Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 25, 2023 -- SEVEN
Mustang boys trample Outlaws, Mustang girls pull hard but lose
Knights
by narrow margins
Hallee Hisler gets ready for a layup but passes the ball to
Hadlie Nation under hoop.-Photos by Tylynn Cimmiyotti
Thomas Bales gets ready to drive in against an Irrigon defender. David Cribbs and Caden
George run the play in the background. -Photos by Tylynn Cimmiyotti
Landon Mitchell shoots a layup in the game Saturday as
Trevor Nichols looks on. -Photos by Tylynn Cimmiyotti
The Heppner Mustang
boys basketball team swept
a pair of Blue Mountain
Conference games this
weekend to move their
overall record to 13-4. Hep-
pner traveled to Enterprise
and defeated the Outlaws
64-22 and then hosted the
Irrigon Knights and won
that game by the score of
60-31. The Mustangs are
currently the eighth-ranked
team in the OSAA 2A State
Basketball Rankings.
After the long van ride
to Enterprise, the Mustangs
started fast and then never
looked back. A 24-8 first
quarter lead for Heppner
continued to grow as the
game went on. The Mus-
tangs led 41-14 at half-
time and then 54-20 after
three quarters. The fourth
quarter was played with a
running clock as the Mus-
tangs led by more than 30
points. Heppner coach Jer-
emy Rosenbalm gave every
player on his team time on
the court in the final quarter,
and the Mustangs took the
win by the score of 64-22.
Leading the team in
scoring was Trevor Nich-
ols with 18 points. David
Cribbs followed with 15
and Landon Mitchell had
10. Caden George scored
eight points and with four
points each were Tuck-
er Ashbeck and Thomas
Bales. Cooper Wight had
three points in the game
and Mason Orem finished
with two.
Heppner then hosted
their neighbors from the
north, the Irrigon Knights,
and jumped out to another
quick lead in the game. The
Mustangs led 15-7 after the
first quarter and 30-14 at
halftime. Heppner scored
20 points in the third quar-
Tucker Ashbeck fights for
the rebound.-Photos by
Tylynn Cimmiyotti
ter and held the Knights to
only three to lead 50-17 as
the fourth quarter started.
Once again the fourth was
played with a running clock
and everyone got some time
in the game. The final score
saw the Mustangs come out
on top 60-31.
Cribbs had a big night
and led the team with 23
points in the game. Nichols
and Ashbeck were next with
10 points each. Mitchell
had six and with four points
each were Orem and Cam-
eron Proudfoot. Finishing
the game with two points
was Bales, and George had
one.
This week the Mus-
tangs will host the Grant
Union Prospectors on
Thursday night at 7:30
p.m. They will then travel
to Stanfield Friday to take
on the Tigers at 7:30 p.m.
Mustang JV boys split weekend play
The Heppner Mustang
Junior Varsity boys bas-
ketball team split a pair of
close games last weekend
and now have a record of
8-4 on the season so far. The
team traveled to Enterprise
and lost by the score of 36-
29 and then defeated the
Irrigon Knights 33-29.
A close game at En-
terprise saw the Mustangs
lead after the first quarter
10-7 and then 19-17 at the
half. Heppner held a slim
26-24 lead at the end of the
third quarter but were then
outscored 12-3 in the fourth
and lost the game 36-29.
Leading the way in
scoring for the Mustangs
were Mason Orem and
Owen Cunnigham, who
scored seven points each.
Cooper Wight was next
with five, and with three
points each were Jackson
Coiner and Joseph Albitre.
With two points each in the
game were Caleb George
and Thomas Bales.
Another close game
with Irrigon saw the Mus-
tangs fall behind 8-6 after
the first quarter. Heppner
still trailed in the game
18-16 at the half. The Mus-
tangs outscored the Knights
in the third quarter 11-7 to
take a 27-25 lead into the
fourth. Heppner kept con-
trol of the game in the final
frame and got the win by
the score of 33-29.
Bales had the hot hand
for the Mustangs and fin-
ished with 11 points. Scor-
ing four points each were
Orem, George and Lane
Critchlow. Finishing with
three points each in the
game were Wight and Coin-
er. Albitre and Cunningham
had two points each and not
scoring but having a good
defensive game and collect-
ing several key rebounds
was Conner Wilson.
Up next for the JV
Mustangs is a home game
with Grant Union on Thurs-
day at 4:30 p.m. They will
then travel to Stanfield for
a game with the Tigers on
Friday at 4:30 p.m.
By Tylynn Cimmiyotti
The Heppner Mus-
tang girls fell 26-29 to the
Outlaws and 29-35 to the
Knights in two hard-fought
games over the weekend.
On Friday, Jan. 20, the
Heppner Mustangs made
a long trip to Enterprise
to take on the Outlaws.
Heppner hustled in the first
quarter, holding Enterprise
to a one-basket lead. En-
terprise fouled three times
in the first quarter, and
Heppner only once. The
first quarter score was 4-6
Enterprise.
Enterprise opened the
second quarter with the
first three-point shot of the
game, making the score 4-9,
but Heppner quickly drew
the foul on a shot. Hailey
Wenberg took the line for
the first free throws of the
night. She made her first
shot only and brought the
Mustangs to 5-9.
The fouling seemed to
happen a bit quicker in the
second quarter as Hadlie
Nation went to the line to
shoot 1-1 at 5:57 in the sec-
ond. She made both shots
bringing the score to 9-11
at that time.
The Mustangs closed
out the first half trailing by
only five points. The score
was 14-19, Enterprise. The
Outlaws fouled a total of
nine times to the Mustangs’
five for the first half of the
game.
