Trout Lake girls edge out South Wasco for berth in 1A state playoffs

The Mustangs’ 44-38 come-from-behind win over South Wasco on Saturday in the Big Sky district third-place contest at Umatilla High School earned them the No. 3-seed to state.

No. 8-ranked Echo High defeated No. 12-ranked Ione/Arlington for the district championship.

South Wasco (9-1 league, 15-8 overall) was attempting to advance to state for a sixth straight year while the West Division No. 1-seeded Mustangs (6-1 league, 11-3) were seeking their first berth. It was the third time the two rivals met this season, with each team winning home games.

The No. 22 ranked Redsides, guided by fourth-year Coach Carly Johnson, had the early momentum as they led 26-19 at halftime. The Redsides were unable to maintain their offensive rhythm as they scored just five in the third quarter. The No. 10 ranked Mustangs overcame the deficit and knotted it 31-31 after three quarters and then outscored the Redsides 13-7 in the fourth to get the victory.

“It was a tough loss, and we were really looking forward to fighting to get to Baker,” said Johnson. “We put up a good fight and we were feeling confident we could win, but we just got into major foul trouble.”

Junior Sadie McCoy scored a season-high 16 points and Holly Miles, the Redsides’ only senior, added 10 while playing the final game of her South Wasco High career. Junior Kylie Iverson scored nine and sophomore Julie Hull had three points. Those four were the only players to score for the Redsides. McCoy and Miles both fouled out.

“It was hard when Sadie and Holly both fouled out,” said Johnson. “Holly will be such a tough one to lose, but I am excited for her future. She was the heart and soul of our team, our leader, and the hardest working athlete on a day-to-day basis. With never having to be asked, she just gave her all 100 percent of the time in practices and in games. I loved seeing her fly up and down the court. She was our leader in steals and our leading rebounder. Not only is she an outstanding athlete, but she’s also an outstanding student and the most remarkable person. She brings so much to the team. It’s been an honor to coach her.”

The Mustangs, guided by first-year Coach Dennis Anderson, are in their second year in Oregon’s Class 1A level and they qualified for the OSAA state playoffs for the first time ever.

“The girls are pretty happy,” said Anderson. “It was a pretty hard-fought game with South Wasco, which was leading at halftime and then we came back in the second half. It’s a good deal, the kids are really excited about it and we’re just excited to be where we are and we’re having a ball. We’re just glad to be in the state playoffs. We’re just super happy to be in an Oregon league with all these teams that are really competitive on any given night. We’re just happy to be in a league where we have a good shot at going to the playoffs. All the teams are fairly equal, but they’re all very competitive with each other, too.”

The Mustangs had seven players score in the contest, led by Willa McLaughlin who had 13 points. Wynsome Painter had eight, Violette Anderson scored seven, and Carme Brown had six.

Trout Lake will play the No. 24-ranked Powder Valley High Badgers (9-3 Old Oregon League, 14-11) in North Powder on Wednesday at a time to-be-determined. The winner will advance to a Feb. 26 second-round contest. Second-round winners qualify for the OSAA state tournament quarterfinals March 3-5 in Baker City.  

Trout Lake lost its first district playoff game, 54-53, to eventual champion Echo.

Trout Lake had the momentum of a five-game win streak in addition to home-court advantage against Echo. The Mustangs had a rough start, trailing 23-8 after the first quarter. The Mustangs came back in the second, led by Anderson (19 points) and Zandra Bakken (15 points), and outscored the Cougars, 25-8, to take a 33-31 halftime lead. The Mustangs led 44-40 after three quarters but couldn’t hold off the Cougars late.

“It was close, and it was a good game, and it was probably the best game that we’ve played this season,” said Anderson. “We’re playing well, but Echo is tough, and they have really good shooting from outside. They jumped on us hard in the first quarter and we got right back in it in the second quarter. Then we sort of had a stretch where we couldn’t score in the fourth. It went right down to the final 30 seconds, and we had a shot to try to win, but we missed it. I think Echo is the best team that we’ve played this year.”

South Wasco advanced to the third-place game by splitting its first two district contests. The Redsides came from behind in the first round of the playoffs Feb. 15, when they beat Condon, 49-44. The Redsides advanced to the semifinals after trailing 15-8 after one quarter. South Wasco then outscored Condon 18-6 in the second to take a 26-21 halftime lead. Condon responded and came back to trim the Redsides’ lead to just one point at 34-33 at the end of the third.

The Redsides then overcame a Blue Devil four-point lead with only 30 seconds left in the game. Hull (nine points) drove to the hoop, scored, was fouled and she sank a free throw for a three-point play, trimming Condon’s lead 44-43.

McCoy then made two solid defensive plays with steals on back-to-back Condon possessions. McCoy’s steal and layup put the Redsides up, 45-44. McCoy got another steal on an inbounds play, was fouled, and sank two from the line for 47-44 lead. The Redsides then forced a Blue Devil turnover and McCoy was fouled again and she sank two more for the final 49-44 margin. Iverson led the Redsides in scoring with 19 points.

There would be no such comebacks in the semifinals, as Ione/Arlington took advantage of 42 South Wasco turnovers and edged the Redsides, 42-41.