SPORTS SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM PREP BASKETBALL • PREP WRESTLING • SCHEDULE Pasture golf Bulldogs muscle past Eagles event to raise Big second quarter Hermiston money for Echo pushes into fi rst place girls hoops BY SAM BARBEE HERMISTON HERALD BY SAM BARBEE If you go When Echo resident Phillip Marcum was in La Grande visiting friends recently, they showed him an interesting game. They took him out to a pasture near their house, where various areas were cleared out and with PVC pipe placed in the center. Marcum, who describes himself as “not a golf per- son,” was perplexed. He didn’t know what he was looking at. Marcum said his friends told him the area was set up for pasture golf, a form of the old gentleman’s game from Scotland that doesn’t re- quire perfectly groomed grass, sand and ponds; the course is just cleared areas of a pasture. As it turns out, Mar- cum had volunteered to think up a fundraiser idea for the Echo girls basket- ball team, and, after he saw his friends’ pasture, he was inspired. “These friends told me how fun it was,” he said. “I thought that sound- ed like a good idea for a fundraiser.” Marcum will host the ¿UVWHYHU 3DVWXUH *ROI Tournament Feb. 15 in Echo. The event will run from 8 a.m. to dark or as long as people continue to show up at the pas- ture, which is two miles past Echo school on a dirt road. Marcum said people should follow the signs. The cost is $15 to play, and there is no registra- tion. All clubs and balls are provided. The course has eight holes, and there will be a one-shot win- ning hole toward the end for which people can win prizes. “Just come out and play,” Marcum said. It’s up to people to come by themselves or groups or teams.” Pasture golf itself isn’t The Pasture Golf Tournament will take place from 8 a.m. until dark Feb. 15 at a pasture in Echo two miles past Echo school on a dirt road. Signs will be posted to provide peo- ple direction. Cost is $15, and there is no registration. All clubs and balls are provided. For more information, contact organizer Phillip Marcum, 541-376-5525, and leave a message. HERMISTON HERALD a new concept. It’s sort of a remembrance of the early days of golf, when ¿HOGV DQG SDVWXUHV ZHUH the norm. Only recently — in the past 20 years or so — have golf courses really become carefully manicured spectacles of landscaping. There are sanctioned pasture golf courses all over the coun- try, from Washington state to Texas to Alaska, one in Nova Scotia, Canada, and even in Great Britain. Although Echo’s pas- ture golf event will re- quire just one club — as the pasture is particularly hard on clubs — other courses allow for a range of sticks. Some courses are even long enough to use a 9-iron or a pitching wedge. Echo’s course, though, is much smaller. “The holes are any- where from 45 to 100 yards apart,” Marcum said. “It should play fairly fast.” For Marcum, the fun of the event is helping out Echo’s girls basketball program. It isn’t a compe- tition. He won’t award a trophy or keep score. He just wants to help out any way he can. “As most of the pro- grams around here, they need extra funds because the schools are strapped,” he said. “I’m just trying to help them out.” GO SEE IT Saturday, January 31 Swimming Hermiston @ Baker, noon Girls Basketball Umatilla vs. Vale, 4 p.m. Echo @ Joseph, 4 p.m. Boys Basketball Umatilla vs. Vale, 5:30 p.m. Echo @ Joseph, 5:30 p.m. After a quarter of play Friday, the demons that have plagued the Hermis- ton boys basketball team were once again on dis- play. Turnovers and con- tested