HRV boys happily take aim at league title

Living up to their reputation as the most improved boys basketball team this season (labeled such in a recent Oregonian article), the boys utilized their unorthodox style of high-pressure play and continuous substitutions to wear down the Riverhawks and finish with their fourth 10-plus point win of the season.

The victory puts the 9-8 Eagles in a tie for first place in the CRC with Hermiston (both at 2-1) – a situation few would have predicted earlier this season. Hermiston defeated HRV but lost to Pendleton, while HRV defeated Pendleton by ten points in their conference opener. The Dalles also defeated Pendleton, so those two teams are in a tie for third and fourth. A new state qualifying system this season foregoes rankings and places the top CRC team in the 16-team 5A bracket, while the second and third place teams qualify for a play-in game and the fourth place team is out.

“The feeling at this point last season was that we didn’t really have a chance at winning any games,” Noteboom said. “This season it’s the opposite. The boys are having fun, they’re motivated and the feeling is that we can beat everyone we have left on our schedule.”

Highlighting Tuesday’s effort for the Eagles was junior guard Skyler Hunter, who hit six three-pointers on his way to a season-high 20 points. Scottie Ziegner added 15 points and five boards and Dallas Buckley had 12 points and eight boards to round out the team’s top three scorers on the night. Despite the lopsided finish, the game was relatively close for all of the first half (tied 25-25 at halftime) and part way through the third quarter before HRV’s relentless pressure wore down on the Riverhawks.

“When I hit that first three on the corner I knew it was going to be a good game,” Hunter said. “I got the confidence early and knew I was going to keep shooting the ball. I’ve been trying to shoot more threes lately; I’ve been working on them a lot.”

HRV jumped out to an early lead in the first half but The Dalles employed a two-three zone defense to keep the Eagles from running away with the score. After halftime the ball bounced the way of the Eagles, and by the end of the third the home team had a ten-point lead that they held for the remainder. Ziegner heated up after the break, scoring 12 of his 15 in the second half.

“Playing against The Dalles on our home court get us pretty excited, and also a little nervous,” Ziegner said. “In the first half I’d say we played a little timid, but in the second half we really brought it to them. Where we’re at right now feels really good. Our confidence level is up and we’re looking forward to every day that we get to play basketball.”

Hunter echoed Ziegner’s comments on the team’s morale this season.

“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “Compared to last year, not winning a game, and then coming out and winning nine games this year; it’s hard to describe how much better this feels. We’re having fun, we’re playing basketball and we’re loving it.”

The Eagles hosted Pendleton Friday night (7 p.m., results not available as of press time) and have a rematch with Hermiston at home next Tuesday.

“We’re going to come right at them from the very beginning,” Hunter said of the Hermiston matchup. “No going out and starting slow; we need to get after them right away and really go for it. Them knowing that we’re going to be a fast pace offence means we have to have good ball movement. We need to swing the ball until we get the open shots, take the open shots and make them and then play hard defense on the other end.”

HRV top scorers:

Skyler Hunter: 20 pts., 3 reb., 1 asst.; Scottie Ziegner: 15 pts., 5 reb., 2 asst.; Dallas Buckley: 12 pts., 8 reb., Noah Noteboom: 7 pts., 3 asst., 3 steals; Kaydin Gibbs: 7 pts., 7 reb.