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A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 HeraldSports Follow sports on Twitter @HHeraldSports Romero leads Dawgs past Walla Walla She puts in 18 points and grabs 11 rebounds By ANNIE FOWLER SPORTS EDITOR Jazlyn Romero made the most of her final regu- lar-season home game Fri- day night. The Hermiston senior point guard poured in 18 points and grabbed 11 rebound to lead the Bulldogs past Walla Walla 53-42 in Mid-Columbia Conference play at the Dawg House. “It was really the inten- sity of the junior group,” Romero said. “They are beasts on the court. They had a big impact in the sec- ond quarter.” Hermiston (13-7, 10-6 MCC) dropped its first game to Walla Walla 55-42, but used a big fourth quarter to pull away. “I am super proud,” Hermiston coach Maloree Moss said. “Every player had a part in that win. They are all buying in. To win a game like like at the end of the season is awesome.” Blue Devils coach Mor- gan Jo Poyner said a combi- nation of things put her team in a bad position. “Their 3-point shooting hurt us,” she said. “They had nine 3s — we had a hard time closing out their shoot- ers. And, they did a good job of shutting down our playmakers.” Rian Clear had eight of her game-high 24 points it the first quarter as the Blue Devils enjoyed a 15-8 lead. A bucket by Mia Huxoll put Wa-Hi out front 22-13 with 2:44 to play in the sec- ond, but a 10-2 run by the Bulldogs — including 3s by Mia Hernandez and Kaylee Young — pulled Hermiston to within 24-23 at the half. Clear had 15 points in the first half, but the defense of Jayden Ray held Clear to just nine points the rest of the game. “Rian is a fantastic player,” Romero said. “She works hard on offense and defense. Jayden did a phe- nomenal job on her in the second half. I think she got in her head a little.” Romero scored seven of her points in the third quar- ter, including a 3-pointer with 21 seconds remain- ing on the clock that put the Bulldogs up 36-35. Alexis Kessell scored for Hermiston to open the fourth quarter, Hernandez later drilled a 3-pointer and added two free throws that put the game out of reach. Romero had eight points in the quarter, including the final two points of the game. “You can’t get a better all-around person than Jaz,” Moss said. “In the class- room and on the court. She has been a blessing to this program. She brings energy and works her tail off every night.” Kaylee Young added 11 points and four rebounds for Hermiston, while Hernandez had 10 points, Bailey Young six points and six rebounds, and Ray eight rebounds. Clear was the only Blue Devil in double figures, but Kysa Jausoro hauled down 10 rebounds. Walla Walla 15 9 11 9 — 42 Hermiston 8 15 13 17 — 53 WALLA WALLA — Ogden 7, Clear 24, Miller 2, Oliveras 5, Huxoll 4. HERMISTON — Heideman 6, K.Young 11, Kessell 2, Hernandez 10, Romero 18, B.Young 6. HH file photo Hermiston’s Jazlyn Romero, shown here against Pasco on Jan. 21, had 18 points and 11 rebounds Friday as the Bulldogs beat visiting Walla Walla 53-42. MCC ROUNDUP Dawgs make quick work of Braves in MCC win Ray leads Hermiston with 12 points on her 17th birthday By ANNIE FOWLER SPORTS EDITOR Contributed photo by Michael Najera Hermiston’s Jayden Ramirez (33) dribbles past Walla Walla’s Josiah Wik (4) during their Mid- Columbia Conference game Friday at Hermiston High School. Bulldogs finish season with loss to Blue Devils Rangel, Pitney lead Hermiston with 12 points each By ANNIE FOWLER SPORTS EDITOR Ivan Rangel and Trent Pitney were part of a fresh- man class at Hermiston High School that had 14 promis- ing basketball players. Rangel and Pitney are the only two left of the group, and they finished their high school careers Friday night with 12 points each in an 87-57 Mid-Columbia Con- ference loss to Walla Walla at the Dawg House. “To think if all of us had stayed,” Rangel said after the loss. “It was nice while it lasted. It’s bittersweet, but now it’s back to work, col- lege and adulting.” First-year Hermiston coach Drew Preuninger said the season went by way too fast. “I told them this summer, before you know it, the sea- son will start,” he said. “And now it’s over. It’s crazy. Being a competitor, I wish it wasn’t over.” While the Bulldogs (2-18, 1-15 MCC) finished their season, the Blue Devils (16-4, 12-4 MCC) will host a District 8 playoff game Wednesday. The Blue Devils got off to a hot start, finishing the first quarter with a 22-8 lead. “There aren’t many shots they don’t like,” Wa-Hi coach Adam Berg said of his team. “When we get the right looks, it’s a good night.” The Blue Devils led 47-24 at the half, and despite an even third quarter, the Bulldogs could not make up the deficit in the fourth. Rangel, who fouled out with 4:21 left in the game, scored all of his points in the first three quarters. He said it was a tough night for him, not having his mom (Veronica Ortiz) with him as he finished