After the start of the
second half of the game,
Wenberg made the first
point of the third quarter,
shooting free throws after
being fouled on the shot.
With a nice pass from Hal-
lee Hisler, Ava Gerry se-
cures the next set of points
for the Mustangs. The score
is now 17-19, Enterprise,
with 5:04 on the clock.
At 3:50 in the third,
Kadie Henrichs made a shot
to tie the score at 19-19.
Enterprise made their first
points of the quarter on the
line shooting free throws
with 38 seconds left of the
third. Both teams hustled,
but in the end, Heppner held
Enterprise to only those two
new points and ended the
third quarter 19-21, Enter-
prise. Each team fouled five
times.
In the game’s final
quarter, Heppner scored
seven more points, and
Enterprise scored eight. The
game’s final score was 26-
29, and the Mustangs barely
fell three points behind the
Outlaws. Hadlie Nation
led the Mustangs with nine
points, and Hallee Hisler
added six.
Stats: Zandra Mas-
terson: 1 foul. H. Hisler:
6 points, 5 rebounds, 3
fouls, 1 fouled. H. Nation: 9
points, 2 rebounds. A. Ger-
ry: 2 points. M. Cutsforth: 2
points, 1 foul. K. Spivey: 3
rebounds, 3 fouls. H. Wen-
berg: 4 points, 3 rebounds,
5 fouls, 1 fouled. K. Hen-
richs: 3 points, 1 rebound,
4 fouls.
On Saturday, the Mus-
tangs hosted the Irrigon
Pirates. Heppner was met
with one of our league’s
most evenly matched yet
hard-to-beat teams. The
first points for each team
were free throw shots, but
Irrigon held the lead. The
entire game was fast-paced,
with all the girls work-
ing their hardest to ensure
their team came out on top.
Heppner fell in the first
quarter by only two baskets.
In the second quarter, the
Mustangs scored the same
amount of points as the
Knights, ending the first
half just four points shy.
At the end of the third
quarter, Heppner held the
lead by one point. Unfortu-
nately for the Mustangs, the
Knights made a huge leap in
the fourth quarter, outscor-
ing the Mustangs by seven
points. The game ended in
favor of the Knights, 29-35.
Hallee Hisler led the
Mustangs with 12 points,
and Hadlie Nation added
five.
Stats: A. Worden: 1 re-
bound. Zandra Masterson: 4
points, 3 turnovers. H. His-
ler: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4
fouls, 1 turnover. H. Nation:
5 points, 5 rebounds, 1
turnover. A. Gerry: 1 re-
bound, 1 foul, 2 turnovers.
M. Cutsforth: 3 points, 1
rebound, 1 foul. K. Spiv-
ey: 4 points, 2 rebounds,
1 turnover. H. Wenberg: 1
point, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls,
1 turnover. K. Henrichs: 6
rebounds, 3 fouls.
Meanwhile, not every-
one in the stands matched
the sportsmanship dis-
played on the court. During
the course of the night,
there was a show of un-
sportsmanlike conduct on
both sides of the bleachers,
with one Irrigon man be-
ing ejected from the game
due to comments made to
the referee, and someone
on the Heppner side with
comments for their own
coaches.
Heppner Finished their
week ranked #5 in their
league and #24 overall.
Stats from Jan. 13-14:
Heppner Mustangs vs.
Weston McEwen Tiger-
Morgan Cutsforth is cut off
from the hoop as she makes
a layup on Saturday. -Photos
by Tylynn Cimmiyotti
Katie Spivey going up
for a shot with Irrigon
defender in her face.
-Photos by Tylynn Cimmiyotti
scots: Lost, Final Score:
41-42
Stats: A. Worden: 1 re-
bound, 1 foul, 1 turnover. H.
Hisler: 12 points, 1 assist,
3 rebounds, 3 fouls, 5 turn-
overs, 8 fouled. H. Nation:
8 points, 1 assist, 3 fouls,
2 steals, 4 turnovers, 3
fouled. A. Gerry: 10 points,
1 rebound, 3 fouls, 2 steals,
2 turnovers, 2 fouled. M.
Cutsforth: 4 points, 1 foul,
1 steal, 3 turnovers. L.
Nichols: 1 foul, 1 turn-
over. K. Spivey: 1 point, 1
rebound, 3 fouls, 2 steals,
2 turnovers, 2 fouled. H.
Wenberg: 4 points, 3 fouls,
4 turnovers, 3 fouled. K.
Henrichs: 2 points, 2 re-
bounds, 3 fouls, 2 fouled.
Heppner Mustangs vs.
Stanfield Tigers: Lost, Final
Score: 20-59
S t a t s : A . Wo r d e n :
1 turnover. H. Hisler: 8
points, 1 assist, 5 rebounds,
4 fouls, 2 steals, 6 turn-
overs, 3 fouled. H. Nation:
3 fouls, 3 steals, 2 turn-
overs, 3 fouled. A. Gerry: 3
points, 2 rebounds, 1 block,
2 turnovers. M. Cutsforth:
2 rebounds, 2 turnovers.
L. Nichols: 1 turnover.
K. Spivey: 5 points, 1 re-
bound, 2 fouls, 3 turnovers,
1 fouled. S. Jensen: 2 fouls,
1 block. H. Wenberg: 3
points, 1 assist, 3 fouls, 1
steal, 2 turnovers, 5 fouled.
K. Henrichs: 1 point, 2
rebounds, 3 fouls, 3 turn-
overs, 1 fouled.
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