bulldogs now will travel
to Gladstone, southeast of Port-
land, for a playoff game on Fri-
day, March 4, at 6 p.m.
The winner advances to the
eight-team state tournament
March 10-12 at Coos Bay.
“The kids did a great job,”
Baker coach Jebron Jones said.
“They had a great week of
practice and it translated to the
game. I was real proud.”
After Sisters’ Max Palanuk
tapped the opening tip to a
teammate, Baker’s Jaron Long
stole the ball and streaked
downcourt for a layin less
than half a minute later for the
game’s first points.
Baker never trailed in im-
proving its season record to
18-6.
Richard Huffman scored
inside to tie the score at 2, but
Long scored the next two bas-
kets, one on a long outlet pass
from Hudson Spike. Baker led
6-2, and Sisters coach Chad
Rush called timeout with 5:40
left in the first quarter.
The brief break didn’t inter-
rupt Baker’s momentum.
Isaiah Jones hit a 3-pointer,
and after Palanuk’s basket, Paul
Hobson also made a 3-pointer
to push Baker’s lead to 12-4.
Hobson swished another
long ball half a minute later
and the Bulldogs were up
15-6 with 2:20 left in the first
quarter.
He followed that with one of
Baker’s half dozen first quarter
steals and a layin that boosted
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Jaron Long had a game-high 19 points in Baker’s win over Sisters on
Feb. 26, 2022, in the Baker gym.
Baker’s lead to double digits, at
17-6, for the first time.
Sisters (9-15) closed the first
quarter with a brief rally featur-
ing Palanuk’s inside basket and
a 3-pointer by Mehyke Froelich
that cut Baker’s lead to 17-11 at
the break.
But the Outlaws never got
closer.
Long, who scored Baker’s
first basket in each of the first
three quarters, had consecutive
baskets, one layin and one ac-
robatic runner in the lane, to
give Baker a 21-11 lead.
“I definitely felt like we
played our game,” said Long,
who scored a game-high 19
points. “We shared the ball re-
ally well.”
After Palanuk’s inside hoop
cut Baker’s lead to 25-17, Baker
ended the first half on a 13-2
run.
Jones and Grant Gambleton
had consecutive 3-pointers,
Long had two more baskets
and Spike capped a 13-0 stretch
with Baker’s sixth 3-pointer of
the half.
Huffman scored the final
basket of the half, but Baker
had already doubled up the
Outlaws, 38-19.
There was no drama in the
final 16 minutes.
Six Bulldogs scored in
the third quarter as the lead
swelled to as much as 27
points on Jones’ 3-pointer
with 3:56 left.
Hobson, who finished with
16 points, nailed consecutive
3-pointers to open the fourth
quarter to give Baker its biggest
lead at 61-31.
The Bulldogs had 11
3-pointers — four by Hobson,
three by Jones. Sisters had just
two.
But it was Baker’s harassing
defensive looks, including a
fullcourt press and a halfcourt
trap at times, that flustered
Sisters and kept the Outlaws
from establishing any offensive
rhythm.
And when Sisters got into its
halfcourt sets, Baker clogged
the passing lanes and deflected
multiple passes leading to steals
and easy baskets in transition.
“I think our intensity on de-
fense was there from the very
beginning,” Jebron Jones said.
“We created a few turnovers
and got some easy baskets and
that changed the momentum
in our favor early on.”
Jones was also pleased with
Baker’s offensive efficiency.
“We attacked the paint early
on and got some easy baskets
and that opened things up out-
side,” he said.
Although Jones said he al-
ways emphasizes to his players
that they won’t “live or die with
the 3-pointer,” neither does he
discourage them from taking
open shots when they’ve had
a chance to set their feet and
square their shoulders.
“When the kids are in
rhythm they’re pretty good
shooters,” Jones said.
It was a fast-paced game,
due in part to a relative scar-
city of fouls — just eight were
called, six on Baker, in the first
half. Baker shot just three free
throws, and Sisters two.
Jones said he was happy to
see the Bulldogs playing to-
gether and having fun. The
OREGON MEN’S BASKETBALL
Overall and league records
• Baker: 18-6, 5-1 (Greater
Oregon League)
• Gladstone: 14-7, 8-2 (Tri-
Valley Conference)
Record in last 10 games
• Baker: 7-3
• Gladstone: 8-2
Common opponents
Banks
• Baker won 85-81 on Dec. 4
• Gladstone lost 64-28 on
Dec. 10
Estacada
• Baker won 77-66 on Dec. 10
• Gladstone won 67-45 on
Jan. 18, won 44-38 on Feb. 4
Molalla
• Baker won 85-68 on Dec. 11
• Gladstone won 60-56 on
Jan. 28, won 43-41 on Feb. 18
Madras
• Baker won 72-68 on Jan. 7
• Gladstone won 62-51 on
Feb. 2, lost 64-59 on Feb. 21
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Baker’s Hayden Younger goes to the basket against Sisters’ Richard
Huffman (No. 11) on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in the Baker gym.