his career. She died Dec. 21, 2017. “I just dreamed of my mom being here when we were being introduced,” Rangel said. “She is my motivation. She played bas- ketball in Mexico — I got it from her.” Senior AJ Ramos-Barron added 10 points for the Bull- dogs, while junior Miguel Moreno had 10. “That was one of Miguel’s better games,” Pre- uninger said. “He does a lot of good things for us.” Diego Jaquez led the Blue Devils with 24 points. Michael Cornia added 22. The Bulldogs lose four seniors from this year’s team, but will return key contributors like Moreno, Chase Elliott, Tyler Lin, Jayden Ramirez and Jaime Ramirez. “I think Hermiston bas- ketball has a bright future,” Preuninger said. “We just need to make sure they are doing the right things and getting in the weight room.” BOX SCORE Walla Walla 22 25 16 24 — 87 Hermiston 8 16 15 18 — 57 WALLA WALLA — Ashbeck 11, Wik 2, Cor- nia 22, Jaquez 24, Watson 5, Coram 12, Nielson 4, Wasser 7. HERMISTON — Pitney 12, Davis 3, Elliott 8, Ramos-Barron 10, Carrillo 2, Rangel 12, Moreno 10. After two close games that went down to the wire, the Hermiston girls basketball team had a lit- tle fun during their Feb. 4 game. Jayden Ray scored a game-high 12 points on her 17th birthday as the Bulldogs celebrated a 63-39 Mid-Columbia Conference road win over Kamiakin. “It was so nice to see them play as a team, and confident,” Hermiston coach Maloree Moss said. “We played a lot of girls, and we were on the same page and willing to work.” Ray scored all of her points in the first three quarters as the Bulldogs (12-7, 9-6 MCC) enjoyed a 47-29 lead. “It was a good win, especially after the last two were so close,” said Ray, who also had seven rebounds. “After the half, we kept the high intensity and got the job done. It was really nice to have a smooth bas- ketball game.” Kamiakin (4-15, 3-12 MCC), which has long ruled the roost in the MCC, suffered its fifth loss in a row. “We have some youth and inexperience,” Braves coach Lane Schumacher said. “We’ve taken some lumps this year. Hermis- ton does a really nice job of running their offense, and they have some nice shooters. When they get by you, you have to be out on them. They hurt us.” The Bulldogs opened the game with an 11-8 lead after the first quarter, but extended their lead to 26-19 at the half. A 21-10 run in the third, bolstered by seven points by Katelyn Heide- man, and six by Kaylee Young, put Hermiston up 47-29. In the fourth, Madi- son Feigum hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Young and Mia Hernandez each had one as the Bulldogs cruised to victory. “They played hard and recognized what we were doing defensively and offensively,” Moss said of her team. “We pushed the ball and got transition points, which was nice.” Bailey Young came off the bench to score 10 points and haul down 10 rebounds, while Jazlyn Romero had eight points, seven rebounds and and handful of assists. Kaylee Young added 11 points, and Heideman nine. “It’s nice to have some- one like her to dish the ball,” Ray said of Romero. Kathryn Hollenberg led the Braves with 11 points, while Lindsey Benham added 10. MCC boys basketball KAMIAKIN 84, HERMISTON 50 — Ivan Rangel poured in a career-high 23 points, but his efforts weren’t enough as the Bulldogs dropped an MCC road game to the Braves. “In the third quarter, he went off,” Hermiston coach Drew Preuninger said of Rangel. “He had 13 points. He was shooting with confidence.” The Bulldogs (2-17, 1-14 MCC), who trailed 41-17 at the half, out- scored the Braves 25-22 in the third quarter. “All year long, the third quarter has been killing us,” Preuninger said. “The past few games it has been good.” The Braves (16-3, 12-3 MCC) opened the game with a 15-0 run, getting eight points from 6-foot-9 senior Kyson Rose. Kamiakin led 22-6 at the end of the quarter. “In the first half, we gave up way too many offensive rebounds,” Preuninger said. “In the second half, they gave me more effort. We just need to do that the whole game.” Sophomore Chase Elliott added 11 points for the Bulldogs, while Trent Pitney had five points and six rebounds. Rose finished with a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds. Trey Arland added 16 points, while Messiah Jones chipped in 15. “Their kids are big and they work really hard,” Preuninger said of the Braves. “They have some really good players, that is tough to coach against.” BOYS BOX SCORE Hermiston 6 11 25 8 — 50 Kamiakin 22 19 22 21 — 84 HERMISTON — Pitney 5, Lin 1, Davis 1, Elliott 11, Ramos-Barron 3, Rangel 23, Moreno 4, Jai. Ramirez 2. KAMIAKIN — Westermeyer 9, Kennell 12, Gray Jr. 2, Downard 5, Jones 15, Bilo- deau 10, Arland 16, Rose 15. GIRLS BOX SCORE Hermiston 11 15 21 16 — 63 Kamiakin 8 11 10 10 — 39 HERMISTON — Heideman 9, K.Young 11, Ray 12, Feigum 6, Seavert 2, Kessell 2, Hernandez 3, Romero 8, B.Young 10. KAMIAKIN — Thomas 7, Benham 10, Hollenberg 11, Eder 4, Schumacher 1, Malloy 2, Lujan 4.
