A10
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
WEDNESDAY
November 22, 2017
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Mark Thomas looks for a way around Denali Twehues as
the Monument/Dayville boys and girls teams scrimmage
in practice Nov. 15 in Dayville.
Leaders return to
Lady Tigers team
Monument/
Dayville girls and
coach aim high
Monument/Dayville Tiger
Donovan Schafer lays up
a shot in the team’s Nov.
15 practice in Dayville.
Young Monument/Dayville boys
hoops team prepares for season
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Returning starters Kyla
Emerson, Faythe Schafer,
Danielle Rhoda and Dena-
li Twehues will lead on the
court for the Monument/Day-
ville girls basketball team this
season.
Taylor Schmadeka returns
for his third year as head
coach for the Tiger girls, as-
sisted by Kristi Emerson.
Schmadeka said he’s
pleased with the overall atmo-
sphere of the team.
“They’re friends on and off
the court,” he said. “They’ve
all played volleyball together,
except one, so they know each
other.”
The team lost three play-
ers to graduation last season,
Kendall Hettinga, Ravyn
Walker and Dinorha Vidrio
Landin.
Stepping into the senior
role this year are Rhoda, Au-
brey Werner and Cassy Buck-
master, who is a transfer stu-
dent at Dayville school.
Five juniors, three soph-
omores and one freshman
round out the team.
In their Nov. 15 practice
in Dayville, the Lady Tigers
were going full-steam ahead.
“In drills, they go at 100
percent, game speed,” the
coach said.
The Tigers have no small
ambitions.
“Our goal is to win dis-
tricts and go on to state,”
Schmadeka said.
He said they have a goal of
improving their overall speed
— “moving up and down
the court, passing, shooting,
just the overall tempo of the
game.”
“I always push them to go
as fast as they can or faster,”
he added.
Two players he expects
will be quick on their feet on
Coach Jeff Schafer focuses on future growth
By Angel Carpenter
Monument/
Dayville
Tigers boys
schedule
Blue Mountain Eagle
Danielle Rhoda
Cassy Buckmaster
Aubrey Werner
the court and push hard are
Kyla Emerson and Schafer.
Both were state contenders
in track and field last school
year.
The Tigers will need all the
strength their team can offer
for this year’s competition. In
the 1A-8 High Desert League,
they’ll face Adrian, Jordan
See TEAM, Page A13
Monument/Dayville Tigers
girls schedule
Dec. 1: @ Condon/Wheeler at Paul Humphreys Tip-Off
Tourney in Fossil at 6 p.m.
Dec. 2: @ Pilot Rock at Paul Humphreys Tip-Off Tourney
in Fossil at 11 a.m.
Dec. 8: @ Wallowa at the Lions Tournament in Wallowa at
6 p.m.
Dec. 9: @ La Grande junior varsity at the Lions Tourna-
ment in Wallowa at 1 p.m.
Dec. 12: @ South Wasco County in Maupin at 4 p.m.
Dec. 21-23: @ Union Holiday Classic in Union
Dec. 29: Tigers host alumni game in Monument at 5 p.m.
Jan. 5: @ Crane at 6 p.m.
Jan. 6: @ Prairie City at 2 p.m.
Jan. 12: vs. Burnt River in Monument at 6 p.m.
Jan. 13: @ Four Rivers in Ontario at 1 p.m.
Jan. 16: vs. Ukiah/Long Creek junior varsity in Dayville at
5 p.m.
Jan. 19: vs. Adrian in Monument at 6 p.m.
Jan. 20: @ Jordan Valley at 2 p.m. (MST)
Jan 26: vs. Huntington in Dayville at 6 p.m.
Jan. 27: vs. Crane in Monument at 2 p.m.
Feb. 2: @ Harper at 6 p.m. (MST)
Feb. 3: @ Ukiah/Long Creek junior varsity in Long Creek
at 2 p.m.
Feb. 9: vs. Prairie City in Dayville (senior recognition) at
6 p.m.
Feb. 10: @ Burnt River in Unity at 2 p.m.
Feb. 15: @ 1A-8 High Desert District Tournament in John
Day
The Monument/Dayville
Tiger boys basketball team
has some shoes to fill after
losing five seniors last year.
Head coach Jeff Scha-
fer, in his sixth year leading
the team, is now focused on
molding a younger group of
athletes.
“One of our goals is to
become unified more and
more every day,” he said.
“We’re focused on future
growth and getting better
every game. I think we can
be a great team.”
Schafer is assisted by
coach Josh Williams.
