Grant Union coach RC Huerta talks to his players during a timeout in a game against Adrian on Dec. 17, 2022.

PENDLETON — The Grant Union boys basketball team finished the 2022-23 basketball season on a high note, defeating Weston-McEwen in their final game of the year to place third in the Blue Mountain Conference District Tournament held at the Pendleton Convention Center on Friday, Feb. 17, and Saturday, Feb. 18.

The Prospectors matched up with Heppner on Friday, losing their tournament opener 78-47. Grant Union head coach RC Huerta said the combination of Heppner coming to play and the Pros’ inability to score consistently doomed his squad in their opener.

Saturday, Feb. 18, saw the Pros face off with Weston-McEwen with third place in the Blue Mountain Conference on the line. The Pros would lead 32-22 at halftime, but the Tigerscots would rally, outscoring Grant Union 22-13 in the third quarter to leave the Pros nursing a slim 45-44 lead headed into the fourth quarter.

The Prospectors would do just enough to hold off the Tigerscots in the fourth, outscoring Weston 15-14 in the period for a slim 60-58 victory and third-place honors in the Blue Mountain Conference.

Leading the Pros on offense against Weston was Lukas Blood, who had a spectacular 26-point performance on 7-12 shooting from behind the three-point arc. Sheldon Lenz chipped in 12 points on 6-8 shooting, and Ryland Beil added seven points for the Pros.

Huerta called the game against Weston-McEwen a back-and-forth battle. “Our point differential on the year for all three games (against Weston) has been zero,” he said. “We’ve had back-and-forth games. It was really a battle to the finish, and we came out on top.”

The win wraps up the Grant Union boys basketball season for 2022-23. The team finished with an 11-4 overall record and a 6-4 mark in the Blue Mountain Conference.