When the teams met back in November, the Union Bobcats girls basketball team didn’t pull away from the Imbler Panthers until the second half.

On Friday, it was a completely different story.

Callie Glenn scored 13 points to lead a balanced offensive attack, and Union quickly built a double-digit first-half lead on its way to a 56-25 win Friday night in Union.

“The key this time around is our shots were falling,” Union Head Coach Rhondie Rickman-Johansen said. “We have a wide variety of girls who on any given night can really shoot the ball. Tonight was different because we played team ball (and) we moved the ball well.”

Both Kaylin Nowak and Taylar Daggett added 11 points for the Bobcats. Glenn, who had 10 of her points in the first half as Union charged ahead to a 31-10 halftime lead, described the team dynamic when the offensive is flowing like it was Friday.

“It’s super fun when we play that way,” she said. “We’re all smiling on the court, (and) we’re not trying to rush. We’re more relaxed because everything is working out, and it’s fun to hype each other up when someone else is making shots.”

Six different players scored for Union in the first quarter alone. Daggett capped an 11-0 run with a 3-pointer for a 16-3 lead late in the opening frame.

Caysie McGinness, who led Imbler with 16 points, did what she could to keep the Panthers in the contest, hitting a 3 of her own late in the first to bring the Panthers within 10. They got as close at 16-8 early in the second, but Union scored 15 of the next 17 points to break the game open.

Daggett and Nowak both hit late 3s for Union’s 21-point margin at the half, and the gap only grew in the second half.

“The girls really have a lot of confidence in their teammates,” Rickman- Johansen said. “They have so many who can have a good shooting night or can move the ball and find the last pass or last shot that’s open. I think they have a lot of faith in each other.”

Union also had a big night on the boards as it owned a 40-21 rebounding advantage and had 17 offensive rebounds. Kylie Marriott and Abriel O’Reilly both had eight rebounds to lead Union.

“That’s a big part of the game for us. We have to really work on position and blocking out because we’re not very tall, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to work hard on the boards,” the Union coach said.

McGinness, who had 10 of her points in the second half, added a team-best four steals for Imbler. Audrey Wells countered with four of Union’s 14 thefts.

Also Friday

Early defense lifts Tigers to victory

The La Grande Tigers girls basketball team pitched a first-quarter shutout on its way to a 47-35 win over the Estacada Rangers in the consolation bracket of the Sisters Tournament Friday.

Camryn Collman had 11 points to lead a balanced attack by the Tigers. Jacie Howton, Lauran Rinker, Kenzie Williams and Ella Dunlap each added six points.

La Grande held the Rangers off the scoreboard in the first and took a 16-0 lead. They extended the margin to 27-6 at the break and never looked back.

Isabelle Hagel scored 15 points to lead Estacada.

Outlaws coastto win

Shelby Moncrief scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in the first half, and the Enterprise Outlaws girls basketball team routed the Condon/Wheeler Knights, 50-22, Friday during the Les Schwab Shootout in Pendleton.

Carsyn Miller added 10 points and Ashlyn Gray scored nine for the Outlaws, who pulled away in the second and third quarters. Enterprise turned a five-point first quarter lead to a 29-14 margin by halftime and extended it to 45-16 after three quarters.

Abby Colby had eight points for Condon/Wheeler.

Eaglestopple Pirates

The Joseph Eagles girls basketball team earned a road win against the previously unbeaten Perrydale Pirates Friday, 38-29.

Sabrina Albee paced the offense in the victory with 11 points, while Haley Miller added 10 points. The Eagles’ defense was stout, holding Perrydale to just 12 first-half points and taking a 30-16 lead through three quarters.

Saturday

Tigers wrap up tournament with win

The La Grande Tigers girls basketball team finished 2-1 at the Sisters Tournament as three players reached double figures in a 50-39 win over the Henley Hornets on Saturday.

Camryn Collman led La Grande with 14 points, while both Kenzie Williams and Ella Dunlap scored 10 points. La Grande led just 29-28 after three quarters, but Dunlap had seven of her points in the fourth quarter to power the offense to 21 fourth-quarter points as the Tigers pulled away for the win.

Jessica Northcutt led Henley with 26 points.

La Grande (5-3 overall) travels to Ontario Friday to begin Greater Oregon League action.

Enterprise takes defensive battle

Shelby Moncrief scored 11 points to lead the Enterprise Outlaws girls basketball team to a 37-24 win over the Prairie City Panthers Saturday in their final game of the Les Schwab Shootout in Pendleton.

Carsyn Miller added seven points, and both Lexie Gassett and Tishrei Movich-Fields had six points for the Outlaws.

Enterprise held a 10-8 lead after a low-scoring first half but picked it up after halftime to build the lead to 25-14 on its way to the win.

Hailee Wall had eight points to lead Prairie City.

The Outlaws (10-2 overall) host Grant Union in a Blue Mountain Conference matchup Friday.

Badgers defense stifles Bobcats in second half

The Powder Valley Badgers girls basketball team turned in a suffocating defensive effort in the second half to pull away for a 51-27 win over the Union Bobcats Saturday in North Powder.

The Badgers trailed 20-16 at the half but turned the tables with a 21-3 run in the third quarter to take a 14-point lead. They followed by holding Union to just four points in the fourth.

Megan Bingham led the way with 12 points and six steals for the Badgers. Belle Blair also had 12 points and collected eight rebounds, and Logan Nedrow added seven points.

Callie Glenn led Union with eight points, while Kylie Marriott had seven points.

Powder Valley (8-2 overall) visits Prairie City Wednesday, while Union (6-5) hosts Pilot Rock Friday in a Blue Mountain Conference match.

Eaglestop defending state champs

The Joseph Eagles girls basketball team wrapped up their three-game, three-day road trip with a statement win, taking care of the defending Class 1A state champion Country Christian Cougars, 40-28, Saturday in Molalla.

The Eagles dominated the game on the defensive side, holding the Cougars to just nine first-half points and 14 points through three quarters. Meanwhile, they asserted themselves on offense, scoring 27 first-half points and building a 38-14 lead by the end of the third quarter.

Sabrina Albee led Joseph with 14 points. Camille Crenshaw added eight points, and both Emma Hite and Madelyn Nelson chipped in with five.

McKenzie Syphard had eight points to lead the Cougars.

The Eagles (10-1 overall) face St. Paul Thursday in Dufur.

Last-second basket lifts Cougars

Shanna Rae Tillery hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer to lift the Wallowa Cougars girls basketball team to a 35-33 victory over the Imbler Panthers Saturday night in Wallowa.

Tillery, who had 14 points, eight rebounds and five steals, got a kind roll on the final shot, which rolled over the rim and in to give Wallowa the win.

Jamie Johnston added eight points for the Cougars, who went into the fourth clinging to a 24-20 lead.

Caysie McGinness had 17 points to lead Imbler, while Joelle Treat added nine points. The duo combined for 11 of Imbler’s 13 points in the fourth.

Wallowa (3-7 overall) hosts Elgin Friday, while Imbler (2-7) hosts Pine Eagle Friday. Both are Old Oregon League matchups.