Rangers fall one game shy of reaching final eight

DUFUR — Dufur High’s comeback fell short Feb. 28, as Union High edged the Rangers, 50-47, on their home floor in the second round of the 2025-26 OSAA Class 1A girls basketball playoffs.

Union advanced to the March 5-7 1A state tournament in Baker, while the Big Sky League champion Rangers finished their season with a lofty 23-4 record.

Dufur was hurt by turnovers early in the game but settled in as the contest played out in front of a packed gym. The Rangers trailed 17-3 after one quarter and they were behind 37-20 late in the third period. The final three-point margin was the result of an 18-12 Dufur scoring advantage in the fourth quarter — and a 15-2 advantage over the final two minutes.

Union’s Millie Miller scored her team’s final field goal with 2:08 remaining, which proved to be the winning points. Trailing 48-32, Dufur’s Hailee Pechanec drained a 3-pointer from the right corner and teammate Makaila Miller added another trey after a Union free throw to pull the Rangers within 49-38. Miller would make another 3-pointer with 11 seconds left and Pechanec scored again to make the score final in the waning seconds.

Union was hurt by pool foul shooting in the fourth quarter, when the Bobcats were 2-for-10 from the free-throw line. Union finished 9 of 22 for the game, as they enjoyed 13 more opportunities than the home team. Part of that was because of Union’s aggressive play at the offensive end on dribble drives to the basket.

Union’s full-court press bothered Dufur early, resulting in Ranger Coach Aimee Bell calling two timeouts in the first quarter. Dufur finished with 24 turnovers (to 10 for Union), which essentially negated the Rangers’ better shooting game vs. the visitors — 42 percent to 36 percent — and the home team’s 34-26 rebound advantage.

Union’s Miller led all scorers with 19 points; teammate Taylor Browning added 15 points.

Dufur was led by Pechanec’s 17 points (8-for-13 shooting), 13 rebounds, and three assists. Dufur was efficient when it could break Union’s full-court press and get into its offensive sets. The Rangers assisted on 13 of its 18 field goals and was led in that category by Geelah Clark’s five and Lily Brown’s four. Cadence Young added nine points and 10 rebounds for Dufur.

Dufur’s Miller was the lone senior on the Rangers’ varsity roster. She helped lead Dufur to the Big Sky League’s regular season championship, the district title, and a first-round state playoff win over CS Lewis.