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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2015)
MARCH 11, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM A6 WEDNESDAY, Fixing a broken system I don’t want to go so far as to say the Oregon state playoff system is broken, but it has to be examined. In the girls 5A bracket, all of this year’s four quarterfinal matchups are intra- league games. There is no diversity. There is no excitement over new opponents. It’s just a rehashing of the league schedule in a big gym. That’s it. It’s kind of disappointing, really, especially for the girls involved. Part of the fun of the playoffs is to play other teams from around the state. What’s fun — or challenging, for that matter — about driving four hours away just to play a team that hails from a half hour east, as is Hermiston’s case with this quarterfinal matchup against rival Pendleton. The answer: Not much. When I was at Hermiston’s last practice in its own gym Monday, that was mostly the sentiment I received. All five starters: Abi Drotzmann, Jansen Edmiston, Sara Ramirez, Kynzee Padilla and Maddy Juul all were a little disappointed to get Pendleton in the first round of the state bracket. Head coach Steve Hoffert acknowledged that the rankings and seeds are all done by numbers and formulas, and they are what they are. He said that this prevents a strong league from advancing two teams into the semi- finals, and he’s right. After the playoffs this year, I received a few complaints, shall we say, from coaches about how the formulas are calculated and the weight given to certain games when calculating. Roughly the same thing is happening in Washington, but it’s also quite different. Washington has a regional playoff after districts to thin the field instead of having a play-in round of 16. A well-known basketball coach from my hometown was quoted as saying that the regional system “needs to go away.” I’ve heard the same things about the ranking systems used by the Oregon School Activities Association. Not that they need to go away, of course, but they need to be tweaked. They need to be looked at so the teams that most deserve a high ranking get one. Try this on for size. In the NBA, if a team wins its division, it is seeded no worse than fourth in its given SAM BARBEE FROM THE SIDELINES Sports reporter conference. A team’s record could be under .500, but if it wins its division, it is seeded fourth in the playoffs. I think the OSAA could mimic that strategy. The Umatilla girls team didn’t win its league, but it fell three spots in the rankings after losing its district title game to Vale, a team that wound up finishing third in the state. The Lady Viks went from hosting a playoff game in a gym where they are nearly unbeatable to going on the road and playing the fourth-best team in the state according to its finish: Amity. “There is no excitement over new opponents. It’s just a rehashing of the league schedule in a big gym.” The system feels broken. In my mind, Umatilla did enough to earn a home playoff game. The Echo girls team, too, after winning its league and district got a tough draw against Adrian as the eighth seed. How does a team win its league and district and is seeded eighth? It doesn’t make sense to me. Sure, they got a home playoff game, but a league and district champ should most certainly be higher than eighth. At least, that’s how I look at it. It’s hard to know what the OSAA will do in response to the 5A girls bracket. It is the only bracket that has as many (or any) league matchups in it. But I think WKDW¶VVRPHWKLQJRI¿FLDOV should try to avoid in the future. I don’t know if that means they should try to recalibrate the formulas or just tweak brackets once they’re set, but they have to avoid this in the future. As it sits, the 5A girls bracket is just a JORUL¿HGVHWRIGLVWULFW games. That’s not a state bracket. That will never be a state bracket. It’s now up to the OSAA to shrug its shoulders or roll XSLWVVOHHYHVDQG¿QGD solution. I hope it’s the latter. —Sam Barbee is the sports reporter for the Hermiston Herald and can be reached at (541) 564-4542 or sbarbee@ hermistonherald.com GO