Boys Basketball
RIVERSIDE 66, UMATILLA 60 — The Pirates sewed up the Eastern Oregon League regular-season title with a road win over the Vikings.
Eighth-ranked Riverside (20-5 overall, 9-1 EOL) used a 21-4 run in the first quarter to take control of the game. Umatilla came back with a 25-14 run in the second, but still trailed 35-29.
Each team scored 31 points in the second half, preventing the Vikings from pulling the upset.
Cooper Cemore led the Pirates with 20 points, while Jesus Peña had 18 and Cougar Philippi 16.
Micheal Montez had 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals to lead the ninth-ranked Vikings (18-5, 6-3), while David Garcia had 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Carter Monahan chipped in nine points, while Mike McGee had eight rebounds, and RJ Estrada six rebounds and four steals.
Umatilla will finish EOL play Tuesday at McLoughlin.
Girls Basketball
UMATILLA 41, RIVERSIDE 33 — The Vikings locked up third place in the Eastern Oregon League standings with a home win over the Pirates.
“This may have been, outside of the COVID year, the best year for the girls since I have been here,” Umatilla coach Marisa Gonzalez said. “It’s all kind of solidified with the senior girls, they are a huge part of the success.”
Umatilla led 8-5 after the first quarter, then went on a 14-8 scoring spree in the second to pull away for a 22-13 lead at the half.
Riverside outscored Umatilla 20-19 in the second half, but it didn’t make a dent in the deficit.
The Vikings (13-9 overall, 5-4 EOL) had every player score, led by Shay McCallister with eight points. Alyiah Howard and Ruby Chavez each added six.
Rocio Garay led the Pirates (6-16, 1-9) with eight points, while Justein Tido, Kaylee Christy and Jazzlyn Reyna all had five.
Umatilla will finish their EOL schedule Tuesday at McLoughlin. From there, they will play a district game Wednesday at Burns.
“We will see who is ready mentally, and physically able,” Gonzalez said.
Girls Wrestling
La Grande crowned two champions, will send 11 wrestlers to state, and won the team title at the 4A/3A/2A/1A Special District 3 Tournament in La Grande.
The Tigers, who won the state team title last year, finished atop the team standings with 273.5 points, followed by Crook County (226.5) and Baker/Powder Valley (123). Riverside finished seventh (94), while Heppner was ninth (63), Elgin 12th (51.5), Pendleton 13th (44), Irrigon 16th (33), Imbler 19th (22), Echo 20th (21), Union 20th (21) and Umatilla 23rd (19.5).
The top four in each weight class advance to the state tournament Feb. 27-March 1 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
Lyndie Isaacson (120) and Paige Allen (145) each won district titles for the Tigers.
Isaacson beat Megan Wiseman of Riverside by technical fall (16-1) to earn a return trip to state. Isaacson won the 115-pound state title last year.
Allen, who was third at state last year at 135, beat Bailey Hasbell of Elgin 3-2 in the title match.
Placing second for the Tigers were Kierstyn Azure (105), Carleigh Radke (110), Maddie Armstrong (190), and Macy Iramk (235), who lost in the title match to Mallory Lusko of Grant Union, who is a three-time state champion.
Lusko is looking to become Grant Union’s first four-time champion boy or girl.
Avery Robinson (115), Sydnee Azure (125) and Emmaline Livingstone (130) all placed third for La Grande, while Rilley Robinson (135) and Kyndeyl Krantz (140) were fourth.
Pendleton, which fielded its first girls’ team in school history this winter, is sending Thiri Dahl to state.
Dahl finished third at 170 pounds, pinning Umatilla’s Shanie Thomas in 1:36 in the placing match. Thomas also is headed to state.
“It’s really exciting,” Pendleton coach Trevor Hancock said. “It was a good weekend for the girls. None of them had wrestled before. To get three on the podium at district was fun. They are just good kids. They make it enjoyable. Our staff has done a great job with them. Tyle Arbogast has taken over the girls for the most part, but we all pitch in.”
Dahl was up 10 points in her semifinal match with Ontario’s Carmela Rodriguez, but Rodriguez turned the tables and pinned Dahl in 4:36.
Also for Pendleton, Kamryn Kauffman was sixth at 155, while Gabrielle Kennedy was fifth at 190.
Heppner will send wrestlers to the girls state tournament for the first time in school history.
Junior Journey Cavan-Harris won the 140-pound title for the Mustangs, while senior Keeley Nairns was fourth a 235.
Cavan-Harris, the first-ever district champion for the Heppner girls, pinned her first two opponents, then pinned Jacie Lathrop of Elgin in 1:08 to earn the victory crown.
Cavan-Harris will be join at state by Keeley Nairns, who was fourth at 235.
“It was exciting,” Heppner coach Zac Brown said. “I was teary eyed for both of them. It was a really good showing. She’s our district champ, and damn well deserved it. She was one place out (from state) her freshman year, and one place out last year.”
The Mustangs took six girls to district, with four earning points as the team finished ninth.
Riverside will send a contingent of three to state, led by Mayte Pacheco, who was second at 100 pounds.
Pacheco won her first match by forfeit, then pinned her next two opponents to reach the title match against Lorien Bowns of Nyssa.
Bowns pinned Pacheco in 2:00 minutes to claim the title. Megan Wiseman also placed second for Riverside, finishing second at 120 pounds. She won her first three matches by fall, then fell to Isaacson of La Grande by technical fall 16-1.
Katelyn Wiseman rounds out the state competitors, placing third at 135. She lost in the semifinals, then worked her way back to the placing match, where she earned a 10-8 decision over Robinson of La Grande.
Also for Riverside, Rebecca Wiltberger was fifth at 170, and Juliah Williams was eighth at 145.
Irrigon will send one wrestler to state after Cinthia Madrigal finished third at 235. Roxy Solis finished sixth at 120 for the Knights.
Imber sent one wrestler to district, and Lucy Camacho also booked herself a trip to state with a second-place finish at 155 pounds Camacho, who pinned her first two opponents, was pinned by Powder Valley’s Marli Lind in the championship match in 3:34. Lind was third at state last year at 155.
Echo’s Averi Fisher is headed to state after placing fourth at 125. Fisher reached the semifinals, where she dropped an 11-9 decision to Paisley Cordiner of Crook County.
Fisher won the fourth-place match with a pin of Nyssa’s Angelina Santana in 3:17.
Union/Cove did not have a wrestler qualify for state, but Kari Stockhoff placed sixth at 115, and Hailey Wright was sixth at 170.
Joining Lathrop at state from Elgin is Bailey Hasbell, who was second at 145. Hasbell lost in the finals to Allen of La Grande by a 3- decision.