Grant Union boys third at Woodfin-Robinson Memorial

BURNS — The Grant Union boys wrestling team headed to Burns over Christmas break to participate in the Woodfin-Robinson Memorial Tournament, placing third out of 12 teams. The tournament was held on Friday, Dec. 30.

The Pros failed to crown a tournament champion but did have a pair of runners-up in Riddick Hutchison and Taylor Thomas.

Hutchison placed second at 182 pounds, winning his first two matches by fall before losing to Crane’s Jake Doman 9-0 in the final.

Thomas’ second-place finish came as a result of a pinfall loss to Ontario’s Nikolas Sigrah in the 195 pound tournament final. Frankie Beam, Mason Benge, Jack Strong, Zack Ostberg and Rylan Cox all rebounded from losses in the championship bracket to come away with third-place finishes.

Beam made it to the quarterfinals of the 120 pound bracket before losing to Thomas Winn of Burns. Beam then recorded two straight pinfall victories to place third, defeating Ontario’s Colson Johnson in the 120 pound consolation final.

Strong also made it to the quarterfinals before pinning his way through the consolation bracket en route to a third-place finish. Strong won his consolation championship match at 152 pounds in 1:28 over Tyler Clarkston of Madras.

In keeping with the trend, Ostberg was also bounced from the championship bracket in the quarterfinals only to pin his way through the consolation bracket and capture third-place honors. Ostberg won his 220 pound consolation championship match over Crane’s Aaron Berry in just 1:27.

Benge and Cox were the exceptions among grant Union’s third-place finishers. Both made it all the way to the semifinal match before being relegated to the consolation bracket.

Benge won his third-place match at 145 pounds against teammate Kingdon Mitchell-Kirby by fall. Cox won his third-place matchup at 285 pounds in 41 seconds over Isaiah Boise-LeClaire of Madras.

Fourth-place finishers for the Pros were Mitchell-Kirby and Parsons.

The Pros placed third as a team, racking up 150 team points in the tournament. Tournament hosts Burns placed first with 268 team points.

Second-place Madras finished with 197 team points. The Pros finished just ahead of fourth-place Nyssa, which had 147 team points. Ontario was the last of the tournament’s top five finishers, with 95 team points.

The Grant Union boys wrestling team will be in action again on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 6 and 7, in the Jo-Hi duals at Joseph High School. Start time is to be determined.

Dayville/Monument boys lose a pair over Christmas break, girls earn splitDAYVILLE — The Dayville/Monument boys basketball team dropped a game to Huntington over Christmas break and came up just short in their alumni game the very next day.

The game against Huntington on Thursday, Dec. 29, was a one-sided 69-34 road loss that left the Tigers with an overall record of 1-10 on the season. Friday, Dec. 30, saw the Tiger squad play their alumni game against past Dayville/Monument students.

Dayville/Monument alumni would pull off a close 62-60 win over the current Tiger team. The Dayville/Monument boys basketball team hits the road for their next game against Gilchrist on Friday, Jan. 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

The Dayville/Monument girls also traveled to Huntington on Thursday, Dec. 29, losing that game 46-17 to drop to 4-8 on the season. The girls won their alumni game the next day 35-32, earning a split over Christmas break and proving that the future of Dayville/Monument girls basketball is in good hands.

The girls will see their first action of 2023 on Saturday, Jan. 7, when they host Huntington for a rematch of their Dec. 29 showdown. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Monument High School.

Long Creek basketball held winless at Baker tourney

BAKER CITY — The Long Creek basketball team participated in the Baker Holiday Crossover Tournament held between Wednesday, Dec. 28, and Friday, Dec. 30. The Mountaineers went 0-3 in the tournament, leaving them 0-6 on the season.

The Mountaineers lost games to Baker, Grant Union and Adrian’s JV teams. Scores for those games were 58-10, 52-12 and 62-18.

The team will play their first game of 2023 on Saturday, Jan. 7, when they travel to Ontario to take on Four Rivers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time.

Prairie City/Burnt River boys 2-1 over Christmas break; girls suffer first lossPRAIRIE CITY — The Prairie City/Burnt River boys and girls basketball teams had an eventful Christmas break, losing one game each over that stretch. Both teams participated in the Baker Holiday Crossover as well as competing in their annual alumni game, which pits the current basketball team against Prairie City/Burnt River alums.

The boys alumni game was played on Friday, Dec. 22, and resulted in a close 52-49 win against a game group of Prairie City/Burnt River alumni. The Panther boys didn’t play a Wednesday game in the Baker Holiday Crossover tournament, starting their tournament journey on Thursday, Dec. 29, against Pine Eagle.

The Pine Eagle game was a dominant showing by the Panthers, who overwhelmed the Spartans on their way to a convincing 61-31 victory.

The second game didn’t go the way the Panthers had planned, however.

The Friday, Dec. 30, matchup with Union was a 60-49 loss for the Panthers. The loss drops the Panther boys basketball squad to 7-5 on the season. The next game for the boys is a road showdown with Jordan Valley on Friday, Jan. 6. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time.

The girls alumni game was also played on Friday, Dec. 22, and resulted in a 63-32 drubbing by the current generation of Lady Panther basketball players. The Lady Panther basketball team did play games on all three days of the Baker Holiday Crossover, going 2-1 at the event and seeing their 10-game winning streak snapped on the tournament’s final day.

The first game of the Baker Holiday Crossover for the Lady Panthers was an 11-point win over Wallowa on Wednesday, Dec. 28. The score for that contest was 45-34.

The second tournament game for the Lady Panthers was a 49-23 rout of Pine Eagle on Thursday, Dec. 29. The final game of the Holiday Crossover for the girls was a matchup with a one-loss Nixyaawii team on Friday, Dec. 30.

That game saw the Lady Panthers fall 58-32 to suffer their first loss of the season. The loss also snapped a 10-game winning streak that began with the start of the 2022-23 season.

The Lady Panthers currently sit at 11-1 on the season and will play Jordan Valley on Friday, Jan. 6, at 5 p.m. Mountain Time in Jordan Valley.

Grant Union boys snap losing streak; girls drop sixth straight

BAKER CITY — The Grant Union boys basketball team took a seven-game losing skid into the Baker Holiday Crossover Tournament and left having won two in a row. The Grant Union boys played games on Wednesday the 28th and Thursday the 29th in the Holiday Crossover, going 2-0 in those games.

The first game on Wednesday, Dec. 28, was a matchup with Riverside. The Prospectors emerged with a nine-point victory, besting the Pirates 54-43 to end a losing streak that began on Dec. 8.

The game on Thursday, Dec. 29, saw the Pros face off with the Jordan Valley Mustangs. The Pros bullied the Mustangs on their way to their second-largest margin of victory of the season, a 68-38 drubbing, to tie their longest winning streak of the season at two games in a row.

Up next for the Pros is a rematch with the Burns Hilanders on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at Grant Union High School. Burns defeated the Pros 70-48 at home to hand the team their fourth loss in a row on Dec. 13. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

The Grant Union girls basketball team didn’t participate in the Baker Holiday Crossover, instead traveling to Union on Wednesday, Dec. 21, for their only game during the holiday season.

The ladies would fall to Union 59-15 for their sixth straight loss. Like the boys, the girls squad will host Burns seeking redemption for a loss earlier in the season.

That game is also scheduled for Jan. 4 at Grant Union High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.