Basketball preview: All six county teams see action Friday

Published 4:00 am Thursday, January 18, 2024

Friday’s another busy day for Wallowa County prep basketball teams, with all six scheduled to hit the hardwood.

Here are previews of each game:

Weston-McEwen boys at Enterprise

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19.

Records: Weston-McEwen 7-10 overall, 2-1 2A Blue Mountain Conference; Enterprise 10-6 overall, 0-3.

OSAA rankings: Weston-McEwen is ranked 26th. Enterprise is No. 20.

Weston-McEwen travels to Enterprise after a 53-point victory over Irrigon. When the TigerScots win, they win big, as evidenced by a 30-point victory over Heppner. Facing Stanfield, Weston-McEwen fell by only seven points to enter this game with a 2-1 conference record.

The Outlaws are finally back home after a three-game road trip, all ending with conference losses. Like the TigerScots, Enterprise fell to Stanfield and also saw losses to Heppner and Grant Union.

Enterprise has a chance to turn its conference season around with two home games this weekend and go into next week with a 2-3 conference record.

Weston-McEwen girls at Enterprise

When: 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19.

Records: Weston-McEwen 15-3 overall, 2-1 2A Blue Mountain Conference; Enterprise 10-6 overall, 3-0.

OSAA rankings: Weston-McEwan is ranked fourth. Enterprise is No. 13.

This game will determine which team will lead the Blue Mountain Conference.

The Lady TigerScots hold down a top-four ranking in the state poll but did drop a two-point conference game to Stanfield. Weston-McEwen rebounded with an easy win over Irrigon before making this trip to Enterprise.

The Lady Outlaws are the nice surprise of the conference, coming into this game with an undefeated conference record after an upset victory over Stanfield. Enterprise has been on the road for the past three conference showdowns and a win over Weston-McEwen should move the Outlaws into a top 10 standings in the state poll.

Powder Valley boys at Joseph

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19.

Records: Powder Valley 7-9 overall, 1-2 1A Old Oregon League; Joseph 5-10 overall, 1-2 1A Old Oregon.

OSAA rankings: Powder Valley is No. 40. Joseph is 55th.

Two teams with identical 1-2 league records meet in the Joseph gym.

There is a history between these two teams as the Badgers beat the Eagles on Dec. 2 in tournament play. Powder Valley makes the trip to Joseph looking to break a three-game skid, including two league losses. The Badgers’ last victory was on Jan. 4 with a home win over Pine Eagle.

The Eagles have not played a home game since Dec. 14; it’s been a month on the road for the team. Joseph was scheduled to finish the road stand on Thursday, Jan. 18 in Imbler but will now see three home games, all league contests.

Powder Valley girls at Joseph

When: 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19.

Records: Powder Valley 9-2 overall, 2-1 1A Old Oregon League; Joseph 7-8 overall, 3-0 1A Old Oregon League.

OSAA rankings: Powder Valley is 18th. Joseph is ranked 20th. 

Two top-20 state teams meet in league action.

The Lady Badgers make the trip to Joseph on the heels of a 50-point blowout win over Cove at home on Friday, Jan. 12. Powder Valley has not played since that date. Its lone league loss is to Imbler.

Joseph has rolled to a perfect Old Oregon record with all these victories coming on the road. Finally at home, this is the Lady Eagles’ chance to improve to 4-0 and move up in the state standings. To date, the Eagles have played the lower half of teams in the league standings, so this game could be the Eagles’ first true test in conference play.

Wallowa boys at Cove

When: 4 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19.

Records: Wallowa 8-9 overall, 2-1 1A Old Oregon League; Cove 12-5 overall, 2-1 1A Old Oregon League.

OSAA rankings: Wallowa is 44th. Cove is No. 16.

Cougar fans making the trip should note the early 4 p.m. tip-off for this game, which matches two teams with identical 2-1 league records.

After a league road win over Pine Eagle, Wallowa returns to the road for a league contest in Cove. The Cougars have Old Oregon wins over Joseph and Pine Eagle to go with a loss to Imbler early in the league year. Before the the loss to Imbler, the Cougars were riding a six-game win streak.

Cove has won its last two league games; in each victory, the Leopards held their opponent to 36 points.

Wallowa girls at Cove

When: 6 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19.

Records: Wallowa 10-6 overall, 1-2 1A Old Oregon League; Cove 4-13 overall, 0-3 1A Old Oregon League.

OSAA rankings: Wallowa is 25th. Cove is ranked 54th.

The Lady Cougars are on the road for the second of five road games, all of them league contests.

Wallowa comes into the game after a win over Pine Eagle on Jan. 13, the team’s first league victory. Wallowa’s two Old Oregon losses came with losses of four and seven points, a sign the Cougars could be 3-0 instead of 1-2.

Cove is back in its home gym for a second consecutive game and is looking to grab its first league victory. The Leopards have not won since Dec. 14, with offense being a problem: The team has scored 20 points or less in each of its previous three losses.