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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 2018)
A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2018 Herald Sports Follow sports on Twitter @HHeraldSports TOWERING ABOVE THE COMPETITION At 6-4, Hermiston’s Jordan Thomas presents a challenge Home opener Lewiston at Hermiston 5:45 p.m., Friday The Dawg House By ANNIE FOWLER STAFF WRITER T here’s one thing basketball coaches say they can’t coach — height. But when they have it, it’s a luxury, especially at the high school level. Hermiston coach Juan Rodriguez counts himself a lucky man with 6-foot-4 senior Jordan Thomas on his side of the court. “It’s a big deal in high school bas- ketball to have a 6-4 girl who can finish around the basket,” he said. “She has the talent to play college basketball.” Which is a dream for Thomas, but first there is her senior season to take care of. “Honestly, I love it,” Thomas said of basketball. “It’s a stress reliever and it makes me happy.” The Bulldogs will open their season Friday, hosting Lewiston in a nonleague game. They will host La Grande on Tues- day before beginning Mid-Columbia Conference play Dec. 8 at Kennewick. Thomas and fellow senior Mati Byrd have been playing basketball together since grade school. With Byrd standing 6-2, they are Hermiston’s version of the Twin Towers, though they do not play at the same time. “I hope coach makes the decision and looks at us and sees two girls over 6-2,” Thomas said. “It’s intimidating. It could be a huge threat.” Rodriguez said their offense isn’t designed for two post players. He said Byrd will come off the bench to relieve Thomas. While Thomas is one of the two tall- est players in the school — Hermiston boys player Blake Davis also is 6-4 — she also is the tallest in her family. Her dad John is 6 feet tall, while her mom Barbara is 6-1. Her older sib- lings Mitchell (6-1) and Vanessa (5-10) also are shorter. She believes her height comes from her mom’s side of the fam- ily. Her mom’s brother, Larry Bush, is 6-9. Thomas is the Bulldogs’ returning leading scorer from last season with 16 points and 11.8 rebounds a game. She had 30 points in a playoff game last sea- son against St. Helens, and while pour- ing in the points is nice, she feels her strength is her defense. “Rebounding is what I feel I am bet- ter at,” she said. “I’d rather play defense — I feel I am more of a threat and I’m more comfortable doing what I do. I can score, but if I have an off night, my defense is always there.” Pendleton coach Kevin Porter isn’t shedding any tears with Hermiston and Thomas leaving the Columbia River Conference. “Last year, she was our focal point,” Porter said. “She killed us in the second game and was almost unstoppable. Our HH FILE PHOTO Hermiston’s Jordan Thomas drives past Hanford’s Sarah Ellis in the Bulldogs’ 55-38 win against the Falcons on Dec. 5, 2017. plan was, how do we drag her away from the basket defensively, and how to keep her from scoring without opening up the 3. Even on a bad night, height kills.” Thomas spent the summer playing with Oregon Elite. She was on the Navy team, which is the top team in her age group. The team traveled to Canada, Califor- nia, Kentucky and Arizona. “We won our tournament in Canada,” Thomas said. “In Kentucky, we were at a facility that had 150 courts. There was one in Arizona with 60. There were girls playing everywhere. It was a lot of fun.” Rodriguez said the summer program helped Thomas with her game. “She has developed a lot the past year and a half,” he said. “She is very ath- letic, and she slimmed down this sum- mer playing on her traveling team.” The move to the MCC is exciting and a little sad for Thomas and Byrd. They want the challenge of the play- ing the MCC teams, but they will miss the friendships they have made over the years, especially with the Pendleton girls. “We have played against them since the seventh grade,” Thomas said. “They have been our rivals since