CBC ouflook
Mustangs
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By Wll Phlnney Bill Blghaus
From the rumors floating around the Columbia Basin
Conference these pre season hoop days, Heppner's Mustangs
could be In for a long basketball season.
But that's the same rumors that were floating around
during the grid season where the Mustangs finished a strong
Hill Itighaut If the sports editor at the llermlston Herald. The
story was a joint effort.
third with a 7-2 record.
This writer has to look at the Mustangs in the winter the
same way he did in the fall. An underdog.
The darkhorse Mustangs of the fall, termed the "Cardiac
Kids" by the Hermlston Herald, should carry that same
winning attitude onto the hardwood. Every coach, except
Heppner's Chris Borgen, is picking another team besides the
Mustangs as the team to beat in the CBC.
According to Borgen, he would have felt convincingly
confident of the Mustang hopes had it not been for the loss of
standout forward Dave Allstott. Allstott is out for the season
with a broken left wrist, his shooting arm.
But despite the gossip from CBC coaches, Borgen's own
Cardiac Kids could leave a little thrombosis In their tracks if
they can win with hustle and desire.
Tagged the "new look" Columbia Basin Conference, this
year s schedule has been thrqwn a twist with the division of
the original ten team league. ,..,.
Heppner is right in the middle of what coaches feel Is the
strong half. Along with the Mustangs In what will be termed
the CBC east will be perennial hoop powerhouses
Weston-McEwen and Pilot Rock, the tab by more than one
CBC mentor to outlaBt the rest of the competition.
Along with Heppner and the two favorites are Umatilla, a
strong finishing squad last year and unknown, and untried,
Oregon Trail.
In the west are Riverside. Condon, Wasco County and
Sherman County. Sherman County figure to be the top dog in
that half.
While the coaches' consensus lean toward Sherman County
on one side and Weston-McEwen on the other, it will take
nure than the best record In the league to sack the title.
Two teams from each half will meet in a district showdown
in Pendleton on Feb. 24 and 25.
Three CBC teams are sporting new coaches this season,
including the Mustangs. Along with Borgen, Darce Driskel
has taken over the task at Wasco County and Tom Wolsborn
Is the new coach at Oregon Trail.
The following is a brief look at the teams Heppner must
face in their west half of the conference. They will play each
of the following four teams twice. They will match up to CBC
east squads one time before the district clashes.
OREGON TRAIL: Oregon Trail is an unknown substance
this season as Echo's powerful Cougars will add a punch to
last year's slow Tigers of Stanfield. The new squad is called
the Blazers.
New coach Tom Wolsborn has inherited six lettermen
five of them from Echo. Senior lettermen are guard Don
Sutton, 6-0 from Stanfield, guard Rick Hale, 5-11 (possibly
lost for the season to a knee injury), and center Rich Snow,
6-5.
Juniors who will see varsity action are guard Lyle Nichols,
5- 10, and forwards Charlie Berry, 5-10, and Kent Madison,
6- 1. Snow had an 18.0 points per game average at Echo and he
will have a pivotal role in the Blazers' success.
Oregon Trail is working hard at practice on conditioning
and fundamentals. Wolsborn wants the Blazers to run a
Holland inomp
Kh-a
Heppner girls expect
to win district title
Heppner hosts strong
Grant Union tomorrow
With a gleam in his eye, Chris Borgen
admits that he and his Mustang hardwood
squad are "looking forward" to Friday
night's clash with AA powerhouse Grant
Union of John Day.
Crant Union finished the season last year as
the runner-up in the state championships.
Borgen said GU would probably be the best
competition of the year for Heppner.
The Mustangs will be facing a team that
went 18 2 last year before tournament play
and a team that returns four lettermen.
Among those returners is Tom Dieker, a
senior guard, who was a top scorer in the
state AA last season. Joining Dieker will be
Jim Sheets, a senior forward; Dean Porter, a
Junior center at 6-3; and Steve Talus, a senior
guard.
The other forward spot will be filled by
Brian McKinnis, a Junior forward.
First year mentor Bob McGuire said his
squad was "quick and can shoot fairly well."
But he added that they are "awfully green"
and other than Dieker, Talus and Sheets, have
little experience on the varsity floor.
McGuire wouldn't make any predictions,
but said it would depend on how his young
kids come along. He said they would be
"weak at the start, but with any luck, we
should be competitive by the first of the
year."
Borgen said the Mustangs have a lot to
work on, too. "We're starting to feel
comfortable at what we're doing," he said,
"and we're understanding. But we're still
having to think at times, not reacting. We
need to work on reaction worse than anything
else."'
Borgen was impressed with the Mustang
defense in an intra-squad scrimmage Sat
urday. "Our defense is- improved. It's solid,"
Borgen said.
Borgen said he figured Grant Union would
run and shoot. He said if Heppner could
control the fast break and get back on defense
adequately, it would be a good ball game.
Borgen listed a tentative starting lineup,
but said he'd be playing a lot of people during
pre-season contests.
On Borgen's top roster Friday night will be
Dennis Peck, a sophomore guard at 5-9; Mark
Huddleston, a junior forward at 5-11; Wayne
Seitz, a senior .'orward at 6-0; Carl
Christman, a senior forward at 5-10; and
Kevin Haguewood, a senior forward at 6-1.
