FO UR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 3,2010
Cardinals advance to state tournament
The lone Cardinals
finished a wild week of
playoff basketball with the
wins they needed to earn a
trip to the 1A State Basket
ball Tournament in Baker
City, the first such trip for
an lone team since 2005.
The Cards shook
off some post-district blahs
on W ednesday night to
defeat visiting Hosanna
Christian in a first round
state playoff game before
traveling to the high desert
w here they took a hard
fought win over Jordan
Valley. The Cardinals will
kick off state tourney play
on Thursday, March 4, at
8:15 p.m. against Mohawk
of Marcola.
A packed house
provided an electric playoff
atmosphere at the lone gym
when the Cardinals hosted
Hosanna Christian of Kla
math Falls on Wednesday,
February 25. The partisan
crowd waited patiently for
the Cards to get rolling.
The wait was a little longer
than expected as the teams
played even through the
first half. The half time
score showed the visitors
up by one, 23-22.
The teams swapped
scores early in the third be
fore lone went on a 12-2
run to crack open the game.
Matt Hams provided a 10
point spark and the Cards
scored 19 points in the peri
od, just three less than they
scored in the whole first
half. By the time the fourth
quarter rolled around, the
Cardinals were looking to
extend their lead, shooting
6-10 free throws, hitting a
couple buckets and holding
the Lions to just four points,
taking the win 54-36.
Matt Hams led all
scorers with 24 points. Zac
Orem was the only other
Cardinal in double figures
with 10. Tanner Rietmann
it h u .L A
Top Photo: #11 Matt Hams shoots and scores against Jordan
Valley. Bottom Photo: Gunner Jessen throws Coach Dennis
Stefani in the air after the teams' win over Jordan Valley.
-Photos by Theresa Crawford
pulled down 12 rebounds
to lead the team to a 43-37
edge on the boards.
The W ednesday
night win put the Cardinals
on the road to Jordan Valley
on Saturday for a match
up with the champs of the
High Desert League, Jordan
Valley.
The word on the
Mustangs included their
height and the fact that they
finished league play with
out a league loss. As the
game started, both teams
looked tight and maybe a
little nervous. The score
differential was never more
than seven points in a hotly
contested game that saw
num erous ties and lead
changes. Zac Orem hit a
three pointer with 1:25 left
in the first quarter to put
the Cardinals up 13-12 af
ter one. The teams played
even in the second, sending
lone in at the half with just
that same one point mar
gin, 26-25. The Cardinals
returned to the court in the
third with renewed inten
sity but it was matched by
exponential improvement
in the Mustang’s outside
shooting. Freshman Kade
Eiguren knocked down six
three-pointers in the second
half and collectively, the
Mustangs hit seven. In the
third quarter alone, the lead
changed hands six times
and the score was tied on
four occasions. Jordan Val
ley went up by three early
in the fourth but when Matt
Hams laid in a left-handed
layin with 6:05 remaining
in the game, the Cardinals
took a lead they would not
relinquish. Hitting seven
of 12 free throws down the
stretch helped seal the 60-
54 win.
Matt Hams had a
sensational night, leading
the team with 31 points on
15-26 shooting from the
field and scoring all 13 of
the C ardinals’ points in
the second quarter. But a
super effort on the boards
from Tanner Rietmann and
RJ Ramos in the second
half was a big difference
maker in the game. In the
first half, Jordan Valley
used its height advantage to
collect 11 offensive boards
to just two for lone. The
Cardinal rebounders came
out swinging in the second
half, though and held the
Mustangs to zero offensive
rebounds and just six on the
defensive end. Tanner Riet
mann led the Cardinal effort
on the boards with 13,10 of
those in the second half. RJ
Ramos added 12.
“It came down to
two things,” said Coach
Dennis Stefani, “pushing
the tempo to get them tired,
and our second half re
bounding.”
“I think we wanted
it more,” said senior stand
out, Matt Hams. “We talked
at half time that we had 16
more minutes to play and
we didn’t want our season
to end yet. We went out and
picked up the intensity in
the second half.”
“They are really
peaking at the right time,”
noted Coach Stefani. “Part
of it is believing in what
they can do.”
Stefani was pleased
with the team’s effort and
most notably his seniors.
“Matt just took over. He
played possessed and RJ
(Ramos) just hustled like
crazy.” The Cardinals shot
48% for the game while
Jordan Valley connected on
just 15 of 40 for 38%. Zac
Orem added 15 points for
lone including two needed
three pointers.
L a d y M u sta n g s co m p etin g
in sta te to u r n a m en t
#32 Torri Lovgren goes up for a shot against Kiddle. -Con
tributed Photo
The Heppner Girls
Basketball team traveled
nearly 400 miles to Riddle
to take on the number two
seed from the Mountain
View Conference. Despite
the long journey, the Mus
tangs came out on top 66-
38.
Heppner will take
on No. 1 ranked Portland
Christian at 6:30 p.m. to
night, Wednesday, at the
Pendleton Convention Cen
ter in the quarterfinals of the
state tournament.
