Cove senior Becca Koza, right, picked up the Athlete of the Meet award following completion of the OSAA Class 4A/3A/2A/1A swimming state championships Feb. 17, 2024, at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton. Koza won both the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle races.

LA GRANDE — As the culmination of the winter sports season approaches, local schools reached milestones and extended seasons over the past week of play.

The La Grande girls swimming team finished just nine points behind Newport to claim second place among the 18 teams competing in the OSAA Class 4A/3A/2A/1A swimming state championships Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton.

The La Grande boys finished third in the team scoring after 19 teams ended two days of swimming.

The bus home was a little heavier as individual medals were returned to La Grande by Hannah Zamora, Rinnah Lynch, McKinley Kruse, Shiloh Lynch and Zane Ricker.

Cove’s Becca Koza was named Athlete of the Meet after winning both the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle races. Teammate Sarah Koza picked up an individual win in the 50 freestyle and grabbed second place in the 100 breaststroke while setting a personal best time.

Basketball district tournaments were in gyms around the state with the Oregon School Activities Association releasing the much-anticipated brackets early Feb. 18.

On the boys side, the Old Oregon League is considered one of the strongest leagues in the state. Imbler, Union, Nixyaawii and Cove are all in the mix for a state title with the Bobcats coming in as the second seed followed by the Panthers making the third seed. Nixyaawii wrapped up the league title with a victory over Union.

On the Old Oregon League’s girls side, five basketball teams are in the state hunt. Led by Powder Valley, teams representing Imbler, Wallowa, Union and Joseph begin action on Feb. 21 with hopes of a state title.

The bus making the trip to the state wrestling meet from La Grande will be crowded. After winning the 4A/3A/2A/1A District 1 team title, a total of 24 Tigers — 13 girls and 11 boys — will compete at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

The Imbler bus to the state wrestling meet may not contain the same number of competitors but will be historic. The Panthers’ Lucy Camacho is the first Imbler female wrestler to qualify to hit the mat in a state wrestling tournament.

The La Grande basketball teams will need to wait a few days before discovering where and who they will play in the 4A state tournament. The girls team, the 4A Greater Oregon League champions, are guaranteed a home game for the first round. The boys team, the unexpected runner-up after the league tournament, is bound for a game somewhere in the state.

While around the state a number of teams are turning in uniforms and preparing for the start of spring sports, local teams remain in practice mode with hopes of state titles.