Last season, Monument/
Dayville lost a nail-biter
semifinals match to Prairie
City at the 1A-8 High Desert
District Tournament. In the
third quarter, Monument/
Dayville held a seven-point
lead, but Prairie City pulled
away for a 54-46 win.
The Tigers finished last
season with six on their ros-
ter, after losing two seniors
during the season.
Eight have joined this
year’s team, including se-
nior foreign exchange stu-
dent Rafael Dualibi. Al-
though he’s never played on
a basketball team, Dualibi
said he’s spent time playing
the sport with friends.
He said he’s enjoying
playing basketball with sev-
eral teammates who also
played Tiger football with
him.
“I like the physical as-
pect to get in shape because
we run a lot, and it’s very
good for our health,” he
said. “They’re pretty nice
guys, and both coaches are
very good.”
Gabe Walker, who saw
time on the court last year,
is the sole junior for the Ti-
gers. Walker said he likes
spending time with his team.
“I can’t wait to grow with
my team,” he said. “I can’t
Monument/Dayville’s Drew Wilburn makes a jump shot
as Aubrey Bowlus from the girls team tries to disrupt. In
back, Denali Twehues and Gabe Walker (behind her) are
in the action as the boys and girls teams scrimmage.
Rafael Dualibi
wait to see what we do.”
The roster is rounded out
with underclassmen, includ-
ing two sophomores and
four freshmen.
The freshmen all have
junior high basketball expe-
rience.
Freshman JT Hand was
this year’s quarterback for
the Tiger football team.
Freshman Mark Thomas,
who was also a key player
on the football team, has in
past years been a top com-
petitor in cross country.
Coach Schafer said he’s
looking to Walker and soph-
omore Drew Wilburn — the
only returning starter — to
be emotional leaders, keep-
ing the team composed
when games reach high-in-
tensity levels.
Coach Schafer said, al-
though the team is young,
they have a lot of enthusi-
asm.
“We’re hopeful for the
future because of how
they’re willing to work,” he
said.
The Tigers will face
Prairie City, Adrian, Crane,
Jordan Valley, Burnt Riv-
er, Harper and Huntington
in the league. They’ll face
Prairie City, Burnt River and
Crane twice, and the others
only once.
Schafer said he expects
Prairie City to be tough
again this season, along with
Jordan Valley.
“Jordan Valley is always
tough, with talented players
and a good coach,” he said.
“We’re short and young,”
Schafer said, adding they’d
be working a lot on defense.
As Schafer ran his team
through drills at their Nov.
15 practice, he didn’t over-
look the details.
“It’s the little things that
make a great team,” he told
the team.
Dec. 1: @ Condon/
Wheeler at Paul Hum-
phreys Tip-Off Tourney in
Fossil at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2: @ Pilot Rock at
Paul Humphreys Tip-Off
Tourney in Fossil at 12:30
p.m.
Dec. 8: @ Wallowa at
the Lions Tournament in
Wallowa at 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 9: @ La Grande
junior varsity at the Lions
Tournament in Wallowa at
2:30 p.m.
Dec. 12: @ South Wasco
County in Maupin at 5:30
p.m.
Dec. 21-23: @ Union
Holiday Classic in Union
Dec. 29: Tigers host
alumni game in Monument
at 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 5: @ Crane at 7:30
p.m.
Jan. 6: @ Prairie City at
3:30 p.m.
Jan. 12: vs. Burnt River
in Monument at 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13: @ Four Rivers in
Ontario at 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 16: vs. Ukiah/Long
Creek in Dayville at 6:30
p.m.
Jan. 19: vs. Adrian in
Monument at 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20: @ Jordan Valley
at 3:30 p.m. (MST)
Jan 26: vs. Huntington in
Dayville at 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27: vs. Crane in
Monument at 3:30 p.m.
Feb. 2: @ Harper at 7:30
p.m. (MST)
Feb. 3: @ Ukiah/Long
Creek junior varsity in
Long Creek at 3:30 p.m.
Feb. 9: vs. Prairie City in
Dayville (senior recogni-
tion) at 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10: @ Burnt River
in Unity at 3:30 p.m.
Feb. 15: @ 1A-8 High
Desert District Tournament
in John Day
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Monument/Dayville boys head coach Jeff Schafer, center, instructs his team at their Nov. 15 practice in Dayville.
From left, DJ Howell, Drew Wilburn, Rafael Dualibi, Donovan Schafer, coach Jeff Schafer, JT Hand, Gabe Walker,
assistant coach Josh Williams (foreground), Rico Sparka and Mark Thomas.