SPORTS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
A11
Return of the Shootout
Grant Union, Prairie
City bring back 2-day
basketball tournament
By STEVEN MITCHELL
Blue Mountain Eagle
After a long hiatus, Grant Union
and Prairie City high schools resur-
rected the 13 Mile Shootout Basketball
Tournament on Friday and Saturday,
Dec. 17 and 18, with boys and girls
squads from four schools competing in
Prairie City and John Day.
The tournament, whose name sig-
nifi es the distance between the two
towns, began in the 1970s and has been
played on and off since then.
RC Huerta, the Grant Union Pros-
pectors boys head coach, remembers
visiting his grandpa in Prairie City
when he was a kid and watching the
tournament in the mid-1990s.
“It was pretty cool,” Huerta said.
“They (Grant Union) would come over
here one night, and then they (Prairie
City) would head over another night.
So it was a lot of fun.”
Roughly three years ago, Huerta
and Prairie City boys and girls basket-
ball coach Bo Workman began talking
about reviving the tournament. How-
ever, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed
those plans by about two years.
“It’s just fun,” Workman said. “We
can get some games in, and we don’t
have to travel.”
Huerta said Grant County has
always been known as a destination for
out-of-area teams that want to come
and play.
“Whether it’s baseball, softball or
basketball, or anything, they like to
come over here,” Huerta said.
Prairie City boys
This year’s team that came over to
play was Faith Bible Christian School
from Hillsboro. The Falcons won both
the boys and girls brackets of the tour-
nament Saturday.
The Falcon boys beat Prairie City
81-39 in the fi nal after defeating Grant
Union 61-56.
Workman said that was what he
expected to see. Faith Bible, he said, is
an outstanding team.
However, he added, his Panthers
improved. They did not turn the ball
over and played hard the whole way.
“It was a fun tournament,” Work-
man said. “And we had fun, and we’ll
do it again next year.”
Prairie City junior Eli Wright
agreed with Workman’s sentiment.
“We were expecting it,” he said.
However, he added that all things
considered, the Panthers played well
against a stacked Faith Bible team.
Junior Cole Teel and sophomore
Wes Voigt combined for 20 points,
while senior John Titus scored nine.
Panther senior Marcus Judd said
Saturday’s loss was what the team
needed to get them back on track for
Steven Mitchell/Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant Union senior Kate Hughes drives past Faith Bible’s Emily Waagmeester Friday, Dec. 17, during the two-day 13 Mile Shootout.
their Dec. 28 game against Pine Eagle,
especially after nearly losing their Fri-
day game to Joseph. In that contest, the
Panthers edged the Eagles 61-58.
Grant Union boys
The Prospectors, who lost their
fi rst game to Faith Bible 61-56, faced
Joseph in the consolation round Sat-
urday at the Grant Union High School
gym. The Pros were plagued by turn-
overs and fouls out of the gate and lost
the game 61-35.
Nonetheless, the Prospectors held
their heads high after Friday’s close
loss against Faith Bible.
Sophomore Sheldon Lenz, who
Huerta said has stepped up as the
team’s leader, said the Pros came out
fi red up in the fi rst half of Friday’s
game against Faith Bible. He said they
did the same in the second half as well.
“That’s what we got to do all year,”
he said.
Grant Union girls
The Grant Union girls won their
consolation game against the Lady
Panthers 42-17 after losing in the tour-
ney’s fi rst round 52-31 to Faith Bible.
Overall, Lady Pros head coach
Jason Miller said the team was bet-
ter with the basketball in their hands
Friday, as the team has had turnover
issues in the past.
He said while the games at the tour-
nament infl uence the team’s ranking to
a certain extent, overall the competi-
tion’s purpose was to prepare the team
for league play.
Prairie City girls
After a narrow 40-36 loss to Joseph,
the Prairie City girls team lost to
Steven Mitchell/Blue Mountain Eagle
Prairie City senior Marcus Judd steps
up to the free-throw line Saturday,
Dec. 18, during the Panthers game
against Faith Bible at the 13 Mile
Shootout at Grant Union High School
in John Day. Prairie City took second
at the tourney.
Grant Union 42-17 in the second
round.
With captain and top scorer Betty
Ann Wilson sidelined with an injury,
the team was at a disadvantage,
according to Workman.
However, as in the team’s season
opener, the Lady Panthers are learn-
ing to play with or without Wilson.
For her part, Wilson said the fresh-
men still have a lot to learn, but they’re
stepping up every single game.
Wilson said while she is out,
freshman Gracie Voigt is handling
her position well.
SPORTS ROUNDUP
The Dayville/Monument Lady Tigers bas-
ketball team fell to South Wasco County 60-24
Tuesday, Dec. 14, at home, while Dayville/
Monument’s boys team dropped their game
83-18. The Eagle was unable to get in touch
with either girls basketball coach Andy Wil-
burn or boys basketball coach Mike Davis.
Griswold downs Long Creek boys
Long Creek’s boys basketball team lost to
Griswold 53-10 at the Helix Basketball Tourna-
ment on Friday, Dec.17.
Grant Union wrestlers place at Classic
Grant Union senior Justin Hodge placed
fi rst in his 170 pound weight division Tuesday,
Dec. 14, at the Elgin Memorial Classic wres-
tling meet.
Meanwhile, Cashton Wheeler placed third
in his 132 B weight division, and Rylan Cox
fi nished third in his 285 pound weight division.
For the girls, Zooey Beam and Mallory
Lusco both placed fi rst, while June Wolf, Macy
Carter and Jaydika Anderson all placed third.
Majors Morgan placed fourth.
Steven Mitchell/Blue Mountain Eagle
Prairie City’s Eli Wright, a junior, goes up for a shot Saturday, Dec. 18, over a
Faith Bible defender during the 13 Mile Shootout Basketball Tournament the
Panthers co-hosted with Grant Union High School.
Wishing you the Peace and Joy of the
Christmas Season. Best wishes for 2022 from
your friends at Eastern Oregon Realty.
SPORTS SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 29
6:30 p.m., girls 8 p.m.
Grant Union Basketball @ Burns, boys
11 a.m., girls 12:30 p.m., Baker Invitational,
Baker City High School
Grant Union Basketball vs. Pilot Rock, girls
Prairie City Basketball @ Nixyaawii, boys
6 p.m., boys 7:30 p.m.
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