TO THE HOOP: Eastern Oregon junior Andra Peterson drives to the hoop against Lauran Murray of Concordia. Peterson leads the Mountaineers in rebounding this season. (The Observer/JOE SOVA).

Women’s basketball teams from Albertson College, Walla Walla College and Whitworth College will be in La Grande this weekend, joining host Eastern Oregon University for the first EOU Holiday Classic.

The tournament is being presented by Aramark Dining Services. Aramark was also the title sponsor of last weekend’s very successful Quinn Classic men’s tournament at EOU.

Both first-round games Friday will be rematches after games between the teams last week. Albertson College (Caldwell, Idaho) faces Walla Walla College at 2 p.m. in Quinn Coliseum, followed by an EOU-Whitworth College (Spokane) clash at 6 p.m.

Albertson defeated Walla Walla 84-53 on the first day of the Whitman College tournament, while the Lady Pirates got the best of EOU, 76-68, in a Dec. 1 contest in Spokane.

Saturday’s matchups feature a game between Albertson and Whitworth at 6 p.m. and the nightcap with EOU taking on Walla Walla College at 8 p.m.

The last game for head coach Anji Weissenfluh’s squad was the loss to Whitworth, dropping the Mountaineers’ record to 2-3.

Heidi Horobioski, a junior guard from Spokane, leads EOU in scoring at 18 points per game and is shooting 50 percent from the field. Horobioski is coming off a 26-point effort against Whitworth. Christie Weaver, a sophomore from La Grande, is netting 17.8 points a game and has 13 3-pointers through the first five contests.

Andra Peterson (jr., Boise) is the leader in rebounds at 7.2 a game and is also first in assists. Sarah Smith (sr., Bellingham, Wash.) has blocked 12 shots and has made 63 percent of her field-goal attempts to lead EOU.

EOU will try to knock Whitworth College from the ranks of the unbeaten. Coach Helen Higgs’ Pirates boast a 5-0 record.

Tiffany Speer, a 5-foot-10 senior from Snohomish, Wash., leads Whitworth in scoring at 21.2 points per game. She is averaging 7.8 rebounds. Sarah Shogren (5-9, sr., Newman Lake, Wash.) adds 19.2 points and 10.2 rebounds a game.

Last weekend, the Pirates beat UC-Santa Cruz 75-43 and Redlands (Calif.) 75-56 in the Pacific Lutheran Classic in Tacoma, Wash.

Walla Walla heads for La Grande in search of its first win of the season after nine losses. The Wolves were blown out by Northwest College 106-48 in the Whitman College Tournament after the loss to Albertson.

Head coach Tim Windermuth has a very young Walla Walla squad, which includes one senior and one junior.

Albertson is led by Kasey Hooter, a 6-foot senior from Nampa, Idaho. Hooter is averaging 14.3 points and 11 rebounds a game. Kim Strunk is adding 13.6 points, and Angie Gribble contributes 11.1 points and 5.2 assists a contest.

Coyote head coach Reagan Rossi has excellent size, with seven players 5-10 or taller. Rossi has just two seniors on the squad.

Admission for each day of the EOU Holiday Classic is $6 for adults and $4 for children and non-EOU students with valid identification. EOU students with a current valid ID enter free of charge.