HRV girls outlast Indians to claim first win

It was the first win in eight tries for the Eagles, who begin

Intermountain Conference play this weekend at home versus Redmond and Bend.

But, even more important than getting that elusive first win was the shift in attitude that followed.

“This win boosted all of us,” said Flory, who led the team in scoring with 16 points. “It gave us all a huge lift because now we know we can win.”

Teammate Alyssa Ortega agreed.

“It really got our confidence up, and helped us believe in ourselves more,” the junior forward said. “It showed us that we can win and that we will win.”

The players know that they have a lot of work to do if they are to compete in the IMC, which boasts one of the top teams in the state, Hermiston, and two others — Redmond and Pendleton — that aren’t far behind.

“Our defense can definitely get better,” Flory said. “We continue to make too many mistakes on both sides of the ball.

“But one thing that was good about The Dalles game is that we all decided that we were going to win the game no matter what. We finally played to win instead of playing not to lose,” she said.

That approach was something that was lacking in earlier setbacks to St. Helens (Dec. 13) and Milwaukie (Dec. 26) — two teams that were less talented, but found a way to break down the HRV defense late in the game.

“This win came down to us controlling the ball and spreading things out on offense, and then applying a lot of pressure in the paint on defense,” coach Tracy Norton said.

“It was definitely a good — and needed — win for us.”

Norton pointed to her team’s aggressive defensive pressure late in the game as the biggest key to the win.

Neither team scored in the final minute-and-a-half, but despite the late scoring drought, the Eagles were able to hold on by forcing numerous turnovers at half court.

“We did a nice job of rotating on the weak side and doubling down when necessary,” Norton said. “The guards also did a good job of putting pressure on the other team’s passers. It was a pretty good effort, although we definitely saw some things we need to work on heading into the weekend.”

HRV faced Redmond on Friday (results not available at press time), and will take on Bend today at 2:45 p.m. Redmond is one of the preseason playoff picks in the IMC, while Bend appears to be somewhere in the middle. For more on the IMC, see the conference preview story on this page.

“I don’t think the IMC teams will be much different than the other teams we’ve played,” Ortega said. “If we come with the attitude that it’s the same, we’ll have a lot better chance of winning some games.”

HRV 34, The Dalles 33

HRV — B. Flory 16, Draper 8, Hidle 4, Hedges 2, Flem 2, K. Flory 2