BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL: Bulldogs overwhelm Madras to clinch state tourney berth

Mar. 5—The Baker boys played a perfect 47 seconds of basketball.

They were pretty good for the other 31 minutes and 13 seconds too.

With a berth in the Class 4A state tournament at stake, the Bulldogs played perhaps their most complete game of the season, overwhelming Madras from the start in a 90-46 romp on Saturday afternoon, March 4 in the Baker gym.

Baker, which qualified for the state tournament for the second straight year, will play Henley on Thursday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Forest Grove High School.

"It was a great way to start the game," Baker coach Jebron Jones said.

Baker scored on three consecutive layins, by Isaiah Jones, Giacomo Rigueiro and Grant Gambleton, before a minute had elapsed on the clock.

All three baskets resulted from steals as Baker's smothering defense befuddled the White Buffalos.

Madras' Skytus Smith got his team on the board with a 3-pointer with 6:51 left.

But Baker's Paul Hobson, who led all scorers with 26 points, answered with the first of his season-high six 3-pointers.

Madras' crafty guard, Seneca Ball, made a difficult shot from the key to get the White Buffalos to within 10-6 three minutes in.

But Baker scored the next nine points, and the Bulldogs were in complete control the rest of the game.

Isaiah Jones started the spurt with an inside basket, Hobson followed with a steal and layin, Jaxon Logsdon made a 14-footer and Hobson capped the run with his second 3-pointer.

That last basket prompted a Madras timeout, but the break didn't slow the Bulldogs.

Hobson made his third 3-pointer, and teammate and fellow junior Hudson Spike matched it with another long ball that boosted Baker's lead to 25-8 with 2:37 left in the third quarter.

Hobson, who outscored the White Buffalos by himself in the quarter, 16 to 10, ended the period with yet another 3-pointer and a layin at the buzzer as Baker led 32-10 at the break.

Baker, which improved to 22-4, matched its season high with 32 points in the first quarter. That was against Class 6A North Salem on Dec. 28 in the Stayton tournament. Baker won that game 100-64, and about the only pressing question Saturday in the Baker gym was whether the Bulldogs would reach triple digits for the second time this season.

Baker fell 10 points short — in part because the game was played with a running clock during the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs' lead exceeded 30 points.

(Actually the advantage was more than 40 points throughout.)

If there was any lingering doubt that Baker was destined to clinch its state tournament berth, it likely was erased in the first 14 seconds of the second quarter. That's when Jaron Long drove the lane. A Madras defender poked the ball loose from behind, but the ball bounced off the backboard and straight into Long's hands, who, in effect having assisted himself, scored to give Baker a 34-10 lead.

Isaiah Jones followed with a 3-pointer — Baker had 12 overall — and the lead was 37-10. Jones made another long ball less than a minute later to make it 40-12.

Although Baker hadn't played for two weeks, since beating Pendleton in the Greater Oregon League district title game on Feb. 18, Jebron Jones said he wasn't worried that the Bulldogs would be sluggish to start against Madras, as can happen after a long period between games.

Jones said that during the previous week, the Bulldogs were clearly frustrated at the extended series of practices, to the point they were getting pretty aggressive playing against each other.

"I knew they were ready to play somebody else," he said. "That's a good sign."

Isaiah Jones echoed his coach's (and dad's) sentiments.

"We don't like taking long breaks," he said with a smile. "We were ready to play."

With Baker already leading 44-17 midway through the second quarter, the Bulldogs closed the quarter with a 14-0 run. Isaiah's younger brother, freshman Rasean Jones, had five points during the run, as did Spike.

About the only thing that didn't go Baker's way was Isaiah Jones' 3-pointer from the left corner at the halftime buzzer. The ball went about halfway down then popped up. Isaiah slapped the padded wall in frustration, but with Baker leading 58-17, there wasn't any reason to worry about the second half.

