v jut -pr -0
the Gazette-Times, Heppner, Ore., Thursday, March 3, 1977 NINE
Borgen
ecu
1 Witt 8
Heppner Head Basketball Mentor Chris
Borgen looks back on his first year of
coaching with "a lot of insights." The
Mustangs finished the year in last place with
a 1-11 league mark and a 2-18 overall record.
But there were many good points,
according to Borgen. "The biggest label,"
Borgen said, thinking back on the year, "is
that this was a real learning experience for
both the kids and myself. I'll be honest with
you; I think I learned as much as the kids this
year."
Borgen led the Mustangs to wins over
Condon and Umatilla. In non-conference play,
Heppner beat Condon, 59-54, and at the year's
end, they slapped the Vikings, 73-63.
"I was proud," Borgen explained. "We
never had our will killed. Yea, on record, we
had a bad season, very bad. But there was
never a game where we came to play and
folded. We always worked hard and played an
aggressive game."
Heppner never did give up, even when they
trailed teams by as many as 30 points this
proud"
year. One point of example was against
Weston-McEwen. Heppner trailed by about 17
points. Brian Marlin, one of seven returners
Borgen will count on next season, was in the
game during a timer foul-up. Marlin argued
with the officials to give Heppner their
allotted seven seconds instead of the five on
the clock.
"It was frustrating," Borgen said. "We
worked our tails off in practice. They did
everything I asked of them and they didn 't get
what they deserved."
Borgen calls the season a learning
experience and said the "younger kids have
gained a lot of confidence in themselves now.
They really developed and will be a very fine
nucleus."
Borgen can only smile when he thinks about
the seven varsity players that return next
season. They are Ken Grieb, Dennis Peck,
juniors; Mark Huddleston, Bruce Young,
Jerry Cutsforth, Sam Meyers and Marlin,
seniors. Of those seven, five started at one
time or another this year.
Borgen said next year will be better
because the Mustangs won't have to start
with another new offensive program. "Next
year will be a lot easier," he said. "I think
we'll be very successful. We won't have to
wait half the year to get our offense going. We
finished fifth in team offense this year." (See
final stat story.)
Borgen maintains his "pride in defense"
theory and noted how the Mustangs shut down
the likes of Wasco County, Umatilla, River
side, Oregon Trail, Condon and Pilot Rock in
their last six contests.
"One quarter... kind of characterizes the
whole year. It was inexperience. A few
minutes each game or a quarter, there was a
mental lapse; we'd lose concentration."
Borgen said his Mustangs outscored or
stayed even with opponents in at least two
quarters a game and almost three in some.
The key was confidence, Borgen stated.
"The thing we were missing all year. We
found it in the last six games. It finally
occurred to us that 'Hey, we can play this
game. We're as good as anybody, man for
man'."
Borgen plans to work hard in the off season
with his nucleus and the likes of some of the
junior varsity hopefuls. One big cog in the
Mustang machine next year will be Howard
Huddleston and Dale Holland, Jr. Both young,
big men, next year "Hudd" will be a junior,
Holland a sophomore, will undoubtedly see
playing time in the varsity ranks.
Huddleston is about 6-4 and Holland pushing
6-3. The seven players back have little height,
Dessert
Heppner High School
will hold a basketball
dessert next Thursday,
Mar. 10, at the high
school.
The7:30 p.m. meeting
is set for the IIIIS
cafetorium. All girls
and boys basketball
squads from the high
school will be honored.
Parents are asked to
bring a dessert for their
families.
Wrangler
meeting
The Morrow County Wrang
lers Riding Club will have a
potluck dinner and meeting on
Sunday, Mar. 6, at 6:30 at the
Fair Annex Building in Hep
pner. There will be an interesting
slide program on horse psy
chology. All members are reminded
that there will be a clean-up
day at the grounds on Sunday,'
Mar. 27, beginning at 10 a.m.
Bring a sack lunch.
Playdays will begin on Apr.
3 and continue on Apr. 17, Apr.
24 and May 1.
but decent rebounding power.
Seven players have come to Borgen
already, asking about a spring and summer
program which Borgen said he would happily
oblige.
"I'm looking for a good year next year," he
said. "We'll be looking for a district play-off
spot. We'll be capable of big things and that's
our goal right now."
Borgen couldn't praise the year without
mentioning loyal supporters.
"We wanted to give them a win," Borgen
said sincerely. "The fans need a win, too. We
had super fans. They outnumbered the people
at Umatilla, oh, two to one."
