THE GORGE — Dufur’s girls basketball team came from behind in the closing minutes to edge Trout Lake Feb. 13 and finish the Big Sky regular season unbeaten.
The Rangers earned the Big Sky West’s first seed in this week’s district playoffs and tournament. As such, Dufur (20-3 overall, 10-0 Big Sky) has a first-round bye and will play its first game Feb. 19 at home.
The Big Sky girls basketball playoff picture looks like this: on Feb. 17, South Wasco (8-14, 7-3) plays at Sherman (9-15, 4-6) with the winner advancing to play at Dufur on Feb. 19; Wheeler County (7-14, 4-6) plays at Trout Lake (15-7, 7-3) with the winner advancing to play at Ione/Arlington (13-8, 7-3) on Feb. 19. The one-day district tournament will be Feb. 21 at The Dalles High School. The Feb. 19 losing teams play in the third-place game at 10 a.m.; the semifinal winners play at 6 p.m. for the championship.
Dufur scored the game’s final nine points to win its last game of the regular season, 45-40, at home Feb. 13 against Trout Lake. The Rangers trailed 40-36 after senior guard Emma Patterson made a 10-footer in the key for the Mustangs. Trout Lake didn’t score on its final five possessions.
Sherman earned the Big Sky East’s second seed by winning four of its final five games, after enduring a seven-game losing streak midseason. The Huskies’ first-round opponent, South Wasco County, was 1-10 to start the season before Coach Carly Johnson’s team started to find its rhythm. The Redsides defeated Sherman, 44-28, in their only meeting this season on Feb. 23.
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