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FEATURES/SPORTS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2020 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A11 Hermiston’s Romero named All-EO Player of the Year By ANNIE FOWLER FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD First-year coaches usu- ally are left with a ros- ter devoid of talent and leadership. At Hermiston, girls bas- ketball coach Maloree Moss hit the motherlode with the Bulldogs, even if it didn’t look that way to outsiders. With just one senior and a handful of juniors and sophomores, the Bull- dogs were ready to take on the tough Mid-Columbia Conference. That one senior was Jaz- lyn Romero, one of the best players to ever put on a Hermiston uniform. Romero can play, and is willing to play, any position on the court, but her value is with the ball in her hands. She shoots the 3 with pre- cision, and dishes the ball with a little fl air like Magic Johnson, but it’s her leader- ship that sets her apart. Romero’s qualities made her the right choice for the East Oregonian Player of the Year. “Anytime you can have a player who knows their role, it’s helpful in a lot of ways,” Moss said of Romero. “She had already established leadership with the girls, and she bought into what I was doing and that made it easier. I knew I had to have her buy in. For a senior to do that speaks to her character.” Romero averaged 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.3 steals a game. She also earned sec- ond-team all-MCC honors. “I think all the girls on the fi rst team are Division I athletes,” said Romero, who also is a Division I ath- lete, but in track. “It’s nice to have that competition. You don’t get an opportu- nity to play against athletes like that very often.” Moss said Romero was deserving of the MCC rec- ognition, which is voted on by the conference. “To get any kind of rec- ognition in that conference is huge,” Moss said. “I’m glad they recognized her as a top player. That is a big conference (nine teams) and a very good one, too.” Romero is joined on the fi rst team by team- mate Jayden Ray, the MCC Defensive Player of the Year; Faith McCarty of ALL-EO GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM Player of the Year: Jazlyn Romero, sr., Hermiston. Coach of the Year: Maloree Moss, Hermiston. First Team Jazlyn Romero, sr., Hermiston; Jayden Ray, jr., Herm- iston; Faith McCarty, so., Echo; Sydney Wilson, jr., Heppner; Muriel Hoisington, so., Pendleton; Kendra Hart, sr., Stanfi eld. Second Team Jessica Medina, jr., Ione; Rachel McCarty, sr., Echo; Nyah Tejeda, sr., Stanfi eld; Sami Spriet, sr., Pendleton; Tylene Skillman, sr., Echo; JaLay Burns, so., Irrigon; Taylor Durfey, so., Umatilla. Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Hermiston’s Jazlyn Romero has been named the All-East Oregonian Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Echo, the Big Sky League Player of the Year; Syd- ney Wilson, a Blue Moun- tain Conference unanimous selection for the fi rst team; and Pendleton’s Muriel Hoisington and Stan- fi eld’s Kendra Hart, both fi rst-team players in their respective leagues. “I was super excited to see the defensive recog- nition she got,” Moss said of Ray. “She puts her head down and gets to work. That was really, really cool.” Moss, who led the Bull- dogs to a 14-9 record and a trip to the District 8 play- offs, was named Coach of the Year. CRYPTOQUIP Rising to the challenge Romero knew she would be looked upon to lead the Bulldogs, and that she would have to round out her game with a better defensive effort. “I stepped up pretty big as a leader,” Romero said. “The girls trusted me. I knew what was expected each night — scoring and playing defense. It’s defi - nitely rewarding to be a well-rounded player. Before, you just knew me as a scorer and passer.” Moss knew Romero had it in her to improve her game. “I don’t think peo- ple realize how much of a defensive threat she had become,” Moss said. “She was averaging three to four steals a game. She brought everything to the table.” During the season, Romero had a game-high 36 points in a 72-61 over- time win over Pasco. The school record is 38 points, held by Alissa Edwards. The Bulldogs advanced to the District 8 tourna- ment, where they beat Shadle Park before losing a semifi nal game to Mt. Spokane. Hermiston found itself in a loser-out game against SUPER CROSSWORD: MIXED BLESSING Maloree Moss, Hermiston Kendra Hart, Stanfi eld Muriel Hoisington, Pendleton Sydney Wilson, Heppner Faith McCarty, Echo Jayden Ray, Hermiston Kamiakin. The winner would advance for a chance to go to the regional tour- nament. The Braves rallied for a 60-50 victory. “Not many people get to have that win in their last game,” Romero said. Romero had 13 points and nine rebounds in her fi nal high school game. She fi nished her career with 974 points, just missing the 1,000-point mark. A tale of two loves Romero comes from a basketball family. Her brothers Adrian and Jose played at Irrigon during the heyday of the boys basket- ball program. Romero followed her brothers’ lead. It was obvi- ous she had talent, and at one point, thought basket- ball might be her ticket to college. Then track came along. Romero found she had a gift when it came to throw- ing the javelin. She won the Class 3A state title as a junior with a toss of 144 feet, 11 inches. Her personal best is 151- 9. Those numbers caught the eye of Oregon State University, which signed Romero in early December. “It’s always nice to have your own thing,” Romero said. “Not just being Adrian and Jose’s little sister. When I fi rst started doing track, they said it was a waste of time. I said I liked it.” It took a while for her brothers to come around to their sister passing up on basketball for track, but once they realized how good she was, they quickly changed their tune. “Before the season got postponed, my brother (Adrian) asked me to send him my schedule so he could come watch me,” Romero said. “It was going to be nice to have them there. They are very sup- portive of what I’m doing.” Deep down, Romero knows she will miss basketball. “It will be interesting how my life will be with- out basketball,” she said. “I might get a pick-up game here or there.” While the sun sets on her career, it will be a long while before fans forget what Romero brought to Hermiston basketball. SUDOKU DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK EASTERN OREGON EVENTS The place to fi nd everything happening in Eastern Oregon. Post your events. It’s fast and easy! e-Edition For Hermiston Herald information 541-567-6457 • info@hermistonherald.com 333 E. Main St. • HermistonHerald.com Exact digital replica of this print edition is available online, every Wednesday by 5:30 a.m. Check out Hermiston Herald.com for more information.