Those final two quarters were decidedly anticlimactic, although the Bulldogs, playing on their home court for the final time this season, gave the crowd plenty of reason to cheer.

All 10 Bulldogs scored.

Hobson concluded his 26-point performance with his sixth 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter.

And Spike put a resounding finish on the game, scoring Baker's final two points with a slam dunk with 1:36 left.

Jebron Jones said he was pleased with Baker's play throughout the game.

"They set the tone on both ends of the court early," he said. "The young men were extremely unselfish. We played fast on the offensive end and for the most part we played smart on the defensive end."

Ball showed off his athleticism by twisting into the key for several acrobatic shots, but he was the only Madras player in double figures.

Amid the flurry of 3-pointers and crowd-pleasing moments such as Spike's dunk, Jones said he was also happy with how the Bulldogs made plays that are less dramatic but, he believes, equally crucial if they are to beat three top teams at the state tournament.

Here are a couple examples.

Late in the second quarter, Logsdon made an extra pass to give Rasean Jones an easy basket inside, and less than a minute later Logsdon drew a charge in the key.

Later, Gambleton twice was sprawled on the floor trying to corral a loose ball.

Those sorts of plays, combining basketball savvy and sheer effort, are vital, Jebron Jones said.

"We're not good enough not to do the little things," he said. "We have to box out, we have to take charges. The guys bought into that tonight."

Baker has now won 10 straight games since a 66-48 loss to Junction City on a neutral court at The Dalles on Jan. 14.

The Tigers, the second seed in the state tourney (Baker is 4th), are on the opposite side of the bracket. The two teams could potentially meet in the championship game. Junction City advanced to the state tournament by beating La Grande 74-50 on Saturday.

First up, though, are the Henley Hornets from Klamath Falls.

Henley, 16-6, is the fifth seed. The Hornets advanced to the state tournament with a 65-62 win over Astoria on Saturday, March 4.

Baker and Henley have one common opponent this season

— Junction City. The Hornets lost twice to the Tigers, albeit by smaller margins than Baker's January loss. Henley lost 57-52 on Dec. 28, and 54-45 on Jan. 7.

Jebron Jones said he's confident that the Bulldogs learned much from last year's state tournament, where they lost two competitive games, 58-47 to Junction City, and 67-60 to Philomath.

None of Baker's players had competed in a state tournament.

Now, most of the Bulldogs have experience.

"We all have a bad taste in our mouths from last year," Jones said. "This year I think we're a little more versatile, and we have more experience. I feel pretty good about where we're at compared to last year."

The addition of Nate Jensen, who moved to Baker City from Alaska in the offseason, and the growing role played by Rigueiro, who has moved into the starting lineup, has made the Bulldogs even more formidable.

Jones said Baker's schedule, which included the loss to Junction City but also a thrilling win over Cascade, the third seed in the state tournament, also helped prepare the Bulldogs for the rigors of the tournament.

Isaiah Jones said he and his teammates are far from satisfied despite having achieved one goal, returning to the tournament.

"We still have a little ways to go," he said. "Our goal is to win three more games."

MADRAS (46)

Ball 10 2-2 22, Flu 1 0-0 3, Picard 0 0-0 0, Moschetti 0 1-1 1, Poland 0 0-1 0, W. Simmelink 1 0-0 3, Mother 1 2-2 5, R. Simmelink 0 0-0 0, Boyle 0 3-8 3, Smith 3 0-0 9. Totals 16 8-14 46.

BAKER (90)

Gambleton 1 0-0 2, Logsdon 1 1-2 3, R. Jones 4 2-2 12, Rigueiro 1 4-4 6, Spike 5 0-0 12, I. Jones 7 3-4 19, Long 3 0-0 6, Hobson 10 0-0 26, Jensen 1 0-0 2, Gentry 1 0-0 2. Totals 34 10-13 90.

Madras 10 7 18 11 — 46

Baker 32 26 19 13 — 90