Riverhawks ready for a wild CRC ride

So head coach Dan Telles and assistant Craig Compton made a few changes to the offensive philosophy to more of a motion style, and it has helped propel the Riverhawks to two consecutive wins and a point total of 63 a game.

“We changed our offense a little bit to spread the floor a little more so we could attack and kick or attack and find angles to drop passes for lay-ins,” Compton said.

With its winning streak in tow, TD looks like a group that is ready to take another step forward with the start of Columbia River Conference play at 7 p.m. against No. 5 Hermiston this Friday at home.

That tough stretch could move any team in one direction or the other, but Compton said this still relatively young group remained steadfast in its belief that they had the ability and depth in place to succeed.

“Any doubters, we tried to nip that right away,” Compton said. “We told the girls that we can play with anybody in the state, as they have proven in several games this season. Everyone just has to do a little bit more. Everyone has to pick their game up just a little bit more and battle through, stay positive and believe in yourself and believe in your teammates.”

Knock the Dawgs off their perch

When looking at the CRC picture, perennial league champion Hermiston has dominated play for the past 11 years with just two league losses over that span.

TD has beaten Hermiston twice, on Jan. 16, 2013 and another time on Jan. 29, 2010 when Nadia Telles and freshman Anndria North helped lead the then Eagle Indians to a 47-34 win.

Last season, TD lost three games against Hermiston by an average of 14.3 points, but in their final meeting of the campaign, the Hawks lost 46-43 in Hermiston on Feb. 17, 2015.

That performance gives TD guard Kailin Hoylman a reason to believe.

“We play against some pretty good teams in league. Our biggest competition is Hermiston though,” Hoylman said. “I believe that when we play together, we can beat anybody. We almost beat them last year, we just had one bad quarter. If we can keep the intensity up for that entire game, then we should be fine.”

The Lady Bulldogs won 24 games last year and were the state runner-up and still have a loaded roster that did not lose any high-profile starters.

Jansen Edmiston, Maddie Juul and Sara Ramirez lead the way for the Lady Bulldogs (12-3 overall), who rank second in the state offensively at 56.1 points a game. Six times this season, Hermiston has eclipsed 60 points a game and are an undefeated 6-0 when that occurs.

If the defending league champions, coached by Steve Hoffert, have any weaknesses, it is defensively, where they allow 45.1 points a contest, good for 15th in the 33-team 5A classification.

Versatility is king

The Dalles (8-6), led by Iliana Telles, Brooke McCall and Hoylman, rank 14th in the state offensively at 47.1 points a game, while defensively, they are tied for ninth, allowing 41.6 points a clip.

When giving up 41 points or less, the Hawks are 6-3, but when scoring 56 points or higher, they are 5-0.

Compton holds strong to the belief that the Riverhawks are best when they are flying all over the floor, using several defensive sets to get steals and get the transition game moving.

“That’s what we are trying to do, get a little better defensively,” Compton said. “The thing that will help us is getting a better half-court trapping defense, which can really wreak havoc on the opposing teams. If we can play that kind of style down the road, it will help us out when we play against some top teams.”

And while the Riverhawks have McCall, Iliana Telles and Hoylman bringing a versatile game with outside and inside proficiency, the goal is to have other players pick up some of the offensive slack to create balance and make the defense play more honest.

“We definitely have the skill to score points,” Coach Telles said. “We changed up a few things during practices to open up the game more to allow ourselves to get in more of a groove. I think time will tell whether or not those changes make a difference for us.”

Lori Cimmiyotti, Jennifer Bonham, Ivorie Taylor, Sierra Watson, Jodi Thomasian, Emma Weir, Marissa Heemsah and Karen Jesch are names to keep an eye on for added production.

Cimmiyotti, Bonham and Jesch add post size in the paint, Taylor, Watson and Weir are speedy guards and both Heemsah and Thomasian add versatility from the wing slots.

“We are trying to get Ivorie some more minutes. She is doing a great job attacking. She is a handful with her quickness, so we like that,” Compton said. “Jodi is a young sophomore, but she is strong and has done well rebounding and getting some steals. Coming off the bench, we have Sierra this year and she is helping us out tremendously. Maybe Emma Weir can help out here and there when we get down the stretch.”

Bucks not to be overlooked

The Pendleton Buckaroos, under head coach Michelle Gomez, have won five of 14 games so far, but have gone 5-3 over the past month after starting 0-6.

Pendleton has just three players spanning 5-foot-9 inches or taller, but have plenty of speed and skill with the quartet of Haley Greb, Kalan McGlothan and Cece Hoffman and Lauren Richards as the top four.

The Bucks rank 16th overall offensively at 46.7 points a game, and are near the bottom of the pack defensively at 25th, giving up 50.1 points a tilt.

While Hermiston is definitely on TD’s radar, Pendleton is no cakewalk, so the Hawks will be prepared for a tough matchup.

Pendleton has played the 12th strongest schedule this year, and TD has played the 28th toughest schedule, but has dealt with the likes of Century, Sherwood, Putnam, Sheldon, Bend and Summit, going 1-5 in those matchups.

“When we start playing league games, it will help us because we are already used to playing at a higher level against some really good teams,” McCall said. “I think it has prepared us for league really. When we work as a team, we can accomplish a lot. When we distribute the ball evenly and we drive and we just come out with a lot of energy and do what we can do, I think we can go as far as we want to.”

HRV playing darkhorse role

Rounding out the four-team CRC is Hood River Valley (3-10), coached by Scott Walker.

The Eagles have leading scorer Marlie Bloomster, a 5-11 post presence, down on the blocks, and also can lean on standouts Emily Curtis, Kassidy Davidson and Lauren Orr for solid play in different areas of the hardwood.

HRV is tied for 32nd in the state at 34.2 points a game and ranked 18th defensively, giving up 46.3 points a contest.

Three of their 10 losses have come by four points or less, and they have eclipsed 50 points offensively just twice, going 1-1, with the win coming against Jefferson on Jan. 9.

Hoylman said her team is motivated to play a solid all-around game to move up the rankings and hopefully secure the top spot in league play.

“We just need to keep up the intensity and play together,” Hoylman said. “We need to come out hard. If we come out hard and play like we can, I definitely think we can compete for league.”