Grant Union’s Raney Anderson looks for space between Burns defenders during her team’s matchup with the Lady Hilanders on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023.

JOHN DAY — The Lady Hilanders of Burns started their basketball game with the Grant Union Lady Prospectors on a 14-2 run and never looked back, defeating the Lady Pros 55-13 on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at Grant Union High School.

The Lady Pros called a timeout after the Hilanders’ opening run, hoping to kill the momentum of Burns and catch their breath. Burns responded by going on another run, this time 9-2, to end the first quarter with a 23-4 lead.

Grant Union would tighten up on defense in the second quarter, surrendering just nine points in the frame. Offense was still an issue for the Lady Pros, who only scored five points in the second quarter to find themselves trailing 32-9 at halftime.

Turnovers and miscues led to the Lady Pros being outscored 14-0 in the third quarter. Grant Union entered the fourth quarter needing to erase a 46-9 deficit.

The run the Lady Pros needed to climb out of the large hole they found themselves in never materialized. The Lady Pros were outscored 11-4 in the fourth quarter, finding themselves on the wrong side of a 55-13 scoreboard for their seventh straight loss of the season.

Grant Union girls basketball head coach Jason Miller said he sees improvement with his team and that getting them to see what they’re capable of remains a top priority. “We’re improving, but so is everybody else,” he said.

“The girls are coming along,” he added. “It’s just getting them to realize their potential and try new things out of their comfort zone a little bit. We’re getting there. The fundamentals are coming together, just bit by bit.”

Miller also said the team gave a better accounting of themselves in this game than in the previous meeting with Burns.

“(We were better) at times and in places. Fewer turnovers in the backcourt, but we still had some turnovers and bad passes,” he said.

“Good plays and good hustle for the most part. We’ll keep working.”

The Lady Pros will look to get back into the win column on Saturday, Jan. 7, when they welcome Heppner to Grant Union High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.