"Even the last game against Wasco County,
we had a good crowd. The fans hung in there
all year. To tell you the truth, I don't know if
I'd have been able to as a fan."
"The kids appreciated it and, heaven
knows, how I appreciated it. They deserved
more than what they got as far as win-loss is
concerned. But attitude-wise, they saw a
group that worked hard. I only wish we'd
have had more wins for them."
Borgen doesn't consider the year a bad one.
"Yes, in win-loss it was bad. But we had a
lot of fun and we worked hard. We killed our
opponents will, but never had ours killed.
That was very satisfying. The only part of the
season that wasn't satisfying was the win-loss
record."
"I made a lot of mistakes this year that we
will correct. I take the blame for a lot of the
losses; I guess every coach does.
"But we'll build from this."
Sherman wins district,
favored in state tilt
i Steve Jossi, staff writer for
1 The Oregonian, called Sher
J man County the favorite to
win the class A boys' state
basketball tourney in Pendle
l ton this week.
I Jossi, in a story in Tues
day's Oregonian, said the 20-2
Huskies "loom as the favorite,
but as usual, the Oregon Class
1 A boys' state high school
basketball tournament, which
' starts Wednesday in Pendle
ton, figures to be a wide open
( affair."
Sherman County blasted op-
ponents last week in the dis-
trict play-offs to earn the
( tournament berth. The Hus-
kies, who beat Wasco County
I 82-62 for the championship of
j the Columbia Basin Confer
I ence, were to play Western
I Mennonite at 9 a.m. Wed
I I nesday morning.
' The Huskies would face
I either St. Mary's or Jefferson
I in their second game.
Sherman started the district
j play as a favorite, along with
j all three other squads. Wasco
I i County and Sherman repre-
i sented the west CBC. Weston
1 j McEwen and Pilot Rock, who
between the two have repre
sented the league in state
Final
I HHS
I stats
(Continued from page 8)
scoring with a 7.3 average,
i Heppner's Mustangs finish
ed strong enough to take fifth
In offensive team averages for
the CBC. Heppner finished
with 682 points and a 56.8
game average. Weston-McEwen
finished on top with 856
points and a 71.3 average.
Heppner finished ahead of
Pilot Rock, Oregon Trail,
Umatilla and Condon in scor
ing. Carl Christman, senior, led
the team in individual rank
ing, finishing eighth in assists
in the league. Christman
ended up with 32 for a 2.7
average. Jeff Woodside of
Wasco County topped that
field with 68 assists.
I Wayne Seitz finished in
ninth place in rebounds with
109 caroms for a 9.1 average.
Carlson of Umatilla was the
leader with 178 rebounds.
Heppner had no one in
i scoring ranks, but Mark Hud
dleston finished 13th in field
goal percentage. Huddleston,
a junior, was 23 for 48 from the
field, a 43 per cent. Lavender
of Pilot Rock was 94 for 161
and a 59 percentage.
; Dennis Peck finished 11th in
free throws percentage, can
ning 28 of 39 for 69 per cent.
But Thayer of Condon hit 87
per cent.
during the last seven years,
were also favored, but were
ousted by the more physical
west squads.
Sherman outlasted Weston
McEwen, 62-48, on Thursday,
gaining 21 points from first
team all conference star Dave
Simantel and 20 points from
first teamer Bert Baunach.
Doug Warner, another CBC
first teamer, scored 24 points
More sports
page 10
for the losing Tiger Scots.
In the other contest Thurs
day, Pilot Rock was bounced
by a rallying Wasco County,
65-57. Wasco outscored PR,
22-5, in the second quarter.
Tim Puckett, an honorable
mention, had 22 points for
Wasco while second teamer,
Jeff Woodside, added 19. For
the Rockets, Jett Lavender,
first teamer, had 24 points.
Sherman put five men in
double figures and pounded
Wasco County to improve
their year's mark to 20-2 with
their 19th straight win, and
earn the state berth Friday.
Baunach led the team with 18,
followed by Skiles with 17,
Simantel with 16, Colquitt with
13 and Fritts with 10.
Brittain led a three man
double figure attack for Wasco
with 25 points.
A big, 30-15, fourth period
aided the Sherman drive to
state.
Jeff Lavender scored 22
points in the first half, but
Weston-McEwen put a stop to
that in the second half and
hung on for a 61-58 third place
victory.
Lavender finished with 24
points. Teri King had 14 for
WM.
Other teams in the state
tourney include: St. Mary's,
Jefferson, Western Mennon
ite, Enterprise, Vernonia,
Crow and Chiloquin.
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