A10
PAGE LABEL
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
WEDNESDAY
February 27, 2019
Hutchison wins girls state wrestling title
Lusco, Young
place second
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant Union girls
wrestling team made history
at the fi rst ever girls state
tournament this year.
Senior Trinity Hutchi-
son won the title at the 155-
pound class, and freshman
Arionna Young placed sec-
ond at 115. The two brought
home the fourth-place tro-
phy for the Grant Union girls
team as a 2A team, facing off
against all sizes of schools in
the girls tournament.
On the boys side, defend-
ing state champion Drew
Lusco, a junior, placed sec-
ond in the heavyweight divi-
sion after a close champion-
ship match.
“We had a pretty good
state tournament,” head
coach Andy Lusco said.
“Girls wrestling has no divi-
sions, as 1A-6A are all com-
bined, so placing at state is a
big accomplishment, and a
championship is incredible.”
Hutchison faced junior
Noelle Acosta of Nyssa in
the fi rst round, pinning her
in 3:51. Acosta then defeated
Fatima Albanian of Bend for
third place.
Contributed photo
Grant Union’s Trinity Hutchison is victorious over Nyssa’s Noelle Acosta in the 155-pound
semifi nal match Saturday at the girls state wrestling tournament in Portland. Hutchison
went on to win the state title with a 5-1 decision over Lilliann Restrepo of Century.
Grant Union wrestlers, from left, Trinity Hutchison, Drew
Lusco and Arionna Young pose after the state championships.
Hutchison placed fi rst, and Lusco and Young placed second.
The girls team placed fourth.
In the fi nals, Hutchi-
son defeated senior Lilliann
Restrepo of 6A Century in a
5-1 decision, earning 3 points
in the second period for a
near fall and 2 points in the
third period for a takedown.
Restrepo earned her point in
the third for an escape.
Coach Lusco said it was
“a well earned and deserved
championship” in “the fi rst
offi cially sanctioned state
tournament for girls in Ore-
gon history.”
Young earned a forfeit in
the fi rst round when Kend-
all Martin of Sandy failed to
make weight, coach Lusco
In the fi nals, Justin
Malone, a senior from Cen-
tral Linn, won by a 2-1 deci-
sion, earning 1 point on a
penalty in the fi rst period
and 1 point for an escape in
the third. Drew Lusco scored
his point for an escape in the
second period.
“His fi nals match was
tough and came down to a
penalty point being the dif-
ference,” coach Lusco said.
“He is also looking forward
to working hard to get to the
top of the podium again next
season.”
Junior Russell Hodge
lost in the fi rst round at 182
Contributed photo/Kristi Cason
said. In the fi nals, Kyleigh
Lopez, a senior from North
Medford, won by pin in
0:27.
“A second-place fi n-
ish for a freshman is pretty
exciting,” the coach said.
“I’m looking forward to
great things from Arionna.”
The two wrestlers form-
ing the Grant Union girls
team earned 32 points for
fourth place, tied with La
Pine, out of 37 teams. Hood
River Valley placed fi rst
with 48, followed by Hills-
boro with 38 and Bend with
33.
“This was an amazing
start for our girls program,
which we hope will grow
in the future with the return
of Arionna Young, Ashley
Henry and Sophie Brock-
way,” coach Lusco said.
“Sydney Brockway and
Trinity Hutchison have done
a great job as senior leaders
for our girls team.”
Boys team
Drew Lusco pinned
Andrew Kintzley of Low-
ell in 1:28 in the fi rst round.
In the second round, he
defeated senior Daniel
Jones of Chiloquin in an 8-4
decision.
pounds to Dyllan Houser,
a senior from Rogue River
who went on to win the
weight class. The 1-0 deci-
sion came after an escape in
the third period.
“(Hodge) actually wres-
tled him tougher than any-
one else in the tournament,”
coach Lusco said. “He has a
great chance of placing next
season.”
Hodge won his next
match over senior Nick
Glover of Reedsport by pin
in 1:59 but lost to senior Pat-
rick Shawver of Siletz Val-
ley in a 12-7 decision to fi n-
ish just outside of placing.
Grant Union girls advance to tournament Prairie City boys claim
Prospectors face Coquille at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Pendleton
Panthers face Sherman at
1:30 p.m. today in Baker City
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Grant Union Pros-
pectors are advancing to the
OSAA 2A Girls Basketball
State Championship after
claiming a 69-47 win over
the Gervais Cougars Satur-
day afternoon in John Day.
The Prospectors will take
on the Coquille Red Devils
at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb.
28, at the Pendleton Con-
vention Center.
One could say the Pros-
pectors shot the lights out
Saturday. The scoreboard
darkened midway through
the third quarter as Grant
Union was ahead 46-26.
