High school girls basketball roundup: Wallowa advances to Old Oregon League Tournament

Published 12:53 pm Wednesday, February 15, 2023

WALLOWA — The stakes for the Wallowa girls basketball team were pretty simple on Tuesday, Feb. 14, playing in front of the hometown Cougar fans. A win meant Wallowa packed gym bags for a trip to Baker High School, while a loss meant the season ends.

Hosting Pilot Rock/Ukiah, the Cougars took a 43-31 victory and are now making plans for the 1A Old Oregon League playoffs.

Wallowa led only 14-12 at the half but found the offense in the second half, outscoring the Rockets in both the third and fourth quarters. Junior Zoe Hermens led all scorers in the game with 21 points.

Wallowa (11-10 overall) starts its march toward a league title on Feb. 16 at Baker High School with a 6 p.m. game against Echo (14-8 overall).

UNION 33, JOSEPH 21

UNION — While one Old Oregon League squad is making plans to meet up with Imbler, a second team starts planning for next year.

Meeting in the Union gym on Tuesday, Feb. 14, the Union girls basketball team downed Joseph, 33-21, advancing the Bobcats to the 1A Old Oregon League playoffs in Baker City.

Union (17-9 overall) begins its quest for a league championship with the opening game of the 1A Old Oregon League tournament on Feb. 16 in the Baker High School gym. With the game starting at 1 p.m., the Bobcats will take the floor against Imbler (17-4 overall). Imbler comes into the game ranked third in the league while Union is ranked fifth.

Joseph finishes its season with a 16-6 overall record and a 3-7 1A Old Oregon League record. The Eagles will take the floor next season minus seniors Molly Curry and Katie Hoffman. Five returning freshman now with varsity experience should bolster the Eagles schedule.