shots played right into Hood River Valley players’ hands, who would take the steals or the re- bounds and turn them into points at the other end. The Eagles didn’t shoot particularly well that quarter, but Hermiston couldn’t get out of its own way. Then, in the second quarter, the Bulldogs took FRQWURO ¿QLVKLQJ WKH ¿UVW half up 33-25 and riding WKDW OHDG WR D ZLQ over their Columbia Riv- er Conference foes in the Dawghouse. Hermiston’s Keegan Crafton scored 20 points and was active on the boards all night, and Dillon Zimmerly added 17. Chase Knutz made three 3-point- ers for the Bulldogs (5-11, 2-0). Tyrone Stintzi had 20 points off the bench for the Eagles (8-8, 1-1). HVP’s Dallas Buckley chipped in with 12, and Skyler Hunter had 11. Hermiston also dom- inated the glass Friday, HHUPLVWRQ·V &ROH SPLWK (32) VSLQV SDVW HRRG RLYHU VDOOH\·V =DN EOOVZRUWK (ULJKW) DQG SFRW- WLH =LHJQHU RQ WKH ZD\ WR WKH EDVNHW GXULQJ WKH À UVW KDOI RI WKHLU &ROXPELD RLYHU &RQIHU- HQFH EDVNHWEDOO JDPH )ULGD\ QLJKW LQ WKH DDZJKRXVH ([FHSW LQ WKH ¿UVW DQG fourth quarters, when they struggled to slow their play and work the clock, the Bulldogs were suc- cessful in breaking the Eagles’ press, eliminating turnovers and taking good shots. Hermiston broke the game open in the second SAM BARBEE PHOTOS quarter when Knutz hit a AXVWLQ 1DLORQ (1) RI HHUPLVWRQ ULVHV IRU D OD\XS DV HRRG RLYHU VDO- 3-ball to give Hermiston a OH\·V T\URQH SWLQW]L ZDWFKHV GXULQJ WKH À UVW KDOI RI WKHLU &ROXPELD 25-21 lead with 2:13 left. RLYHU &RQIHUHQFH EDVNHWEDOO JDPH )ULGD\ QLJKW LQ WKH DDZJKRXVH Crafton then got consecu- tive baskets to extend the lead to 29-23. Hermiston grabbing 13 offensive re- the season. bounds to Hood River Val- Hood River Valley em- HQGHG WKH ¿UVW KDOI RQ D OH\¶V RQH LQ WKH ¿UVW KDOI ploys an up-tempo style of 13-4 run to take a eight- alone. On one possession basketball with quick shots point halftime lead. Herm- LQ WKH ¿UVW TXDUWHU +HUP and substitutions of a new iston did not trail in the iston had four looks at the ¿YH HYHU\ IHZ PLQXWHV second half. The Bulldogs’ next con- basket after three offen- In preparation, Hermiston sive rebounds. practiced against its quick, WHVWLVWKH¿UVWLQVWDOOPHQW The win put Hermiston relentless freshman team of area basketball’s War in the top spot in the Co- LQ ¿YHRQVHYHQ GULOOV DQG on 84, when they head to lumbia River Conference, against seven-man presses Pendleton Tuesday to take a place that seemed far off to try and simulate Hood on the Bucks. Tip-off is after a lackluster start to River’s high-energy attack. scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Echo wrestling team hosts fi rst home meet ever small schools and one gym per town. Somehow, though, Echo Athlet- %HIRUH (FKR¶V ¿UVWHYHU KRPH ic Director Raymon Smith made it wrestling meet on Thursday, the work. gym was abuzz with activity, but “Nobody missed anything. No- none of it was related to wrestling. body didn’t get to practice (Thurs- Both Echo basketball teams had day),” Smith said. “We made sure. practice. The middle school basket- From my standpoint, as the athletic ball teams had practice. The school director and as a coach, I’m making carried out its physical education sure that nobody gets pushed out of classes. Such is the situation with practice time.” BY SAM BARBEE HERMISTON HERALD Sunday, February 1 No events scheduled Monday, February 2 No events scheduld Tuesday, February 3 Girls Basketball Hermiston @ Pendleton, 5:15 p.m. 6WDQ¿HOG#+HSSQHUSP Boys Basketball Hermiston @ Pendleton, 7 p.m. 6WDQ¿HOG#+HSSQHUSP Wednesday, February 