SISTERS (38)
Maddox-Castle 0 0-0 0,
Schwarts 0 0-0 0, Huffman 4
0-0 8, Scott 0 0-0 0, Gardner 0
0-0 0, Palanuk 7 1-1 18, Silva
0 0-0 0, Pittman 1 1-1 3, Mar-
tin 0 0-0 0, Merillo 2 0-0 4,
Froehlich 1 0-0 3, Scholl 1 0-0
2. Totals 17 2-2 38.
BAKER (61)
Logsdon 0 0-0 0, Harper 0 0-0
0, Gambleton 1 0-0 3, Quin-
tela 1 0-0 3, Younger 0 0-0 0,
Molina 1 0-0 2, Spike 2 2-2 7,
Jones 4 0-0 11, Long 9 0-0 19,
Hobson 6 0-0 16, Charbon-
neau 0 0-0 0, Mitchell 0 0-1 0.
Totals 24 2-3 61.
Sisters 11 8 12 7 — 38
Baker 17 21 17 6 — 61
team’s mentality was vastly dif-
ferent after the win over Sis-
ters compared with the previ-
ous game, a loss to La Grande,
also in the Baker gym, in the
Greater Oregon League cham-
pionship game on Feb. 19.
“Our body language tonight
was completely different from
a week ago, which was great to
see,” Jones said.
The challenge now, he said,
is to maintain that momentum,
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
and attitude, during practices
Baker’s Lane Molina makes a pass against the defense of Richard
this week in preparation for the Huffman (right) and Noah Pittman on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in
game at Gladstone.
the Baker gym.
MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Trojans edge Ducks on late 3-pointer St. Mary’s upsets top-ranked Gonzaga
Loss dims Ducks’
hopes for at-large
bid to NCAA
tournament
BY STEVE MIMS
Associated Press
EUGENE — Drew Pe-
terson scored 20 points, in-
cluding the game-winning
3-pointer with 11.5 sec-
onds remaining, and No. 16
Southern California defeated
Oregon 70-69 Saturday
night, Feb. 26.
Isaiah Mobley added 17
points for the Trojans (25-
4, 14-4 Pac-12), who set a
school record for most wins
in the regular season.
“Very proud of players, we
played outstanding game,”
USC coach Andy Enfield
said. “It was a hostile envi-
ronment, a lot of energy in
the building. It was a great
crowd. Their students were
swearing at our players and
throwing things in the tun-
nel afterwards but we came
through with a big road win.”
Quincy Guerrier scored
15 points for Oregon (18-10,
11-6), while De’Vion Har-
mon added 13 points, N’Faly
Dante had 12 and Jacob
Young scored 11.
The Ducks shot 38.7%
from the field, including 6
for 23 on 3-pointers.
“I thought we rushed a
few of them,” Oregon coach
Dana Altman said of the
3-pointers. “I thought we
were too aggressive at times.
We got to be aggressive, but I
thought we rushed a few.”
Guerrier put the Ducks
ahead 69-67 on a 3-pointer
with 23 seconds remaining
before Peterson answered
with a 3-pointer. Oregon’s
Will Richardson missed a
shot at the buzzer.
“That was definitely cool,”
Peterson said. “We set a high
ball screen and they went un-
der it. I saw a bit of space and
decided to pull up, thank-
fully it went in. Then we got
a stop. We worked our butts
off tonight. Everyone con-
tributed and we won in a
crazy environment.”
With 3:04 left to play,
Young beat the shot clock
with a deep 3-pointer to put
Oregon ahead 64-61 be-
fore Mobley made two free
throws of the Trojans. Har-
mon then drove for an Ore-
gon basket before Max Ag-
bonkpolo answered with a
bucket to get USC within 66-
65 with 1:26 to play.
Mobley drove for a bas-
ket that put the Trojans up
67-66 with 41 seconds left,
but Guerrier followed with a
3-pointer for the Ducks.
USC went up 51-45 on
a dunk by Chavez Good-
win before Harmon fol-
lowed with a 3-pointer for
the Ducks. Kobe Johnson
followed with a bucket for
the Trojans before Oregon
scored six straight points
to take the lead on two free
throws by Dante.
The Trojans went back
into the lead on a 3-pointer
by Mobley with 7:52 left in
the game.
Oregon rallied from an
12-point deficit in the first
half to take a 32-31 lead at
the break.
The Ducks tied the game
17-17 on a bucket from
Dante before USC followed
with 11 points in a row. Drew
Peterson scored seven points
during the stretch before
Goodwin made a couple free
throws to put the Trojans
ahead 28-17.
Reese Dixon-Waters made
a 3-pointer to put USC ahead
31-19 with 4:57 left in the
half before Oregon scored
the final 13 points before
halftime. Eric Williams Jr.
dunked twice during that
span before Harmon made a
free throw to get the Ducks
within 31-29.
