By Mike Weber
For Columbia Gorge News
HOOD RIVER - The Hood River Valley High Eagles have enjoyed some success this year in OSAA Class 5A girls basketball, earning a chance to at a state playoff berth for the first time in 27 years.
To do so they’ll likely have to win their final four Northwest Oregon Conference games. The No. 21-ranked Eagles are in fifth place in the nine-team league standings, close behind the No. 22-ranked Putnam High Kingsmen (7-4 NWOC, 9-11 overall). The top four teams earn an automatic state playoff berth.
The Eagles (5-7 NWOC, 8-12 overall) will be focusing on snapping a two-game losing streak. The Eagles lost, 58-35, at home Feb. 9 to the No. 9-ranked La Salle Prep High Falcons (10-1 NWOC, 15-5 overall), followed by a, 52-49, road loss to the No. 13-ranked Canby High Cougars (9-3 NWOC, 14-7 overall). The Cougars scored the game-winning basket - a 3-point field goal - with one second remaining. Prior to the two losses, the Eagles won a Feb. 6 game, 45-36, at Hillsboro.
The Eagles, guided by first-year Coach Zach Pauls, were shorthanded in the losses to Canby and La Salle, missing sophomore Aulive Fey because of a sprained ankle.
Pauls said: “We have a good shot at going to the playoffs if we can just take care of business in our last four games. We need to beat Putnam and we had a close game with them earlier in the season (a 44-38 road loss Jan. 22), so I think we’ll have a good chance to get a win against them at home.”
The Eagles play their next game Feb. 20 at 5:45 p.m. at Centennial (1-10 NWOC, 4-15 overall). The key matchup versus Putnam is Feb. 24 at 7:15 p.m. at Hood River Valley High School. With eight days between their last game, Feb. 12, and the next game on Friday, the Eagles will have time to get everyone healthy and prepare to get some late season momentum.
“We are definitely improving,” said Pauls. “In our last game (Feb. 12), we only lost to Canby by three points and the last time we played them we lost by 16 points (a 41-25 road loss Jan. 12). We’re really hoping to reach the state playoffs this year.”
The Eagles are led by their defense, which has allowed an average of 40.8 points per game – ranked fifth out of 32 Class 5A squads. HRV has an experienced team with six seniors. They include Mia Garcia, Tess Balzer, Bella Howe, Emily Doss, Natalia Ventura, and Brooke Johnson.
In the past six games, Doss has been averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds. Howe (7.1 points per game) and junior Addi Van Metre (6.8) are also helping to lead the Eagles’ offense with their scoring ability. HRV junior forward Isa Rivera is averaging six points, nine rebounds and three steals a game.
“Emily isn’t our leading scorer every night, but she’s just been playing consistently well recently,” said Pauls. “We don’t have anybody with a really high scoring average, because we have a pretty balanced offense.”
The Eagles are continuing their gradual improvement in league play this year. Last season, the Eagles finished with a 7-7 record (13-11 overall), which was their best finish in three seasons in the NWOC.
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