By Raenelle Kwock

Observer Staff Writer

Cory Steele hit the game-winner for the La Grande JV basketball team in the closing seconds over Elgin for a 67-65 win Saturday.

La Grande JV coach Mike Somnis said the team was going to run a play he hadn’t used when he called timeout with 32 seconds left.

He said the final play ended up different as the team worked the ball around and threw up a couple shots before Steele’s game-winner.

"I was very happy with the kids tonight," Somnis said.

The team came out and played great defense and did a good job, he said.

"It was a great way to pick up the first game of the year," he said.

Elgin coach Kyle Evans said his team did not give up.

"I think we did all right," he said. "We played hard."

Evans said the team had trouble matching up with the 6-foot-5 Ben Petitt, who scored 23 points to lead the La Grande JV, and the game could have gone either way at the end.

"I felt they (Elgin) were doing a good job," he said. "They didn’t quit."

The La Grande JV had a 62-51 lead after Kevin Bomberger’s lay-in with 5:09 left in the fourth.

Elgin called timeout and rallied on a 9-0 run over the next 2:06. Brandon Evans started the charge with a baseline jumper. Charlie Schumacher went inside for a bucket to cut the deficit to 62-55.

After a timeout was called at 4:08, Schumacher stepped to the line and sank two free throws. J.T. Keating capped off the scoring run by deflecting a pass, stealing the ball and sinking a three-pointer at the 3:03 mark to make the score 62-60.

Petitt extended the lead for the La Grande JV by putting in his final basket of the game for a 64-60 lead with 2:40 left.

After Derek Moore went 1-for-2 at the free throw line for the La Grande JV with 1:34 left, Elgin responded with a three-pointer at the 1:25 mark. Josh Hamill tied the game at 65 with his two-pointer with 1:02 remaining. The La Grande JV missed an opportunity with 48 seconds. An Elgin shot rattled in and out at 34 seconds before timeout was called with 32 seconds.

Jeremy Hamill led Elgin with 20 points.

Elgin travels to the Umatilla tournament Friday.

Elgin 17 15 14 19 65

La Grande JV boys 19 17 17 12 67

Elgin Jeremy Hamill 5 9-10 20, Charlie Schumacher 4 6-7 15, Josh Hamill 4 4-5 12, Nick Southard 1 0-0 2, Skyler Payne 2 2-3 6, Brandon Evans 2 0-0 4, J.T. Keating 2 0-0 6. Totals: 17 21-25 65.

La Grande JV Rick Anderson 2 2-2 6, Kevin Bomberger 3 0-0 8, Cory Steele 3 0-0 7, Chris Lowry 4 2-2 10, Ben Pettit 10 3-4 23, Cheyenne Yancy 0 2-2 2, Devin Frasier, Derek Moore 1 1-2 3, Greg Durland 0 2-2 2, Eric Miller 2 0-0 6, Allan Mackley 0 2-2 2. Totals: 25 14-16 67.

Three-pointers Elgin 4 (Jeremy Hamill, Schumacher, Keating 2); La Grande JV 5, (Bomberger 2, Steele, Miller 2). Fouled out None. Total fouls Elgin 16, La Grande JV 19. Technical fouls None.

Stall, lack of fouls hurts Enterprise

The Enterprise boys were done-in Saturday by a lack of free throw shooting and a slow-down offense by Umatilla in a 50-43 loss at the Ione tournament.

Enterprise scored only two points in the fourth quarter, mainly because Umatilla went into a stall.

"They went into a delay and we let ’em," said Enterprise coach Duff Pace.

Enterprise got only two foul shots for the entire game. Umatilla shot 17, making 10.

"We were unable to get the chance to shoot free throws and they did," said Pace.

Pace said he was not unhappy with the effort of his team. "I was extremely proud of my boys," he said.

Kevin Gomes and Grady Rawls led Enterprise with 13 points each. Gomes also hit four treys.

Enterprise next plays Wasco County Friday in a home tournament.

Umatilla 14 15 11 10 50

Enteprise boys 11 13 17 2 43

Umatilla Tony Villaneuva 5 1-2 11, Chris Wyland 3 4-5 16, Brian Littrell 6 4-4 16, Giz Aguilera 1 0-0 3, Brandon Fig 0 0-4 0, Vince Strong 1 0-0 3, Justin Bissonette 0 1-2 1, Jesse Womelsdorff, Andre Pfarr. Totals: 18 10-17 50.