then. It’s part of growing up, I guess.” But, they also have played against the Tri-City schools in summer league. “I know some of them, but a lot of their best players are always gone with their elite teams,” Thomas said. “Wash- ington is a totally different league. It will be interesting.” Boys ready to take on the MCC Hermiston opens league play Dec. 8 at Kennewick By ANNIE FOWLER STAFF WRITER Hermiston left the Columbia River Conference last year with the league title in hand, and one win from the state tournament. This season, the Bulldogs move into the competitive Mid-Colum- bia Conference, and coach Casey Arstein is happy to pack up their gear and head across the border. “It’s exciting,” he said. “Every night will be competitive. We are excited to do home and away games against good athletes. It’s good all the way around.” The Bulldogs will open their season Friday, hosting Lewiston in a nonleague game. The game will follow the girls matchup, which is another benefit of moving to the MCC. In the MCC, the girls and boys teams play back-to-back at the same venue, and each team will play the other eight opponents twice. Herm- iston will open league play Dec. 8 at Kennewick. Though the league plays as one during the season, the 3A and 4A schools split for the postseason. Hermiston in the 3A ranks with the three Kennewick schools - Kami- akin, Kennewick and Southridge. “Having 16 league games, and every game is a battle, will be dif- ferent,” Arstein said. “Every team in the league has a kid who could play college basketball. You couldn’t say that about our old league. It’s nice to play good teams, and every team will have athletes. I know Earl Streufert (Richland coach) really well. I’m glad we didn’t have to play them last year.” The Bulldogs enter the MCC with a group of talented players, led by Ryne Andreason and Cesar Ortiz, who were first-team CRC players last year, and Jordan Ramirez, who was a second-team selection. The one thing Hermiston lacks is a dominant presence inside. Junior Blake Davis is 6-foot-4, but from there, the Bulldogs rely on their ath- letic ability and knowledge of the game. “We have a bunch of smart kids with high basketball IQs,” Arstein said. “Ryne is our best athlete, but there isn’t one guy who is our main guy. Most of these guys have played together since the second grade.” And most have played against the Tri-City teams in summer league, and in nonleague games over the years. “They know those Tri-City kids,” Arstein said. “We’ve played a lot of those schools, minus a couple.” HH FILE PHOTO Hermiston’s Ryne Andreason shoots the ball over the top of Sunset’s Colby King on Jan. 12, 2018 in Hermiston. LOCAL SLATE Wednesday, November 28 Boys Basketball Heppner at Riverside, 7:30 p.m. White Swan (WA) at Umatilla, 7:30 p.m. Girls Basketball White Swan (WA) at Umatilla, 6 p.m. Heppner at Riverside, 6 p.m. Boys Wrestling Hermiston at Southridge, 7 p.m. Thursday, November 29 Boys Basketball Stanfield at Irrigon, 7:30 p.m. Girls Basketball Stanfield at Irrigon, 6 p.m. Friday, November 30 Boys Basketball Stanfield vs. Culver, 4:30 p.m., in Moro Helix vs. Irrigon, 4:30 p.m., in Ione Echo vs. Trinity Lutheran, 4:30 p.m., in Hood River Umatilla at Vernonia, 7:30 p.m. Lewiston at Hermiston, 7:30 p.m. Girls Basketball Stanfield at Sherman County Tournament, 3 p.m. Helix vs. Irrigon, 3 p.m., in Ione Riverside at Faith Bible, 3 p.m. Lewiston at Hermiston, 5:45 p.m. Umatilla at Vernonia, 6 p.m. Heppner at Willamina, 6 p.m. Boys Wrestling Hermiston at Yakima, 1 p.m. Girls Wrestling Hermiston at Kennewick, 11 a.m. Saturday, December 1 Boys Basketball Umatilla at Vernonia Tournament Stanfield at Sherman County Tournament Riverside vs. Taft, 1:30 p.m. Heppner at St. Paul, 2 p.m. Echo vs. Perrydale, 2 p.m., in Hood River Irrigon vs. Pine Eagle, 2:30 p.m. Girls Basketball Stanfield at Sherman County Tournament Riverside vs. Taft, noon, Westside Christian Heppner at St. Paul, 12:30 p.m. Helix at Ione, 4 p.m.
