Prep basketball: All six county teams play Saturday

Published 9:09 am Saturday, January 13, 2024

It’s a busy Saturday for Wallowa County basketball teams, with all six county squads in action.

Here are previews of Saturday’s games:

Joseph girls at Cove

When: Saturday, 4 p.m.

Records: Joseph 6-8 overall, 2-0 1A Old Oregon League; Cove 4-12 overall, 0-2 1A Old Oregon League.

OSAA rankings: Joseph is No. 22. Cove is No. 55.

After a victory in Pine Eagle Friday, the Eagle girls are again on the road on Saturday, Jan. 13, protecting a perfect Old Oregon League record versus Cove. The game marks the seventh straight game away from the Joseph gym for the Eagles with one still remaining after the trip to Cove.

Four teams, including Joseph, still have perfect league records early in the league season.

The struggles for Cove continue as Friday saw a 50-point league loss in North Powder. Back home, the Leopards look for that first league victory.

Joseph boys at Cove

When: Saturday, 5:30 p.m.

Records: Joseph 5-9 overall, 1-1 1A Old Oregon League; Cove 11-5 overall, 1-1 1A Old Oregon League.

OSAA rankings: Joseph is 54th. Cove is 17th.

Joseph hopes to continue a two-game win streak after dropping its league opener to Wallowa. The streak includes a league victory over Pine Eagle Friday evening. The win streak is a nice turnaround after the Eagles had previously dropped five games in a row.

Cove returns home after a road trip on Friday resulted in the Leopards’ first league win, 51-36 over Powder Valley. The victory placed Cove at 1-1 after the Leopards opened league play with a loss to Imbler.

Wallowa girls at Pine Eagle

When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

Records: Wallowa 9-6 overall, 0-2 1A Old Oregon League; Pine Eagle 5-9 overall, 0-2 1A Old Oregon League.

OSAA rankings: Wallowa is 25th. Pine Eagle is 44th.

One of these two teams will finally notch a win in the league standings.

Despite remaining winless in league play, Wallowa remains in the top 25 in the state 1A rankings based on teams played in the earlier nonleague season. The Lady Cougars have struggled offensively in their last two losses, scoring only 36 and 30 points. Wallowa is looking to return to their start of the season, when the Cougars put together five successive wins.

Like Wallowa, the Lady Spartans are winless in league play and have also struggled of late scoring. Pine Eagle has not scored over 40 points since Dec. 28 and has dropped four of its last five games.

Wallowa boys at Pine Eagle

When: Saturday, 4 p.m.

Records: Wallowa 7-9 overall, 1-1 1A Old Oregon League; Pine Eagle 1-14 overall, 0-2 1A Old Oregon League.

OSAA rankings: Wallowa is 45th. Pine Eagle is 81st.

After seeing six straight wins, Wallowa ran into Imbler on Friday, picking up their first Old Oregon loss in the Cougar gym. Back on the road on Saturday, Wallowa meets struggling Pine Eagle.

The Spartans have dropped their last five games including both league contests. Again home after a Friday loss to Joseph by 13 points, Pine Eagle looks for the upset versus Wallowa.

Enterprise girls at Stanfield

When: Saturday, 1 p.m. 

Records: Enterprise 9-6 overall, 2-0 2A Blue Mountain Conference; Stanfield 9-2 overall, 2-0 2A Blue Mountain Conference.

OSAA rankings: Enterprise is ranked 14th. Stanfield is ranked sixth.

Although still early in conference play, this is a matchup of its top two teams. The third team in the standings, Weston-McEwen, had its game called off on Saturday due to weather.

After going on the road on Friday and picking up a conference victory over Heppner, Enterprise is back on the bus, destination Stanfield, to meet the unbeaten Tigers. In both conference wins, scoring above 50 points has been the key to the win.

Stanfield hosts the Lady Outlaws riding a four-game win streak, including two conference victories. The Tigers should be well-rested after not playing a game in one week.

Enterprise boys at Stanfield

When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. 

Records: Enterprise 10-5 overall, 0-2 2A Blue Mountain Conference; Stanfield 6-5 overall, 2-0 2A Blue Mountain Conference.

OSAA rankings: Enterprise is 19th. Stanfield is 17th.

Enterprise remains without a conference victory but remains a top 20 team in the state rankings. The Outlaws can ill afford to start conference play 0-3 after seeing losses to Grant Union and Heppner.

Fans were still planning final week Christmas shopping the last time Stanfield saw a loss. The Tigers are on a five-game win streak and have exploded in conference play, scoring 92 and 63 points in Stanfield’s two conference wins.