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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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0DGG\-XXOULJKWDQG&UHV-
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iston’s runaway 70-36 play-in
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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
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