THE DALLES — The Dufur High girls basketball team won the Big Sky district tournament Feb. 21 at The Dalles High School, edging Trout Lake, 33-32, for the crown.
Dufur led by as many as nine points in the second quarter and was ahead 24-19 early in the third period before Trout Lake’s pressure started to result in Ranger turnovers. Eden Anderson scored nine of her 13 points in the third quarter as the Mustangs took a 27-26 lead into the final period.
Emma Patterson’s 3-pointer from the left wing gave Trout Lake a 30-28 lead before Haley Pechanec scored four straight points for Dufur. The Rangers had opportunities to build on their lead but missed four free throws, giving Trout Lake extra chances.
Dufur’s lone senior, Makaila Miller, made one of two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to push the Ranger margin to 33-30. Trout Lake’s Cora Sharp made a shot from the corner with 3 seconds remaining to make the score final. After a Mustang timeout, Dufur inbounded at the Trout Lake end, throwing the ball long to Miller who dribbled out the clock.
Pechanec led Dufur in scoring with 12 points. Of note was the Ranger pressure defense on Patterson, Trout Lake’s leading scorer. The Rangers kept her in check with eight points, mainly because the defense by Lily Brown and Emerson Harvey.
Dufur advanced to the championship game with a 54-40 win over visiting South Wasco in the semifinals on Feb. 19. It was the Rangers’ first playoff win since the 2019-20 season, when they also won the Big Sky championship - over Echo at Madras High School.
South Wasco bounced back in the third-place game, beating Ione/Arlington, 41-36, on Feb. 21. Jayden Chiccino scored 16 points and Bailey Udey added 12 for the Redsides, who built a 16-point lead in the third period which gave them enough cushion in the fourth when they were outscored 12-6. Chiccino made three 3-pointers, as did Udey, including a logo shot which beat the first-half buzzer — and was released half a shoe inside the midcourt line.
The Redsides advanced earlier last week with a 47-27 win at Sherman in the first round.
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