4 No events scheduled MAEGAN MURRAY PHOTO EFKR·V HD\GHQ HLOODUG (ULJKW) KDV KLV DUP UDLVHG DIWHU EHDWLQJ IUULJRQ·V APPRQ %\HUV DW EFKR·V À UVW-HYHU KRPH GXDO TKXUVGD\ HYHQLQJ LQ EFKR The mat was donated for the night by local National Guard Staff Sgt. Greg Cortaberria, from Herm- iston, who helped set it up and tear it down after the meet had conclud- ed. Riverside and Irrigon wrestling teams both helped support the ÀHGJOLQJ (FKR SURJUDP E\ LQFOXG ing the meet in their schedules on short notice. “It’s nice to see another program in the area getting started,” River- side head coach David Boor said. “Anytime you get a program start- ed, you want to help them out as much as possible.” Hayden Hilliard will go down in KLVWRU\ DV WKH ¿UVWHYHU (FKR &RX gar to win a match in the Cougar Den. It took all of 18 seconds. “I think it’s cool,” he said with a smile. “There’s never been a wres- tling deal in Echo before. It feels pretty good.” It was a different experience for the Echo team — comprised of athletes from Echo and Stan- ¿HOG ² ZUHVWOLQJ LQ IURQW RI D home crowd. Students from both schools watched, cheered and sup- ported their team. Parents were vo- cal. The cozy Echo gym was about half full, but the noise level got to SEE WRESTLING/A12 SPORTS IN BRIEF Hermiston Booster Club Steak Feed coming up 7KH+HUPLVWRQ%RRVWHU&OXE¶VWKDQ nual steak feed is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. March 7 in the Hermiston Conference Center. Tickets cost $40, and the proceeds JR EHQH¿W +HUPLVWRQ DWKOHWLF SURJUDPV On average, the steak feeds generate about $80,000 dollars per night and $100,000 in a year. Call Joe Thompson at 541-571-4478 for more information. PREPS ROUNDUP EO MEDIA GROUP STAFF At Riverside, the Uma- tilla girls basketball team extended its winning streak to seven with a 58-28 win over the Pirates on Thurs- day night. Aleesha Watson scored SRLQWV DQG ¿YH UH bounds, and Kassandra Galbraith had 12 points and eight rebounds for the win- ners. Iri Campos and Court- ney Dohman added seven rebounds apiece. 8PDWLOOD EOL) hasn’t lost since a 54-52 heartbreaker to third-ranked 2A Kennedy on New Year’s Day, which was also the last time the Lady Viks allowed more than 37 points. 8PDWLOODKRVWV9DOHDW p.m. Saturday. ——— UMATILLA 58, RIVERSIDE 28 UHS (16-3) 11 16 26 5 — 58 RHS (8-11) 5 6 8 9 — 28 UMATILLA — Aleesha Watson 20, K. Galbraith 12, B. Campos 7, M. Paz 4, S. Webb 4, C. Dohman 4, I. Campos 3, K. Barajas 2, B. Chavez 2. RIVERSIDE — Lacey Mashos 10, S. Wightman 6, E. Sanchez 4, K. McCullough 4, A. Caldera 2, M. Camp 1, J. Haskell 1, J. Shimer, E. Velasco, Y. Barrera. 3-SRLQW À HOG JRDOV — UHS 5, RHS 3. )UHH WKURZV — UHS 11-17, RHS 11-31. )RXOV — UHS 22, RHS 16. )RXOHG RXW — B. Campos (UHS). ——— HERMISTON 89, HOOD RIVER VALLEY 22 The Hermiston Bulldogs knew there would be nights like these. That didn’t cause them to let up against the Hood River Valley Eagles in a Columbia River Confer- ence girls basketball game on Thursday, however. The No. 2 Bulldogs routed the No. 31 Eagles 89-22, an outcome coach Steve Hoffert said was necessary to keep Hermiston on the right path. “We talked about it com- ing into league (play), that there would be nights when we wouldn’t see the level of competition we were need- ing to see,” he said of a team with high goals for its sea- son. “You have to basically dominate these games to get to where you want to go.” Sara Ramirez led Herm- iston (14-3, 2-0) with 23 points, and Jansen Edmis- ton added eight assists to go with her seven points. Abi Drotzmann chipped SEE ROUNDUP/A12