High school boys basketball: Imbler bounces Eagles in Joseph

Published 10:08 am Friday, January 20, 2023

JOSEPH — Imbler started a tough stretch of four 1A Old Oregon League games on the road with a 52-39 win over Joseph on Thursday, Jan. 19.

“This is a really good win for us,” said Panther head coach Tony Haddock. “Joseph is a tough and talented team so I was pleased with the kids’ effort.”

Imbler had a convincing 25-14 halftime lead before seeing the Eagles climb back, scoring 17 points compared to Imbler’s seven points in the third quarter.

“We shared and shot the ball extremely well in the first half and had solid defense,” Haddock said. “The second half saw a rough third quarter but we made free throws when we needed to close it out.”

The Panthers were 7-for-10 from the line in the final eight minutes of the game.

Junior Wyatt Burns led the Panther win with 18 points. Fellow junior Jake Bingaman added 16 points and Justin Frost ended the game with 15 points.

In the loss, the Eagles’ James Burney contributed with 12 points.

Imbler (9-6 overall, 3-1 1A Old Oregon League) was scheduled to be back on the bus on Jan. 20 with a trip to Halfway to take on Pine Eagle (8-7 overall, 2-1 1A Old Oregon League).

Joseph (11-4 overall, 2-2 1A Old Oregon League) was scheduled to attempt to break a two-game loss streak with a trip to Powder Valley (7-8 overall, 1-2 1A Old Oregon League) on Jan. 20.