No one tripped over a
cord. The system is wireless.
After a delay of about 10
minutes, the game continued
with a tabletop scoreboard,
and the wall mounted score-
board lit up a short while
later.
Grant Union was hot from
the start, beginning with
Prospector Kaylee Wright’s
tip, Madi McKrola scoring
the fi rst 2 points of the game.
Hailie Wright and McKrola
added another 2 points with
Marissa Smith sinking 1-2
and Hailie Wright 2-2 at the
free-throw line before Ger-
vais’ Katie Hanson scored 2.
The Prospectors ended
the fi rst quarter with a 21-11
lead.
Six Prospectors were in
on the scoring in the second,
and Grant Union was ahead
state playoff victory
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Grant Union Prospector Kaytlyn Wells (20) takes a tough stance on defense with Kaylee
Wright on the left and Marissa Smith at right as Gervais Cougar Isabel Vasquez looks for a
way to the basket.
GRANT UNION STATS
Hailie Wright: 18 points (4-4 free
throws)
Madi McKrola: 15 (3-5 free throws)
Kaylee Wright: 12 (one 3-pointer, 3-7
free throws)
Marissa Smith: 10 (one 3-pointer, 1-3
free throws)
Kaytlyn Wells: 6 (6-8 free throws)
Tyler Blood: 3 (1-2 free throws)
Baylee Combs: 2
Tiler Voigt: 2
Alcie Moore: 1 (1-2 free throws)
40-26 at halftime.
Gervais missed a couple
attempts at the start of the
third, and Prospector Kayt-
lyn Wells grabbed a rebound
and Hailie Wright scored.
Wells had another defen-
sive rebound, and Kaylee
Wright was fouled going up
to the basket.
Kaylee sank 1-2 at the
free-throw line, and when
Gervais inbounded the ball,
Hailie Wright stole it and
scored for a 45-26 lead.
McKrola scored 1-2 at the
free-throw line just before
the scoreboard went out.
Grant Union continued
their forward push in the
fourth, with several younger
Prospector players taking
the court in the fi nal minute.
“This whole week we
prepared for tight defense
— to use our defense to take
them out of their game,”
said Grant Union head
coach Kristi Moore. “They
came out determined. They
shot well and had good
rebounding and second-shot
opportunities.”
She said Hailie Wright
was “unstoppable” and
McKrola played a “solid
game.”
See Girls, Page A13
The Prairie City Pan-
thers boys basketball team
“sounded the bell” Fri-
day night after their 66-49
victory over the Dufur
Rangers.
Sounding the Prai-
rie City school’s old-fash-
ioned school bell is an
honor reserved for special
occasions, including win-
ning a home state playoff
contest.
The High Desert League
Panthers, ranked No. 9
among OSAA’s 1A teams
with a 25-2 overall record,
continue their upward
climb at the OSAA State
Basketball
Champion-
ships at 1:30 p.m. Wednes-
day, Feb. 27, at Baker High
School where they will
face the No. 1-seed Sher-
man Huskies (24-3) of the
Big Sky League.
One of Sherman’s three
losses was to Prairie City
on Dec. 27. The Panthers
won that contest 54-52 in
Prairie City.
In Friday night’s game,
Prairie City jumped out
ahead from the start scor-
ing 16, while holding
Dufur to 3 points.
Levi Burke scored 8
points in the quarter, with
Cole Deiter adding 4.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Prairie City Panther Cole
Deiter scores in Friday’s
second round state playoff
game against the Dufur
Rangers.
Lucas McKinley and Jojari
Field scored 2 each with
Field sinking a shot at the
buzzer.
Dufur’s Trey Darden
and Derek Frakes each
scored a 3-point shot in the
second quarter, and Prai-
rie City’s Syd Holman also
landed a 3-pointer. Prairie
See Boys, Page A13
AAU basketball
tournament in
Prairie City
slated for March 2
Blue Mountain Eagle
A youth AAU girls basketball tournament, hosted by
the local Hot Shotz team, will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday,
March 2, in Prairie City School’s new gym with games
running every hour.
The Hot Shotz team, led by head coach Justin Jacobs
and assistant coach Zane Rookstool, includes seven girls in
grades 3-4 from Prairie City, John Day and Dayville.
The traveling team started practicing in October with
games beginning in late December.
Other teams scheduled to compete in the March 2 tour-
nament include Pilot Rock, Echo, Athena and Burns, with
girls in grades 3-5.
Admission is free for spectators, and concessions will
be available as a fundraiser for the Hot Shotz.
Contributed photo/Tanni Wenger Photography
The AAU Hot Shotz girls basketball team, left to right: Anna Jacobs, Zoey Rookstool, Colbie Howard, Haven Giffi n, Gracee
Hueckman, Kara Hansen and Rylee Workman.