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FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, February 22,2012 Cardinals rebound to earn number-three seed By Anne M orter The lone Cardinals rebounded from an open ing day loss to earn a state playoff slot with an excit ing, overtime victory over Echo at last weekend’s Big Sky District Tournament at Hermiston High School. The Saturday win gave the Cards the number three seed from the Big Sky and propelled them into the sub-state playoff rounds. They will play Wednesday, February 22 against the number-two seed from the Valley 10 league, Damascus Christian in Portland. The Cards opened tourney action against Ho rizon Christian o f Hood River. Although the Hawks entered the tourney as the number two seed from the Big Sky West, they did not play like a number two team. Behind sizzling three- point shooting, the Hawks jumped out to a 32-17 first quarter lead, dropping in six treys on the way. A Hawk dunk in the second quarter lengthened the lead to 19 with two minutes left to go in the half but the Cards used a 7-2 run to close the half trailing by 14, 44-30. The C ards ju s t could not contain the hot- shooting Hawks in the sec ond half and, although they cut the lead to ten twice in the third quarter, Horizon continued to pull away, leading by as much as 20 midway through the fourth quarter. lone closed the game with a 9-2 scoring run to make the final margin 78-66 for Horizon. Zac Orem led the Cardinal scorers with 18 points. Steven Holland added 15. Luke Jobes hit a couple important threes in the opening quarter and scored eight in the game. Omar Juarez made a big four-point play in the fourth Top: Steven Holland scores two of 15 points during the dis after being fouled on a three trict finals game versus Horizon Christian last Friday. Bot pointer, and ended the game tom: Zac Orem shoots for three points, leading lone to an overtime victory against Echo that earned them third seed with six points. going into state. -Photos by Paula Emmet From the get-go, Saturday’s match-up with trailing by two points enter two free throws. Zac Orem hit a jumper in the middle Echo had the markings of ing the fourth, 43-41. a barnburner. The teams The fourth quarter with 1:48 remaining. Echo had split in their regular turned into a three-point answered with a bucket season meetings and, this shoot-out with lone notch with 1:03 showing on the time, both teams were lay ing three and Echo canning clock. Luke Jobes then ing it on the line for the four. Zac Orem and Luke again did the impossible as chance to advance to the Jobes hit b ack-to-back one of the shortest players sub-state playoff rounds. threes early in the quarter on the court, weaving un Echo jumped out to a 9-2 as the Cards enjoyed one of der the basket and putting first quarter lead but the their few leads of the day, up a reverse lay-up to give Cards closed the quarter 49-45. But as would be the lone a skinny 65-64 lead with a 9-0 run to lead after case throughout the final w ith 49 seconds left. Echo one, 16-15. quarter of regulation. Echo took a shot with 19 seconds Echo regained the answered and tied the score showing on the clock but lead in the second quarter a total o f four times. An lost possession on the miss. and built as much as an Echo three-pointer with 41 They tried fouling in the eight-point buffer but the seconds left put the Cougars waning seconds and finally, Cardinals stayed intense to up by one but Luke Jobes with 11.8 seconds on the pull within two points late answered 10 seconds later clock, the bonus kicked in in the half. Echo scored a with a three of his own and for the Cards. Zac Orem hit bucket with 18 seconds left the Cards went up by two. both ends of a one and one, to take a 30-26 lead to the Echo put back an offensive and lone led 67-64. Echo locker-room at halftime. board to tie the score at 61 got off two three-point at Evan R ietm an n and that is where the score tempts but time ran out and had seven points in the third stayed at the end of regula the Cardinals took the win 67-64. quarter, and Luke Jobes tion. Zac Orem had a reminded the Cougars they In the four-m in should never ignore him ute overtime period. Echo m onster gam e, leading with an offensive rebound handled the ball very delib all scorers with 27 points. and a drive up the middle. erately, running two whole Luke Jobes had 12 and A tradem ark Zac Orem minutes off before their first Steven Holland and Evan jumper with 19 seconds left score, hitting the second of Rietmann both had 11. in the quarter had the Cards Mustangs end basketball season just short of state Fall to Knights 43-40 In Pendleton, at the 2012 Blue Mountain Con ference district basketball tournament last weekend, the M ustang boys were eliminated by the Irrigon Knights, ending their run for state. The K nights led 16-8 after the first quarter of play. The Mustangs kept the pressure on, playing hard and cutting four points off the Irrigon lead; they ¥ trailed the Knights 20-16 at the half. Jake Bowles had the hot hand for Heppner in the third quarter, helping to keep the score close by hitting a couple of three- pointers. The Mustangs also did a good job of breaking the Knights’ full-court press offensively, and held their high-scoring opponents at bay the entire game. In the fourth quar ter, with the M ustangs down by seven in regula tion. Cody Orr hit a long three-pointer to pull within four of Irrigon. As time ran out. though, the Knights hit their free-throws and won the game 43-40. Orr finished with 15 points and Bowles scored 12 to lead the Mustangs in scoring. Lady Cards take district championship By Anne M orter The lo n e Lady Cardinals went into the Big Sky D istrict as the number two team from the east side of the league but emerged on Saturday night as the number one team in the entire league, down ing previously undefeated Condon/Wheeler to clench the championship. The march to the title started on Thursday with a gritty win