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MyEagleNews.com PAGE LABEL Wednesday, February 12, 2020 A9 WEDNESDAY February 12, 2020 Prairie City boys win two more Panthers extend win streak to 18 By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle The Prairie City Pan- thers boys basketball team extended their winning streak to 18 on the road Sat- urday, defeating Dayville/ Monument 67-37. While the Tigers lacked the size and depth of the Pan- thers, they still went the dis- tance and earned the respect of the Prairie boys basketball team, which only lost its first game of the season. “They have improved since the last time we played them,” Panther junior Jojari Field said. For Dayville/Monumu- ment, juniors JT Hand, Don- ovan Shafer and senior Drew Wilborn combined for 27 points. Field, who scored 17 SPORTS SCHEDULE FRIDAY, FEB. 14 Prairie City basketball @ Adrian, girls 6 p.m., boys 7:30 p.m. (MT) Grant Union basketball vs. Stanfield, girls 6 p.m., boys 7:30 p.m. Dayville/Monument bas- ketball @ Jordan Valley, girls 2 p.m., boys 3:30 p.m. (MT) Grant Union wrestling @ boys district in Union, 2 p.m. Ukiah/Long Creek bas- ketball @ Four Rivers, girls 6 p.m., boys 7:30 p.m. (MT) SATURDAY, FEB. 15 Prairie City basketball @ Crane, girls 2 p.m., boys 3:30 p.m. Ukiah/Long Creek basket- ball @ Jordan Valley, girls 2 p.m., boys 3:30 p.m. (MT) Grant Union wrestling boys @ district in Union, 10 a.m. SPORTS ROUNDUP Ukiah/Long Creek teams lose tough games The Ukiah/Long Creek girls nearly won their first game Friday, but fell to Huntington in the final min- utes of the game, 40-36. Head coach Amos Studt- mann said the team got off to a rough start and had to claw their way back from a double-digit deficit. With two minutes left the girls had a 36-35 lead, but a turnover while attempting to run out the clock and then a foul that sent Huntington to the free throw line put the game out of reach. The girls team lost Sat- urday’s game against highly ranked Crane 72-23. Studt- mann said playing Crane gives the team an opportu- nity to see what to shoot for in the future and work on their skills. The boys also fell to Crane, 58-38. Head coach TC Connor could not be reached for comment. Next up, the girls team will go on the road to play back-to-back games. For the first game they play Four Rivers (6-12, 1-5) on Feb. 14. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. (MT). In the second match up, they will take on Jordan Valley (15-6, 5-1). The game starts at 2 p.m. (MT). Grant Union boys wrestling team cancels second tourney due to illness The Grant Union wres- tling team continues to battle illness and took no chances, bowing out of the Pine Eagle Tournament in Halfway this weekend ahead of districts. points, said the Tigers were much more aggressive, both offensively and defensively. Senior Cole Dieter led the Panthers with 19 points, knocking down nine field goals and going one of two at the free-throw line, while sophomore Marcus Judd put up 16 points, hitting two out of four free-throws. As a team, the Panthers hit 40% of their field goals and were five of 12 in 3-point shooting. Lucas McKinley shot 33%, and 50% from the 3-point line. In addition to Deiter, Judd and Field, McKin- ley scored in double digits with 10 points. The senior led the team with six assists and had two steals and three rebounds. As a team, the Panthers amassed 50 rebounds, 20 of which were on the offensive end of the court. Dieter had a game-high 23 rebounds, 15 of them The Eagle/Steven Mitchell Prairie City’s Jojari Field, left, and Jayden Wineger, right, force a turnover Saturday against the Dayville/Monument Tigers Saturday. The Panthers defeated the Tigers 67-37. on defensive. The 6-foot-3 senior dominated on both ends of the court. The Panthers have won 17 of their last 18 games by dou- ble digits. “We know we are the team everyone wants to beat, and we don’t take anything for granted,” head coach Bo Workman said. “That is why I stress to the kids that they cannot expect to win every game, and they need to be prepared every time we step onto the court.” Field said it is games like Saturday’s game against Dayville/Monument that have kept them on their game. The Tigers, in spurts, put up a fight and went the distance. Wilburn got the offense going, scoring 5 of his 9 points in the game’s final quarter. In a never-say-die fashion, the senior forced a turnover to get 2 in the paint and then drained a 3, bring- ing the packed gym to their feet. Senior Wesley Adams, junior Zach Ferguson and Mark Thomas all contributed in the final offensive push to finish strong in their final home game of the season. Also for the Tigers, junior JT Hand led both teams in free-throw shots. The junior was three of four at the free throw line. “I am not disappointed at all,” Wilburn said. “We played hard, and I am proud of our effort.” Junior JT Hand said the team played well together all season, and they hustled every second of the game. “We have worked on mov- ing the ball better on offense and playing more cohesively as a team,” head coach Jeff Shafer said. “Today’s game really showed that we have made some improvements. We still have more work to do, but I am still very proud of my team.” Panthers head coach Bo Workman said the Tigers are not a team to take for granted. “They hustled and they played hard,” he said. “I always have the kids pre- pare before we play a team like Dayville/Monument. They’re a competitive team.” Next up, Dayville/Monu- ment will go on the road to face Jordan Valley (14-7,5- 2) Friday. The boys tip-off at 3:30 p.m. MT. Adrian (10-10, 4-3) will host the Panthers Feb. 14. The boys tip-off at 7:30 p.m. The Panthers will host