EXTRA WEIGHT: Elgin post Jess McClune attempts to carry Pilot Rock defender Amylee Perrine on her back while scoring a basket. The Huskies rallied to win 43-39 Friday. - The Observer/PAUL HARDER

Whoever thought girls basketball wasn’t physical better think again.

Elgin survived a war in the paint to beat Pilot Rock 43-39.

Jess McClune called an early stop to some rough play.

“There was a girl throwing elbows after the whistle was blown,” McClune said. “I got a concussion last time we played. I don’t mind playing rough, but at least play fair.”

The Huskies trailed early in the first half, but a basket by McClune in the final seconds knotted the game 19-19 at the half.

Elgin pressure frustrated the Rockets’ offense.

However, that intensity translated onto the offensive side of the ball.

The Huskies sent passes in every which way, and struggled to find an early rhythm.

“We just needed to slow down,” Elgin head coach Darci Miller said. “It’s good to see that intensity on defense, but the girls needed to dial it down on the other end.”

Pilot Rock used a high-low attack to keep pace in the first half.

The Rockets sent cutters through the lane at every angle. More often than not the ball passed through the cylinder.

“That’s how we like to attack,” Pilot Rock head coach Brian Benson said. “We’re able to do a lot of good things early on, and it continued into the second half.”

Knowing time was short, the Huskies went to work in the fourth quarter.

Someone flipped a switch and Elgin’s offense came to life.

Brandi Campbell made the first impact play with the score 32-29 with 5:53 left in the game.

The 5-foot-9-inch junior went to the line for two shots. After the first shot rattled in, her second attempt bounced off the back of the rim.

Campbell pulled down the rebound. The Huskies’ guards worked the ball around the outside before dishing back to Campbell. She drilled an eight-foot jump shot to even the score.

The Rockets inside presence lost its fuel when Brittany Doherty went to the bench after fouling out with more than three minutes to play.

Miller and her team knew just what to do – pick on the new player.

Elgin had the ball out-of-bounds under its own basket.

McClune came off a screen, and made an uncontested shot to even the score 36-36.

“It’s a play we run all the time,” Miller said. “But it fit the situation perfectly. We wanted to test the girl coming off the bench and it worked.”

Prior to that play, Tara Ludwig checked into the game for the Huskies.

Although the sophomore didn’t have a role in scoring, the Rockets defense followed her all over the court.

“(Tara’s) size helps us out,” McClune said. “She doesn’t always score, but defense has to pay attention to her.”

While the focus turned to Ludwig, McClune found open space.

The senior scored seven of the final nine points for Elgin.

In a must-win game, the Huskies pulled away on a late 7-0 run to improve to 6-5 in the Blue Mountain Conference.

Elgin will host Enterprise Tuesday at 4 p.m.

PILOT ROCK (39)

Benson 1 0-0 2, Doherty 3 0-0 6, Kannard 1 2-4 4, Winnett 3 0-0 6, Wallis 4 0-0 10, Gillespie 0 0-2 0, Perrine 2 1-4 5, Willingham 2 2-3 6, Jessen 0 0-0 0, Drake 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 5-13 39.

ELGIN (43)

Burgess 3 0-4 7, Nietch 0 0-0 0, Plummer 1 0-0 2, Ludwig 1 2-2 4, McClune 4 4-7 12, Witherspoon 1 3-8 5, Perez 2 4-4 8, Campbell 1 3-6 5. Totals 13 16-31 43.

Pilot Rock 10 9 13 7 – 39

Elgin 12 7 8 16 – 43

3-point goals: PR, Wallis 2; Elgin, Burgess.

Bobcats clinch conference title

HEPPNER – A long bus ride will feel a little smoother for Union.

The Bobcats halted Heppner 39-31 Friday. Union clinched the Blue Mountain Conference title with the win, imporving its conference record to 11-0.

Bobcats head coach Brett Dunten said the team executed in the clutch.

“It was a back-and-forth game,” Dunten said. “(Shoshoni) Walker did a great job taking the ball to the hoop. We made the free-throws down the stretch. Usually those are tough for us.”

By taking the ball into the paint, Walker spent a majority of the game at the free-throw line. She connected on 8-of-12 attempts.

While Jessy Reynolds offense took a dip, she didn’t let her defense falter.

The sophomore recorded 13 blocks in the game and scored five points.

Union will host Stanfield today. Junior varsity action tips-off at 1 p.m.

UNION (39)

Josephson 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Grave s 0 0-0 0, S. Longwell 0 0-0 0, Courtney 0 0-0 0, Roberts 0 0-0 0, Reynolds 1 3-3 5, Walker 3 8-12 15, J. Longwell 0 0-0 0, Stratton 1 2-4 4, Williams 0 2-2 2, Anderson 2 3-3 8, Poe 2 0-0 5. 9 18-25 39.

HEPPNER (31)

Rust 0 0-0 0, Hughes 0 0-0 0, Orr 4 0-0 10, Kempas 2 0-0 4, Daherty 0 0-2 0, McElligot 0 0-0 0, Price 0 0-0 0, VanCleave 3 7-14 14, Kilkenney 1 0-0 2, Ludgren 0 0-0 0, Garrett 0 0-0 0, Betsinger 1 0-0 2. Totals 11 7-16 31.

Union 6 11 11 11 – 39

Heppner 7 6 11 7 – 31

3-point goals: Union, Walker, Anderson, Poe; Heppner, Orr 2.

Outlaws climb into second place tie

ENTERPRISE – A little help and hustle allowed Enterprise to reach new heights.

The Outlaws defeated Irrigon 60-32 Friday. With the win, Enterprise improved to 13-7 overall and 7-4 in the Blue Mountain Conference.

A loss by Heppner moved the Outlaws into a second-place tie with the Mustangs. Both teams split the two regular season meetings.

Enterprise head coach Mike Crawford said it’s quite a feeling.

“It was a great night,” Crawford said. “These girls are really playing well. We started slow but caught fire late in the first quarter.”

The Outlaws jumped out to a 14-2 lead after one quarter of play.

Kayann Layton set up the offense with eight assists in the game.

Then she took the offense into her own hands, scoring a team-high 12 points.

Enterprise will travel to Pilot Rock for a 4 p.m game today.

IRRIGON (32)

Angulo 1 0-2 2, Wagner 0 0-0 0, Torres 3 1-2 7, Wright 2 0-0 4, Coffman 1 0-0 2, Tolar 0 4-8 4, Smith 0 0-0 0, Hendricks 1 1-2 3, Gutteriz 4 0-1 8, Kimball 0 0-0 0, Taylor 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 6-17 32.

ENTERPRISE (60)

DeSpain 2 1-2 6, Foster 2 1-5 5, J. Stangel 5 0-0 10, Bruce 0 0-0 0, Neil 2 0-2 4, O’Leary 3 2-4 8, Layton 4 2-2 12, T. Stangel 4 1-5 9, Butterfield 3 0-0 6. McCarthy 0 0-0 0, Morello 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 7-20 60.

Irrigon 2 9 6 15 – 32

Enterprise 14 18 19 9 – 60

3-point field goals: Irrigon, none; Ent., DeSpain, Layton 2.