over Ho rizon Christian. From there, the Lady Cards provided an exciting come-from-behind win to defeat Dufur in the sem ifinal game to earn another shot at Condon/ Wheeler, a team that had defeated them tw ice in the regular season. In the championship game, the Lady Cards played fear less basketball to take the district title. As the number one seed from the Big Sky Con ference, lone earned the privilege o f a first round, state-playoff bye before hosting the winner o f the Pine Eagle-Crane game on Friday, February 24. “Getting the num ber one seed is huge,” said Coach Mike Garrett. “Al though we expect a dog fight on Friday night, we only have to worry and prepare for one game this Top: Shadow Kendrick shoots two of six points, as her cousin week instead of two, which Lacey Thompson sets up to rebound during the Big Sky Dis trict game versus Horizon Christian last Thursday. Bottom: is great.” JoAnna Patton makes her 21st point as lead scorer for the The Lady Cardi team during the game versus Dufur at district finals. -Photos nals opened tourney play by Paula Emmel against Horizon Christian, the number three seed from Ranger’s lead in less than der a minute left. A Cardinal the west side of the Big Sky five minutes and outscored bucket and free throw cut Conference. Defensively, the Rangers 20-4 in the that margin back down to the Cards played well, hold quarter to lead 36-32 enter eight at the half. 29-21. After the half, the ing the Hawks to just two ing the final frame. Shadow points in the first half but, Kendrick scored 10 points Cardinals “caught fire of offensively, the team looked in the game, all in the third fensively,” again erasing out of sync, only scoring 16 quarter, to lead the charge. the deficit to tie the game Dufur was not done at 38 heading into the final points in that same half. The Hawks put a bit of a scare yet, knotting the score at 39 quarter. In the fourth quar into the Cards in the third with 1:46 left to play. lone ter. lone switched defenses quarter, knocking down played patiently, looking again, going to a 3-2 zone three three-pointers and for good shots. Dufur got in an effort to extend the 'pulling within six points a little rattled and sent the Knights out further and midway through the period. Lady Cards to the line four forcing them to take longer Leading by ten going into times in the last minute. range shots. Meanwhile, on the fourth quarter, the Lady JoAnna Patton hit a pair the other end of the floor, Cards outscored Horizon with 1:09 to play to put lone Shadow Kendrick hit two 17-6 to pull away for the up 41-39. With 4.5 seconds threes and JoAnna Patton left in the game, Makenna followed up with a bucket 41-21 win. “It took the kids Ramos hit the front end of to put the Cards up 46-38 a long time to get used to a one-and-one to give the with 3:40 left in the game. the Hermiston floor,” said Cards a three-point edge. The Knights clawed back Garrett, noting that it is 10 Coach Garrett sent all his into the game. With 10 feet longer than the court at rebounders to the other seconds left, Jessica Logan lone. “Finally, in the fourth end of the gyjn to reduce sunk a shot to cut lone’s quarter, we got a couple the chances of a rebound lead to two, 51-49. The easy baskets and the rim ing foul. Ramos missed the Knights fouled JoAnna Pat second free throw but, in ton, who missed the front opened up for us.” “That last six min the middle of four Dufur re end of a one-and-one with utes jump started us for the bounders, she picked up her 2.8 seconds left. C/W’s El- Dufur and Condon/Wheeler own rebound and banked lie Logan brought the ball games. We got a little of in a lay-in at the buzzer to down court looking for a our mojo back,” Garrett make the final margin 44- winning three-point shot 39 lone. but lost her footing at the added. JoAnna Patton had last moment and the Cardi Jo A n n a P a tto n was the gam e’s leading another big game for the nals took the win 51-49. “It was a great win scorer with 13 points. Lac Cards, leading all scorers ey Thompson added nine with 21 points. Shadow for us,” said Garrett. “It and Stacee Halvorsen had Kendrick had 10 and Mak was the best game we have enna Ramos had eight. played this year.” eight. After watching the Shadow Kendrick On Friday, the Du fur Rangers hit the court lone boys win a thriller in led the team in scoring with and smoked the nets in the overtime, the crowd for 20 points. JoAnna Patton first half of their semifinal the g irls’ cham pionship added 16. “ It w as a great match-up with the Lady game was revved up for the Cards. Dufur led 11-9 after lone v. Condon/W heeler weekend for us as a com one but outscored lone game. The Knights held munity,” Garrett said. “The 17-7 on the back of 64% their biggest lead o f the boys got third; we won the shooting to lead 28-16 at opening quarter with a five- pep band and sportsman point margin, 13-8, before ship awards, and we got a the half. “ They made our Shadow Kendrick canned bunch o f kids on the all 2-3 zone defense look pret the first of what would be league team.” He a l s o no t e d ty poor in the first half,” five three-pointers with just said Garrett. But Garrett under a minute left. The that the Hermiston venue had a heart-to-heart chat score after one was C/W worked out very well for with the team at the half, 1 3 ,lone 11. In the second the team. “We were treated letting them know their quarter, lone switched to goals were still attainable a triangle and two defense like kings. Hermiston did and a 12-point game was but the Knights adjusted to a great job. We were very not out of reach. Whatever it quickly, charging out to happy with their hospital he said worked and worked the biggest lead the game ity.” well. The Cards erased the would see, 29-18 with un GET YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE. Call the Heppner Gazette Today! W e can help w ith w e b site s e t-u p , design and m ain ten an c e. ( 541 ) 676-9228 d a v id @ ra p id s e rv e .n e t I