Crane (14-7, 7-1) on Feb. 15. Tip-off is at 3:30 p.m. Prairie City girls extend win streak to five, beating Dayville/Monument By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle The Lady Panthers downed Dayville/Monu- ment 47-30 Saturday for their fifth straight win of the season. The Panthers, who led the Tigers 31-8 at the end of the first half, came out with guns blazing on both the offensive and defen- sive ends of the court. Freshmen BettyAnn Wilson and Laken McKay combined for 21 points. McKay led the team at the free throw line, hitting three out of four, and in scoring with 11 points. Wilson said the team is continuing to play solid defense, and it is making all of the difference on the offensive side of the court. The freshman had four steals, and three out of her four rebounds were on defense. As a team, the girls had 18 steals, 11 offensive rebounds and 17 defensive rebounds. They were 39% at the free throw line, 22% in three-point shooting and 37% on field goals. Lady Panthers head coach Bo Workman said the girls have gradually become more aggressive and more competitive, and they are getting results. “They’re not playing down, they’re playing up,” Workman said. “And it is encouraging with districts right around the corner.” Workman said the next two games are going to be The Eagle/Steven Mitchell Prairie CIty freshman BettyAnn Wilson runs the ball down the court Saturday after forcing a turnover in the first period. The freshman had four steals and 10 points in the contest. tough for the Lady Panthers. They face Adrian (7-14, 4-2) Feb. 14 on the road and then host No.2-ranked Crane the next day. “We have to focus on being prepared and play with intention,” Work- man said. “Both of those teams have multiple offen- sive weapons and depth on their bench.” The Lady Panthers tip- off at 6 p.m. (M\T) against Adrian, and 2 p.m. for Crane. For the Lady Tigers, the game was a personal win for the team, first-year head coach Cheyenne Per- kins said. The Lady Tigers, who carved out a 5-point, 48-43 win over Four Riv- ers the day before, were exhausted and did not get back until near midnight. The fatigue, coupled with Saturday being the girls’ final home game in Dayville, Perkins said the team was emotional going into the contest. “We had two goals. The first was to score 30 points. The second was to figure out our offensive press. And we did both,” she said. The first-year coach said she does not define winning solely by wins and losses. She said men- tal toughness, team unity and resiliency have been the overall focus points for the girls this season. Additionally, they set achievable goals each game, where the team focus was not on the score- board but on working on fundamentals of the game, especially when they’re playing higher-ranked teams like Prairie City and Crane. The fact that the girls have been able to see past the scoreboard during those games and see the bigger picture is a win in her book, Perkins said. Per- kins said she is seeing real improvement on the court. Another gratifying aspect of the season the scoreboard has not reflected was the opportunity to coach her younger sister, Denali Twehues. Twehues, a senior and one of three returning start- ers, brought experience and on-the-court leadership to the team this season. “We did really well all season and competed against some really good teams,” she said. The Dayville/Monument girls team is now 7-13 over- all and 4-3 in league play as they go on the road Feb. 14 to face Jordan Valley (15-6, 5-1). They tip-off at 2 p.m. (MT). The Lady Panthers are now 14-5 overall and 5-1 in league play and tip-off at 6 p.m. (MT) Feb. 14 against Adrian (7-14, 4-2). Grant Union girls basketball team snaps three-game losing streak By Steven Mitchell Blue Mountain Eagle The Grant Union girls basketball team snapped its three-game losing streak, handing the Lady Rock- ets a 45-13 loss Friday and pulling out a nail-biter against Weston-McKewen 39-36. In Friday’s game, Baylee Combs scored a team-high 12 points with two 3-point shots. Tyler Blood and Kay- tlyn Wells combined for 12 points in the effort. With two starters out sick, head coach Kristi Moore told her team before the game the goal was to push. “These girls play with a ton of heart and really stick together through tough times,” Moore said. “I am really proud of them.” Blood said the team played well, and they played together. “We had great ball movement and executed The Eagle/Steven Mitchell Grant Union senior Tyler Blood pulls up for a shot Friday against Pilot Rock. Baylee Combs drives the ball down the court Friday against Pilot Rock. The senior scored a team-high 12 points in the Lady Pros’ win over Pilot Rock that snapped their three- game skid. our plays very well,” Blood said. Wells said the team’s great chemistry and cama- raderie is why the team is winning more games. “We really just stick together, and that shows on the court,” Wells said. Moore said she has been defensive end of the court. On Saturday, Moore said Baylee Combs stepped up and took the lead. “Combs frustrated the other team,” the coach said. “Good defense and rebounds is how teams win games, “ Moore said. For a younger team to The Eagle/Steven Mitchell most impressed by how the girls fight. She said Sat- urday’s game was a great example. “They fought through a lot of adversity and got the win,” Moore said. She has also been impressed with how the team is getting back on the internalize that is key as the girls head into the postsea- son, Moore said. The Lady Prospectors are 7-13 overall and 5-6 in league play as they head into next week’s game at home, Feb. 14, against Stanfield (18-4, 8-2). The girls tip-off at 6 p.m.