SEE IT Wednesday, March 11 Girls Basketball Hermiston vs. Pendleton @ Gill Coliseum, 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12 Girls Basketball * Hermiston vs. Silverton/Corvallis @ Gill Colise- um, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 13 Girls Basketball * Hermiston vs. TBD @ Gill Coliseum, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14 No events scheduled * IF HERMISTON WINS SPORTS PREP BASKETBALL • SCHEDULE Hermiston girls to play Pendleton for fourth time WHDPWRTXDOLI\IRUWKH¿QDO eight. “We have to go at it like it’s any other game, like it’s a state game or like a Pend- leton game,” junior guard BY SAM BARBEE Jansen Edmiston said. “We HERMISTON HERALD need to do what we’re gon- The 5A girls state bas- na do, even it was anyone ketball bracket is full of fa- else.” miliarity. In their previous wins $OO IRXU TXDUWHU¿QDO over Pendleton, especially games will feature in- the two nine-point wins lat- tra-league matchups as er in February, the Bulldogs Hermiston plays league took Pendleton out of its rival Pendleton, Silverton comfort zone with a press- SOD\V&RUYDOOLV6SULQJ¿HOG ing, aggressive defense. gets Crater and Hillsboro That is their plan again, faces off against La Salle but there aren’t any se- Prep. crets among the two teams. 7KH %XOOGRJV¶ TXDUWHU¿- Pendleton will try to do the nal matchup with Pendleton same thing: break the press (17-9), which is set to tip at and get layups and hope its 1:30 p.m. at Gill Colise- 6-foot-3 center Kristin Wil- um in Corvallis, is viewed liams can hold court in the as both disappointing and lane and grab rebounds and get easy points. favorable by top-seeded In addition, Hermiston Hermiston (22-3). will try to deny Pendleton’s Hermiston head coach leading scorer, Marlene Steve Hoffert said has Bodmer, and force other never seen a bracket that scorers to beat them. In the was so uncreative, and he ¿UVW PDWFKXS 3HQGOHWRQ¶V doesn’t like it. Kiana Sperl rose to the oc- “That’s the disappoint- EO MEDIA GROUP FILE PHOTO casion, netting 16 points in ing thing to me,” he said the three-point loss. In the after Hermiston’s 70-36 Pendleton’s Kristin Williams and Hermiston’s Sara Ramirez ¿QDO PHHWLQJ EHWZHHQ WKH win over Crescent Valley JRXSIRUDUHERXQGLQWKH%XOOGRJV·ZLQDJDLQVWWKH Interstate 84 rivals, Bodmer on Saturday. “The state, %XOOGRJV)HELQ3HQGOHWRQ was completely eliminated, I think, needs to consider looking at that kind of stuff er, had a few things going those rivalry games, the VFRULQJKHU¿UVWSRLQWVLQWKH and making the necessary in their favor headed into Bulldogs have won by an IRXUWK TXDUWHU DQG ¿QLVKLQJ adjustments if that hap- today’s game. average of seven points, with just two points on 1-of- pens because you’re back First, many of the Bull- with the closest matchup a 9 shooting. Hermiston will also fo- to eliminating and limiting dogs have already played 57-54 squeaker on Feb. 3 in a strong conference from in a state tournament game Pendleton. Hermiston won cus on keeping the lanky possibly having two teams in a large arena. Hermiston E\ QLQH SRLQWV LQ WKH ¿QDO Williams out of the lane by LQWKHVHPL¿QDOVE\GRLQJ hasn’t played in Gill Coli- two games. In those games, aggressively boxing out. this. I know it’s the way the seum, as the bracket the last Hermiston built sizable The emphasis on rebound- rankings fall, (but) I would few years was played out in leads but let Pendleton back ing is also heightened this week, as both Williams and hope they would look at Matthew Knight Arena in in the games. this in the future and avoid Eugene, but the experience “I think focus right now Sperl are good rebounders this kind of thing from hap- of playing in important is our biggest thing,” soph- and can create problems for pening for that reason.” games is something Herm- omore wing Kynzee Padilla the Bulldogs. Hermiston knows that, Hermiston freshman iston has and Pendleton said. “We can focus when Maddy Juul agreed. doesn’t. we need to, but we should however. Hermiston also “It’s kind of unfortunate “We’ll be more relaxed, be able to focus all the time. knows that Pendleton knows we had to play one of our I think,” senior forward Abi I