The OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 1A basketball state tournaments continued Thursday at Baker High School in Baker City, with quarterfinal and consolation semifinal games for both girls and boys teams.
In the girls’ quarterfinals, No. 1 Imbler secured a decisive 58-36 victory over No. 8 Powers. Imbler established an early lead, winning the first quarter 21-7 by forcing turnovers and distributing scoring among several players. Head coach Darci Sweet commented, “Coming out strong and finishing well early always helps you play more relaxed. They came out firing and playing together.” The Panthers maintained their advantage throughout the game, limiting Powers to just four points in the final quarter. Sweet added, “We are very balanced and it continued to show today. This group plays for each other, they play team basketball and it is definitely an advantage. I believe it makes it very hard to defend us and prep for our style of game.” Three Imbler players—Olivia Haddock, Jeytt Cant, and Madillyn Burright—each scored 10 points.
Imbler advances to face No. 12 Crane in the semifinals on Friday evening as they pursue their first championship appearance since their title win in 2010.
Crane, last year’s champion, overcame No. 4 Jordan Valley with a 60-55 win. After losing to Jordan Valley earlier in the season by 30 points, Crane reversed fortunes at state. Coach Tomika Doman said about that previous loss: “It was early on in the season, we were still trying to figure what lineups and things worked for us… Playing them again at Baker, we were a different team than before for sure. We love playing in Baker, this is like our second home.” Ava Bowen led Crane with 13 points and nine rebounds despite facing close defense throughout the game. Doman praised Bowen’s performance: “Ava did great, was getting a little frustrated with having someone face guard her 1-on-1 most of the game… But she took em when she had em and did great doing all the other things.”
Crane will meet Imbler next as they continue their quest for a third consecutive state title.
No. 6 Echo delivered an upset against No. 3 Country Christian with a narrow 39-37 win after executing a defensive strategy planned specifically for this matchup. Echo head coach RJ Ramos said: “We worked on a defensive plan all week in order to shut down their work horses… They are a solid steam and we are super proud of the way the girls executed almost exactly how we worked all week.” Lilah Miller led Echo with 16 points while freshman Ella Murray made key plays late in the game to secure victory. Ramos highlighted Miller’s impact: “Lilah is always so tough. She’s very smart, has a head for the game and a drive not too many players possess… She’s got a bright future ahead for sure.”
Echo will play No. 2 North Clackamas Christian in its next semifinal match.
North Clackamas Christian advanced after holding off Union for a close 47-45 win—marking their first-ever trip to the semifinals after being eliminated at this stage last year by Imbler.
In boys’ consolation semifinals action, Crosspoint Christian beat Valor Christian/Tualatin Academy decisively (60-40), maintaining control from start to finish behind Caden Mortiz’s leadership.
South Wasco County defeated Prairie City/Burnt River (65-58) despite giving up much of its halftime lead during an aggressive third-quarter rally by Prairie City/Burnt River. Jason Hull scored eight of his total 36 points in the fourth quarter; his overall tally broke Oregon’s single-season boys’ scoring record previously held since 1952.
South Wasco County will face Crosspoint Christian on Saturday morning as both teams vie for placement honors.