Young added a free throw
and Guerrier added two
more free throws to put
the Ducks into the lead at
the break.
Big picture
USC: The Trojans are 25-4
to set a record for best start
in school history. … USC has
won 72 games over the past
three seasons, matching the
school record set from 2016-
18. … Junior guard Boogie
Ellis, who ranks third on the
team in scoring at 12.9 points
per game, returned to the
starting lineup after missing
Thursday’s game at Oregon
State due to an ankle injury.
Oregon: Oregon is 59-69
all-time against USC, but
Altman is 15-7 against the
Trojans during his time with
the Ducks. … Oregon sits
alone in fourth place in the
Pac-12 heading into the final
week of the regular season
as it looks to wrap up a first-
round bye in the conference
tournament.
BY MICHAEL WAGAMAN
Associated Press
MORAGA, Calif. — Saint
Mary’s finally has its first per-
fect record at home — and
a memorable win over top-
ranked Gonzaga to go with it.
Tommy Kuhse had 14 points
and six rebounds for No. 23
Saint Mary’s, which beat No. 1
Gonzaga 67-57 on Saturday
night, Feb. 26, to prevent the
Bulldogs from completing an-
other undefeated run in the
West Coast Conference.
“That’s really special,” Gaels
coach Randy Bennett said af-
ter his squad completed a 16-0
run at McKeon Pavilion. “It’s
been hard to get. We lost it one
year to Loyola Marymount in
our last home game. It’s been
something hard to get and we
finally got it. Especially when
it’s against the No. 1 team in the
country, it just makes it … a
night you’ll never forget.”
The top six teams in the AP
poll all lost Saturday, and seven
of the top nine; only No. 7
Duke won.
Saint Mary’s ended Gonza-
ga’s 17-game winning streak,
beating a No. 1 team for the
first time since knocking off
the Bulldogs in the 2019 con-
ference tournament title game.
“It’s kind of life in late Feb-
ruary and early March, espe-
cially on the road,” Gonzaga
coach Mark Few said. His team
clinched the WCC regular-sea-
son title last weekend.
Fans poured onto the court
in a wild celebration of the
Gaels’ 18th consecutive win
at McKeon Pavilion dating to
last season.
Matthias Tass added 13
points for the Gaels (24-6, 12-
3) and made a pivotal block
with 1:15 remaining. Kyle
Bowman made a pair of clutch
3-pointers after missing his
first seven shots.
“I wanted to go in the mid-
dle of the circle and kiss the
logo but people were running
on the court so it was difficult,”
Tass said. “It was definitely a
surreal moment.”
Rasir Bolton scored 16 points
for Gonzaga (24-3, 13-1). Drew
Timme had six points and eight
rebounds, but shot 2 of 10.
Saint Mary’s had lost seven
straight to its rivals from the
Pacific Northwest, including
five straight at home, before
stunning the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga had beaten the
Gaels handily two weeks ear-
lier and had won 34 consecu-
tive conference games, 33 by
double-digits. But Saint Mary’s
never let Gonzaga get comfort-
able on Saturday, leading from
start to finish while winning
their fourth straight since that
loss in Spokane.
“They were extremely more
aggressive. They got after us
and played us really really
physical,” Few said of Saint
Mary’s. “That was it. When
you’re the most aggressive team
and most physical team, prob-
ably nine times out of 10 you’re
going to win.”
Gonzaga trailed by 16 with
13 minutes remaining and got
to 57-50 before Bowen buried
a 3-pointer. The Bulldogs re-
sponded with four points, but
Bowen made another 3 and
Logan Johnson sank a pair of
free throws.
The game drew a packed
house at McKeon Pavilion,
with scouts from the War-
riors, Knicks and Pistons in
attendance.
Two nights after thumping
San Francisco 89-73, Gonzaga
appeared sluggish and out of
sync. The Bulldogs shot 31%
in the first half and were out-
scored 17-5 over the final seven
minutes before the break.
Timme, who was taunted
by Gaels fans before the game
as he practiced shooting from
midcourt, was smothered by
defenders every time he got
the ball in the paint. Gon-
zaga’s leading scorer missed
all eight shots he took in the
first half, was called for a
three-second violation in the
key in the second half and
nearly got a technical foul af-
ter inadvertently tossing the
ball near a referee’s head.
“He got his touches but after
three or four bounces we had
three guys surrounding him
and knocking the ball out of
his hands in the first half,” Tass
said. “That kind of ruined his
rhythm. It was hard for him to
bounce back from that.”
Big picture
Gonzaga: Timme was a
non-factor for most of the
game, which put the Bulldogs
into a big hole they never got
out of. The final score was not
indicative of how dominant St.
Mary’s was. Gonzaga is 0-3 this
season when trailing at the half.
Saint Mary’s: Bennett spent
the week telling anyone who
would listen that he liked his
team’s chances. He was re-
warded with the Gaels’ biggest
win in more than three years,
a victory Bennett called one
of the most significant in pro-
gram history.