think if we focus all the exactly how the Bulldogs’ offense and defense operate. conference teams, but it’s Drotzmann said. “They’ll be WLPHZHVKRXOGEH¿QH´ “It’s just a mind thing,” good because we know the hyped because they’re there, Despite their in-season team,” she said at practice and they’ll be super excited. success against a single op- junior guard Sara Ramirez Monday. “We know what to My sophomore year when I ponent, the familiarity can said of playing Pendleton four times. “You just gotta go look forward to and how to ¿UVWZHQWWRVWDWH,ZDVOLNH be a detriment, too. change our game to prepare ‘Wow, this is crazy. This is “We know they’re gonna out there and want to (win) for it.” amazing.’ My sophomore do this. They know we’re more than they do every time Hermiston, however, year, I didn’t start, of course, gonna do this,” Hoffert said. you step on the court.” “There’s so much heart is looking past its disap- but I still played, and I was ³7KHJLUOVVWDUWWR¿JXUHRXW pointment and is focusing nervous. I think they’re gon- things they shouldn’t be on our team, and we have on how to beat a team four na be so hyped and nervous. WU\LQJ WR ¿JXUH RXW LQVWHDG this want to be successful at times in one season after I feel like we have almost of letting the game go, and the state tournament,” Juul coming away the victors everyone on our team who’s they do too much analyz- added. “I just feel like we’re gonna go out there and do of their last three season been to a state tournament ing.” matchups. As many Bull- before. So I think that’s a Despite beating them that.” If the Bulldogs win, they dogs noted Monday, it can big advantage for us.” three times, Hermiston isn’t EH GLI¿FXOW WR EHDW D WHDP In addition, Hermis- overlooking the Bucks. The will play the winner of the three times, never mind ton has already beaten the Bulldogs are treating the Corvallis/Silverton game at four. The Bulldogs, howev- Buckaroos three times. In Buckaroos as just another 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Bulldogs tip off at 1:30 p.m. today Hermiston dismantles Crescent Valley to advance BY SAM BARBEE HERMISTON HERALD The excitement is back for the Hermiston girls basketball team. After a grueling league schedule and its 70-36 play-in round win over Crescent Valley Satur- day, the Lady Bulldogs have secured a spot in the round of eight Wednes- day in Corvallis. Sara Ramirez led the way for Hermiston with 16 points, and Jansen Edmiston was the only other Bulldog in double figures with 11. Top-seeded Hermis- ton (22-3) overwhelmed the 16th-seeded Raid- ers from the opening tip. After four minutes, Hermiston led 11-2 then embarked on a run that would essentially put away the Raiders in the first half. Hermiston launched a 15-0 run that started in the first quarter and snaked around to the second to turn an 11-6 game into a 26-6 game. “It’s another check box on the list,” head coach Steve Hoffert said after the win. “We expected to be (in the quarterfi- nals), but the excitement is real now because we’re there. It’s not, ‘OK, we have two weeks to go and SAM BARBEE PHOTO Hermiston’s Jansen Edmis- ton (center) and Crescent 9DOOH\·V(OLVLD+DUGHUÀJKWIRU DUHERXQGLQIURQWRI%XOOGRJ 0DGG\-XXOULJKWDQG&UHV- FHQW9DOOH\·V.DWH%LUG GXULQJWKHÀUVWKDOIRI+HUP- iston’s runaway 70-36 play-in URXQGZLQRYHUWKH5DLGHUV Saturday in Hermiston. we should be in the state tournament.’ It’s like ‘Ok, now we’re there. Now we’re in it.’ ” ——— HERMISTON 70, CRESCENT VALLEY 36 CV 6 10 14 6 36 HHS 16 21 11 22 70 Crescent Valley — M. Frias 4, S. Huang 2, E. Harder 11, N. Barrett 3, V. Taylor 0, D. Barrett 8, M. Henke 0, A. Taylor 4, T. Gray 0, M. Sherman 0, K. Bird 4, J. Dolan 0. Hermiston — S. Moore 6, S. Gilbert 6, A. Drotzmann 9, M. Foley 1, M. Juul 7, M. Kelly 0, J. Edmiston 11, K. Padilla 2, T. Headings 8, R. Andreason 0, J. Gutierrez 4, S. Ramirez 16. 3point ¿eld goals — Crescent Valley 2, Herm- iston 8. Free throws — Crescent Valley 6-15, Hermiston 10-16. Fouls — Crescent Valley 15, Hermiston 14. SAM BARBEE PHOTO +HUPLVWRQ·V$EEL'URW]PDQQULVHVIRUDOD\XSRYHU0D\D )ULDVGXULQJWKHÀUVWKDOIRI+HUPLVWRQ·VSOD\LQURXQG PDWFKXSRYHU&UHVFHQW9DOOH\6DWXUGD\DIWHUQRRQLQ+HUPLVWRQ