Enterprise Tony Swart 1-6 0-0 2, Andy Marcum 0-0 0-1 0, Kevin Gomes 4-9 1-2 13, Grady Rawls 6-10 0-0 13, Clay Freels 2-3 0-0 5, Tim Gilbert 4-6 0-0 8, Brandon Kiser 1-2 0-0 0, Kelsey Luken, Craig Swart. Totals: 18-37 1-2 43.

Three pointers Umatilla 4 (Wyland 2, Aguilera, Strong); Enterprise 6 (Gomes 4, Rawls, Freels). Total fouls Umatilla 12, Enterprise 18. Total fouls Umatilla 12, Enterprise 18. Fouled out None. Technical fouls None.

JV score Enterprise defeated Ione.

Shorthanded Wallowa boys lose first two

The Wallowa boys, playing with a short bench, lost their first two road games of the year against Weston-McEwen Saturday and Pine-Eagle Friday.

Wallowa lost to Weston-McEwen 63-45 and Pine-Eagle 53-37.

Coach Gerry McLain felt his charges played well, especially against Weston-McEwen. The boys were only down by five points near the end of the half. Weston-McEwen hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, then kept up the momentum in a 22-7 third quarter to build up a big 54-31 lead.

"We played really well they’re huge," said McLain. "In the third, we couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, and they couldn’t miss."

Randy Spaur led the Cougars with 16 points, while Caleb Pringle scored 12.

Wallowa used only six players against Pine-Eagle Friday, and the short bench came back to hurt as the Cougars tired in the second and third quarters.

The Cougars actually outscored Pine-Eagle in the first and fourth quarters, but they scored only seven points in the middle 16 minutes of the game.

"I only had six guys for the varsity. We just died (in the second quarter)," said McLain. McLain said Pine-Eagle dominated on the boards, especially on the offensive side of the floor.

Spaur led Wallowa with 14 points, while Ryan Harshfield scored 11 and Kyle McDaniel 10. Pine-Eagle had balanced scoring, with four different players with 11 points.

Wallowa 12 12 7 14 45

Weston-McEwen 20 12 22 9 63

Wallowa Dustin Byers 2 2-2 6, Ryan Harshfield 1 3-5 6, Caleb Pringle 6 0-0 12, Randy Spaur 5 5-8 16, Kyle McDaniel 2 0-0 5, Wes Walker, Jake Redfield, Chris Williams. Totals: 16 10-15 45.

Weston-McEwen Alec Shewd 2 0-0 5, Dan Tucker 1 0-0 2, T.J. Powers 6 0-0 14, Epi Brita 3 0-0 6, Bobby Parrigh 2 0-0 4, Eric Delph 2 1-3 5, Dean Amundson 2 0-0 4, Riley Allen 3 0-0 7, Zach Johnson 6 2-3 14, Dusty Minthorne 1 0-0 2. Totals: 28 3-6 63.

Three pointers Wallowa 3 (Harshfield, Spaur, McDaniel); Weston-McEwen 4 (T.J. Powers 2, Shewd, Allen). Total fouls Wallowa 8, Weston-McEwen 17. Fouled out Minthorne. Technical fouls none.

JV score Weston-McEwen 50, Wallowa 21.

Wallowa 16 2 5 14 37

Pine-Eagle boys 14 16 11 12 53

Wallowa Harshfield 5 0-0 11, Pringle 1 0-3 2, Spaur 6 1-4 14, McDaniel 3 1-2 10, Walker, Byers. 15 2-9 37.

Pine-Eagle Scott Anderson 5 0-0 11, Daniel Kaesmeyer 4 0-0 11, Kyle Darr 5 1-1 11, Travis Casch 2 1-2 5, Eric Lower 2 0-0 4, Pat Stromer 5 1-2 11, Brad Casch, Ryan Coombs, Trenton Becpad, Andy Stenberg, Coby Wickham. 23 3-5 53.

Three pointers Wallowa 5 (McDaniel 3, Harshfield, Spaur); Pine-Eagle 4 (Kaesmeyer 3, Anderson 1). Total fouls Wallowa 7, Pine-Eagle 11. Fouled out none. Technical fouls none.

JV score Pine-Eagle 71, Wallowa 22.