According to Borgen, Heppner might not go
with the riot squad this week. He expects
Grant Union to pick the Mustang offense up
with a full court press and run with the
basketball.
Borgen said he was expecting a big crowd
for the 8 p m. tip off.
4
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HulUad
Fillies meet Riverside today
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Cooprr
Rebecca Randall plans to
look at a lot of individuals
today (Thursday) as the Hep
pner High School Fillies
match hoop savvy with River
side's Pirate females.
But. she ll be looking for
teamwork, too. Her tentative
starting line-up lists some
height as well as quickness
with good stutters, loo
Uttle surprise Is that sopho
more Wendy Meyers will be In
the pivot spot. The V7
Meyers can gel off the ground
and puts up a jump shot that
could shame many boys.
Along with Meyers. Randall
has tabbed sharp shooting
Guy Kenny, a 55 senior;
Jackie Mollahan, a hustling
5 sophomore; and Deb Hol
land, a 57 senior forward. The
other position Is up for grabs
between two sisters.
Either Janice llealy. at $
and a junior, or little sister,
Maureen, a 54 sophomore,
will gel the call.
Randall said that she ll go
with the two teams, almost
like a platoon system. One
squad, (the one named
above), w ill rely on fast break
and quickness while the other
squad, termed the riot squad,
will hassle the opposition de
fensively and wwk for as
many points as they can.
On that squad will be the
remainder of the unit. Vicki
Edmundson. senior guard,
has the only spot nailed down.
At the other guard, it s a
toss up between Diane Hol
land, junior; Shelley Thomp
son, junior; and Lcri Rhea,
senior. Either Janice or Maur
een Healy will be on this
squad, depending on the first
team.
Teresa Thurmond and Dar
U Cooper, and possibly Rhea,
will all go for the forward
spots on that roster.
The Fillies take on River
side today at I p m in Board-man.
Junior varsity will rely
on
quickness, adaptability
Adaptability and desire.
Thai's the key lo the success
of Heppner's Mustang Junior
varsity rtm spikers this year.
Chuck Lulach. IHIS JV
comb, said his squad was
showing a tremendous amount
of pride and thai if hi
shooters come along. It will be
a good y ear.
lutsrh was Mewed with
ome height, but said he ll rrly
Ml qukknena In their opener
rridav with Grant Union at
The height." h said.
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"pressure offense" and man to man defense. Oregon Trail
has been called the CBC's "sleeper team" and Wolsborn
remarks, "I like to be considered that."
He sees Weston-McEwen and Pilot Rock as the teams to
beat in the east and Sherman County in the west. First game
Dec. 1 at Echo against Imbler.
UMATILLA: Ray Amstadt's Viks finished sixth last year
and there is nowhere to go but up. The majority of the team is
still out for football and most likely will not begin practicing
until-Nov. 29th-four days before the season begins.
Amstadt lost two seniors from a team that had a
conference mark of 5-11. The team will be around seniors
forward Jim Bailey, 6-0, center Rick Kurz, 6-2, guard Mike
Brown, 5-9, center Chris Fisher, 6-2, forward Steve Carlson,
6-0, and guard Larry Picard, 5-10.
Juniors back are forward Jeff Carlson, 6-0, forward Randy
Body, 6-0, guard Blake Cimmiyotti, 5-9, and guard Jeff
Watson, 5-11. Guard Mike Brown was an honorable mention
selection last year.
Amstadt reports his Viks will "try to run on teams more
this year." He says, "Our team speed is very good. We hope
to run more than we have in the past." Amstadt adds that his
Viks' game plan will depend on "how much practice we can
squeeze in before the season opener."
He sees Sherman County, Pilot Rock and Weston-McEwen
as the teams to beat. Oregon Trail, hti feels, will also be
"tough."
PILOT ROCK: Coach Drake Davis is beginning his second
year and has four lettermen back from a 13-3, 22-5 team. The
Rockets grabbed the district crown last year. Back is senior
guard Marty Perrine, who started last year. Also back are
seniors 6-1 John Schnebly and 5-8 Denny Christensen. Up
from JVs is 6-4 sophomore Jeff Lavender.
Lavender also saw some varsity action last season. Davis
says his team "likes to run." He rates Weston-McEwen and
Sherman County as the teams to beat.
WESTON-McEttEN: The Tiger-Scots are back in the
saddle again. Riding a 1M record from last year that
included a 14-2 season mark. Larry Parsons' Tiger-Scots are
picked by CBC coaches as the strangler this year.
Parsons can boast of six returning lettermen that include
honorable mention Doug Warner, 6-0 junior; Ten King, 6-2
senior; Charlie Alfred. 6-0 senior; Kim Sams, 5- junior;
Cary Rahn, 6-2 junior; and Jerry Baker, 6-2 junior.
Expressing a winning attitude. Parsons says he and his
squad "expect to win it all." Other CBC mentors tend to
Agree
Kevin Beers, a standout who is out due to a hunting
accident, could be back to haunt other foes. The Tiger-Scots
run out of a double low post offense and use the basic
man-to-man defense.
Even though Weston-McEwen's returners resemble some
tallness, Parsons is maintaining that the Tiger -Scots haven't
got "much height, so we will have to go with our quickness."
Parsons is picking Pilot Rock in the east and Sherman in
the west. And, you can bet he isn't counting his own WM
squad out.
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