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
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