<I>Contributed photo/Thadd Cowan-Thompson</I><BR>Grant Union's Marzuri Waggoner swats the ball during the tip off last Friday. The Grant Girls fell 45-35 to Harrisburg.

HARRISBURG – The Grant Union girls basketball team saw a trip to Salem slip from their grasp last Friday.

The Grant Girls lost a hard fought game 45-35 to Harrisburg. The loss eliminated them from the state playoffs. A win would have taken Grant Union to the State Championship tournament at Willamette University in Salem.

“It’s really upsetting, especially for us seniors,” Marzuri Waggoner said. “We were looking to go to the state tournament. It was our first time at state. We were going into the game with confidence, and we felt prepared. When we lost it was devastating.”

Although Grant Union lost by 10 points, they led for the majority of the game. They were ahead by two after the first quarter and led 23-14 at halftime. The Eagles made a run during the third quarter, but they still tailed 31-28 following the quarter.

However, the fourth quarter belonged to Harrisburg. They outscored Grant Union 17-4 through strong defense and trips to the line.

“The difference was the ball wouldn’t go in the hoop for us,” Grant Union coach Ryan Carpenter said. “Our offense was working for us. Our defense was working for us. We just couldn’t get the shots to fall. Sabrina Hoffman shot six or seven times it just didn’t work.”

Hoffman led the team with 13 points, and Katelyn Page added 10.

Despite the loss, the Grant Girls made huge improvements over past seasons. This was their first trip to the playoffs in five years. Grant Union also improved from 3-7 to 5-5 in Eastern Oregon League play this year.

Waggoner said the community has helped the team a lot this season.

“We have definitely built a foundation for the program,” Waggoner said. “We’re much better than we have been. The town has been really supportive. There’s more respect for us now. It’s really nice to know they care about us and think we can go somewhere.”