Eagle Point ends HRV boys' season

Eagle Point was scheduled to play a first-round game March 9 against Eugene’s Churchill, which won its tournament play-in game Friday, 59-24, over visiting The Dalles.

“It felt like we were playing a team who was really used to playing at the top level of the state,” HRV Coach Christopher Dirks said. Eagle Point was the No. 4 team from the Midwestern League, which advanced five teams to the state playoffs. Four of the five teams won playoff games Friday to advance to the eight-team state tourney. “Playing that level of competition on a regular basis is an advantage.”

Yet, Hood River was within 12 points, 45-33, less than a minute into the fourth quarter when Tommy Ziegler hit a 3-pointer, but HRV would get no closer the rest of the game. The lead ballooned to 18 points three times in the final quarter.

Senior Emanuel Romero led HRV with a game-high 24 points, including three 3-pointers and 11-for-11 free-throw shooting. He hit two from the charity stripe with 1:59 on the clock to pull Hood River within 67-52. But seconds later, following an Eagle Point turnover, Romero fouled out when he attempted to rebound his own miss.

Dirks called two timeouts in the final quarter, including one where he told his players that if they were “going to go out, let’s go out our way.” HRV hit a couple of 3s (8-for-34 for the game), slapped on its press and forced successive turnovers midway through the fourth period. But Eagle Point settled down and rebuilt an 18-point lead, 66-48, with 2:24 remaining.

Romero, HRV’s all-league guard, led the second-half surge by scoring 19 points — including all of his 3-pointers. Romero’s first points of the game came on a dribble drive and subsequent three-point play which gave Hood River a 9-7 lead midway through the first quarter. Eagle Point’s Peyton Pierce tied the game with a little more than two minutes left in the period, and Mickey Redondo’s three-point play a short time later gave Eagle Point the lead for good, 12-9.

Eagle Point was led by 6-foot-4 senior wing Brennen Neyt, who scored 24 points; teammates Redondo and reserve guard Adan Quintero added 13 apiece. Quintero was 7-for-9 from the foul line. Neyt scored 11 points in the second quarter, where the host team held a 24-8 advantage. Hood River hurt itself in the period with costly turnovers (11 in the first half) against Eagle Point’s aggressive defense. Alex Smith, Neyt and Redondo each hit 3-pointers in the second quarter for Eagle Point.

HRV seniors Romero, Buckley, Cook, Geoffrey Shoaf, Micah Poole, Ziegler, Aden Ziemer and Hunter Hough played in their final high school basketball game at Eagle Point.  

“There were a lot of tears in the locker room after the game,” Dirks said, referring specifically to his senior players. “They were the first class that has gone through Hood River that has not been part of a losing season in boys basketball.

“(Our younger players) on the seven-hour bus ride back home, they’re all talking about what they want to do next year. This year’s seniors inspired them.”