Lindsay Cutsforth
had a b re a k o u t gam e
against Riddle to score
17 points in a game that
was lopsided from midway
through the second quarter
to the end. Heppner had a
30-21 lead at halftime and
extended it to 47-31 at the
Alumni Softball Game to be
held St. Patrick’s Day weekend
The 2010 Heppner High School softball pro
gram will be holding an Alumni Softball Game during
St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The game will be played on
Friday, March 12, at 4 p.m. on the Bob Kilkenny Field.
Any female alumni from Heppner High School, having
played softball or not, are welcome to play.
Anyone interested in participating, or for more
information, contact Petra Payne at (541) 676-9138
ext.2518, or email: Petra.Payne@morrow.kl2.or.us.
• {» J
I one vs . M ohawk
T hursday , M arch 4 , at 8:15 p m
THESE B v SINESS
& INDIVIDUALS W ISH
Les Schwab Tire Center
Lexington Auto Body & Towing
Lexington Pump
Mark Bruno Construction
Mike s Mobile Slaughter & Processing
Morrow County Fair and Rodeo
Morrow County Grain Growers
Morrow County Recreation District
Murray's Drug and Country Rose
Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo
P2L Excavating, LLC
Pea Ridge Embroidery i Signs Inc.
Pendleton Grain Growers, Inc.
Peterson's Jewelers
Pettyjohn's Farm & Builder's Supply
Ramos Brothers Ranches, Inc.
Seitz Aviation
Sherrell Chevrolet
The Stable of Youth
2Morrow Energy
Allstott Construction, LLC
BPOE #358 Elks Lodge
Bank of Eastern Oregon
Boardman Foods, Inc.
Columbia Basin Electric Coopera
tive, Inc.
Dances With Mules
Dean’s Pendleton Athletic Company
Devin Oil Company, Inc.
Dobyns Pest Control
Eastern Oregon Orthopaedic
Gar Aviation, Inc.
Hale Farms, LLC
Heppner Family Foods
IRT LLC
lone Market and Deli
Gregory Jones, DMD
J. Keithley Construction
............ ... .
S
Sykes Publishing, LLC
V & D Construction
Wheatland Insurance Center, Inc.
Woolery House
Perry and Anne Alleman
Allen and Nancy Anderson
Mark and Melisa Bruno Family
Loyal and Betty Bums
Michael and Deanna Camp Family
Louis and Betty Cartson
John and Barb Collin Family
Helen Crawford
June M. Crowell
Becky Doherty
Brian and Peg Doherty Family
Darrell and Paula Emmel Family
John and Marlinda Flynn Family
Tom and Artynda Gates
Dick and Rosie Graham
end of the third quarter.
The Mustangs next
opponent, Portland Chris
tian, will be making their
12lh straight appearance
to the state tournament in
Pendleton.
H eppner 66, Riddle 38
HHS 14 16 17 19 — 66
RHS 12 9 10 7 — 38
Heppner- Lindsay Cutsforth
17, Erin Price 16, Tor
ri L ovgren 12, Jessica
Hughes 9, Brynna Rust
4, Taighler Dougherty 4,
Maggie Collins 2, Natalie
Rauch 2, Alana Wilson,
JoAnna Patton, Bailey Ben
nett, Em ily Thom pson.
Riddle- M elino Gianotti
13, Allyssa Hunt 12, Kilee
Hanson 5, Laloni VanAuken
4, Alex Rogers 3, Marlee
Nash 1.
in
f Jr
i'l
.»
B aker
TO SAY “ GOOD LvCK CARDINALS’
Betty Gray
Keven and Linda Haguewood Family
Ron and Karen Haguewood
Frank and Cathy Halvorsen
Joe and Linda Halvorsen Family
Craig, Paul and Matt Hams
Wayne and Dianna Hams
Deacon and Erin Heideman Family
Helen M. Heideman
Loren and Della Heideman
Craig and Janet Holland Family
Dale and Karen Holland Family
Bob Hubbard
Bill and Nancy Jepsen
Jim and Gina Jepsen
Andre and Susan Kendrick Family
J. L. Kincaid Ranch
Skye and Penny Krebs Family
Robin and Melissa LaRue
Del and Linda LaRue
Buzz and Jeanette Logan
Jim and Eileen McElligott
Joe and Jeri McElligott Family
Virgil and Debbie Morgan Family
Perry and Kathy Morter
Ralph and Anne Morter Family
Howard and Dianne Mullins
Duane and Linda Neiffer
Jarrod and Alison Ogden Family
Eric and Brandi Orem Family
Joe and Anita Orem Family
Darrin and Camie Padberg Family
Dustin and Karen Padberg Family
Marvin and Tanna Padberg
Jason and Tara Proudfoot Family
Joel Peterson and Lea Mathieu Family
Rick and Anita Peterson
Dave and Debbie Radie
Sink and Lynn Dee Ramos Family
Keith and Judy Rea
Betty Rietmann
Bill Rietmann
Gregg and Shelly Rietmann Family
Joe and Donna Rietmann Family
John and Kerry Rietmann Family
Dean and Florene Robinson
Rocking T. Ranch
Ryan and Allison Rudolf Family
Dick and Nancy Snider
Dennis and Misti Stefani Family
Dorothy Stefani
Brian and Lorie Sullivan
Jim and Monica Swanson
Rod and Glenda Taylor
Jean Ann Turner
Steve and Vicki Wagenblast
Sherron Woodside