Prep boys basketball roundup: Nixyaawii bests Powder Valley in Old Oregon League championship

Published 9:15 pm Saturday, February 19, 2022

BAKER CITY — The pursuit of a perfect league season came just one game short for the Badgers.

The Powder Valley boys basketball team battled out a hard-fought Old Oregon League Championship game, but ultimately lost to Nixyaawii 59-51 at Baker High School on Saturday, Feb. 19. The Badgers were one game shy of winning all 11 of their league games this year.

The matchup went down to the wire, as the two top Old Oregon League teams battled to the last possession in front of a packed house at Baker High School. Senior point guard Reece Dixon led the Badgers with 16 points in a gutsy performance after sustaining a leg injury midway through the contest.

“I think we just didn’t shoot well. Hats off to them, they came out and played a hard game,” Powder Valley head coach Kyle Dixon said. “I thought we struggled from the floor and they’re a fast team, they’re solid.”

Nixyaawii came out quick to start the game, taking an early advantage. The Golden Eagles led for the majority of the game, but the Badgers remained within reach. Nixyaawii led 16-7 midway through the first and ended the first quarter up 16-10.

The Golden Eagles looked strong early on in the second quarter, until the Badgers woke up and put together a late rally. Powder Valley scored several baskets just before halftime to head into the locker rooms trailing 26-29, igniting the crowd. Cole Martin was strong for Powder Valley offensively in the first half, scoring all 12 of his points in the first two quarters. Nixyaawii’s Baron Moses had another strong performance, scoring 11 of his game-high 19 points in the first half.

Nixyaawii and Powder Valley were neck-and-neck in the third quarter, exchanging buckets. The Badgers went on a run midway through the quarter and took a 38-37 lead with 1:55 remaining in the period.

On an open fast break that would have given Powder Valley a one-point lead with 45 seconds left in the third quarter, tragedy struck the Badgers. Reece Dixon injured his leg on a layup attempt and missed the remainder of the quarter and was limited after returning midway through the fourth quarter.

“It’s a big difference, we need him in the game,” Kyle Dixon said. “When his knees are hurting like that, it’s hard to play defense and it’s hard to get the jump shot going. We’ll recover.”

The Badgers hung within two possessions for almost the entirety of the fourth quarter, but the team was unable to overcome the deficit. Nixyaawii’s Dylan Abrahamson was very efficient in the fourth quarter, scoring eight points off two field goals and a 4-4 free-throw performance.

“We just needed to stay focused and work harder,” Kyle Dixon said. “We did a lot of things we don’t normally do. We turned the ball over a lot and our shooting was terrible tonight.”

The loss was a heartbreaker for Powder Valley, who came into the championship game 10-0 against league opponents and 21-1 on the season. The win is a major accomplishment for Nixyaawii, who is 22-6 through the end of district play.

“We just have to recover,” Kyle Dixon said. “We have state coming up, we’ll be alright.”

The Badgers are set to face Condon (15-6) on Feb. 22 in round one of the 1A state tournament.

“Of course they hate losing, but sometimes it’s good for teams to lose,” Kyle Dixon said. “I think it will make us work harder.”