——--
T’was the day after Christmas, and all through the land, not a gym housed a game, not a player at hand.
AJ Mazzolini |
|
With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore (go ahead, Google him) and Christmas traditionalists everywhere, here goes nothing:
——-- T’was the day after Christmas, and all through the land, not a gym housed a game, not a player at hand.
4 Comments
By AJ MAZZOLINI
East Oregonian PENDLETON — The Oregon Trail Classic is a tournament for hopefuls. First initiated in the late 1990s, the basketball tournament gave a few select Class 2A teams that hoped to be in the title fight a the end of the season a chance to see each other. Schools would travel from the far off reaches of the state to Pendleton for a non-conference tournament just before the New Year. By AJ MAZZOLINI
East Oregonian PENDLETON — A new league for Grant Union meant new league opponents when the Prospectors dropped from Class 3A to 2A this school year. It’s been a basketball season of adjustments for the Grant Union girls as they attempt to figure out new foes. But the same is true for the rest of the Blue Mountain Conference when they face the new team. “We didn’t really know anything about them in the beginning. We’d never watched them, never played them,” Pilot Rock post Britteny Taylor said. By AJ MAZZOLINI
East Oregonian If you’re reading this, then life as we know it hasn’t changed and the world is still turning. If you’re using crinkled newspaper as blankets while huddled in the ruins of civilization, then the Mayans were right and you can probably ignore the rest of this. Also, good luck with all that doomsday stuff. Keep warm, little buckaroo. By AJ MAZZOLINI
East Oregonian HERMISTON — Following Wednesday’s basketball practice — the last before the Hermiston Bulldogs travel to Battle Ground, Wash., today for their final road trip prior to the winter break — coach Adam Strom gathered his boys. His high-school audience was hopeful and positive, much the same as when Hermiston broke its offseason slumber before the season-opener against Clackamas on Nov. 28. But where that optimism stood tall on the shoulders of a season’s new beginnings, Wednesday’s was a little different. They’re hoping for another first win: their first as a new group. Donte Robinson puts up a shot. (Photo/EJ Harris) By AJ MAZZOLINI
East Oregonian PENDLETON — Before each Pendleton basketball practice wraps up, the boys shoot free throws. Dozens and dozens of free throws. Each miss buys that player a lap, down and back, back to the basket to shoot again. “We run a lot,” Pendleton’s Zane Schnetzky said. “You have to shoot all those free throws before you can even get a drink.” Perhaps trained to be wary of punishment, like a Pavlov’s dog in reverse, those trips must have been subconsciously perking up in the back of the Buckaroos players’ heads Tuesday night against Southridge (WA). The Bucks shot 19-25 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and overtime to hold off a charging Suns squad 84-40. Perhaps trained to be wary of punishment, like a Pavlov’s dog in reverse, those trips must have been subconsciously perking up in the back of the Buckaroos players’ heads Tuesday night against Southridge (WA). The Bucks shot 19-25 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and overtime to hold off a charging Suns squad 84-40. By AJ MAZZOLINI
East Oregonian PENDLETON — After the Pendleton Bucks took a one-point lead on a Lainey Corbett basket at the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Pendleton offense fell silent. For the remaining 120 seconds, the girls’ basketball team scored no points — but was not without good opportunity. The Bucks missed a pair of under-the-basket open shots and two more free throws in the final 30 seconds of a 40-36 loss to the Southridge Suns (WA) on Tuesday. All four misses came while trailing by only two points. By AJ MAZZOLINI
East Oregonian ATHENA — A night after knocking off previously unbeaten Pilot Rock to open Blue Mountain Conference games, the Enterprise Outlaws went for an encore performance against Weston-McEwen on Saturday. The TigerScots fell to Enterprise 50-35 for their first loss of the season. By AJ MAZZOLINI
East Oregonian ATHENA — Weston-McEwen could never really gain any separation from the Enterprise Outlaws on Saturday. Each TigerScots basket was met with an echo on the Outlaws’ end. Close game? No matter, said TigerScots point guard Jacob Ramirez. C/W's Ellie Logan grabs a rebound. (Photo/EJ Harris) By AJ MAZZOLINI
East Oregonian ECHO — Despite painting with a palette that was missing one of its boldest colors in post Matney Jamieson, the Condon/Wheeler Knights still created a fine finished product Friday in their Big Sky Conference opener in Echo. The game was no masterpiece, but impressive enough. The Knights pushed past the Cougars 66-53 in their closest game of the year. The Condon/Wheeler (7-0, 1-0 BSC) attack was peppered with swatches of Ellie Logan. The junior did her best to fill the big 6-footer’s gap left in the middle and was as dangerous from mid-range as right under the hoop. Logan scored a game-high 24 points and nabbed 15 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end. |