BAKER BOYS BASKETBALL: Bulldogs roll to tournament title

Jan. 1—The Baker boys basketball team's full-court press has some of the attributes of a pesky mosquito.

You can keep it at bay for a while with a few well-aimed swats.

But eventually it's going to have its way, leaving in its wake not itchy welts but steals and lay-ins.

Stayton can attest to the relentless nature of the Bulldogs' defense.

In the championship game of the SCTC Holiday Classic tournament Friday night, Dec. 30 on the Eagles' home court, Baker broke open a close game with a 16-0 run in just a bit more than 2 minutes of the second quarter.

When Stayton's Gavin Berning ended Baker's spurt with a pair of free throws with 4:05 left in the quarter, Baker's lead had swelled to 43-19.

Stayton made a few brief runs later, but the Eagles never trimmed the lead to single digits as Baker went on to a 74-62 win to take the tournament title and complete a three-game run that coach Jebron Jones said was the best sustained performance he's seen from this group.

Jones has coached many of the players since they were in elementary school.

"Definitely this was the best three-game stretch I've seen them play," Jones said. "It's a good testament to their work ethic and how much they wanted to win."

Jones said the Bulldogs, who improved to 9-3 on the season and to fourth in the Class 4A state rankings, were "extremely frustrated" after a 78-77 loss to Lapwai, Idaho, on Dec. 22, a game Baker lost on a basket with 3.2 seconds left.

That was the Bulldogs' second straight loss.

After the Lapwai game, Baker had a couple of good practices in preparation for the Stayton tournament, Jones said.

"I saw the hunger in their eyes after the first game," he said, a 100-64 win over Class 6A North Salem on Dec. 28. "It continued through all three games."

Baker then routed Molalla 91-34 on Dec. 29 to set up the championship game against unbeaten Stayton playing on its home court with a large and vocal crowd.

The Eagles gave the fans reason to cheer early when Jace Aguilar made an NBA-range 3-pointer to open the scoring.

The lead lasted less than a minute.

Isaiah Jones scored inside and Paul Hobson made a 3-pointer to give Baker a 5-3 lead.

Baker's press forced a turnover that led to Jaron Long's lay-in, and Baker led 9-4 early.

Stayton scored two straight baskets to get within 9-8, and the Eagles were within 14-12 on Aguilar's driving lay-in with 3:36 left in the first quarter.

But Baker scored seven points in the next 90 seconds, capped by Nate Jensen's 3-pointer with 2:07 left to boost Baker's lead to 21-12. The Bulldogs led 24-17 after the first quarter.

Baker's lead was still modest, at 27-19, when Stayton's Julius Pokorny scored inside.

But that's when the swarming Baker defense took control.

Isaiah Jones scored the first seven points in the 16-0 Baker run. The sophomore showed his versatility, making a 3-pointer, followed by a rebound basket and then a lay-in off the first of two straight steals as the withering press confounded the Eagles.

Long also had an easy basket off another steal, followed by baskets from Hobson and Rasean Jones.

Hudson Spike capped the game-altering stretch with a 3-pointer that gave Baker its biggest lead, 43-19, with 4:09 left in the first half.

Jebron Jones said the 16-0 run, propelled by defense, epitomizes his approach to the game.

"I just knew if we kept applying pressure they would fold eventually, and they did," he said. "I'll take runs like that. That's tough to come back from."

Jones said Baker can play at such a fast pace, both defensively and offensively, in part because the Bulldogs are well-conditioned from their grueling early morning practices.

But the team's balance, with 10 players contributing, is also essential, he said.

"I have no issues putting anybody in the game at any time," he said. "We always have somebody fresh off the bench. They feed off each other."

After Baker led by 24 points, Stayton rallied to get as close as 15 points twice in the second quarter on a 7-0 run.

Rasean Jones' two free throws gave the Bulldogs a 49-32 lead at halftime.

The Eagles outscored Baker in the second half, 30-25, but Stayton never really threatened.

"It takes so much energy to get back in the game, and you can't quite get over the hump, and you get deflated," Jones said. "I think that's what happened to Stayton."

As with the previous two games at the tournament, Baker spread the points across the roster.

Isaiah Jones had 25 points to lead four Bulldogs in double figures, after Baker had four in double figures against Molalla and five against North Salem. Eight of the 10 Bulldogs scored, after all 10 got on the board in the first two games.

The balanced scoring, Jebron Jones said, "reflects on how much these guys like each other. They will pass to a teammate who's open for a good shot, and they know their teammates will do the same."

That approach poses a big challenge to the other team's defenders, he said.

"You have to guard multiple guys that can put the ball in the hoop," Jones said.

In a tournament where Baker played well in pretty much every aspect, the statistic that might be the most impressive is free throw shooting. Against Stayton, the Bulldogs made 21 of 23 shots, following a 14-for-17 performance against Molalla.

That, too, is the product of practice, Jones said.

"There's a certain amount of free throws they have to make in practice before they leave the game," he said.

Jones said the Bulldogs also practice free throws after they've done conditioning runs, since that's a more realistic simulation of a game.

After a daunting December schedule that included multiple games against Class 5A and 6A Oregon teams, and several solid Idaho squads, Jones said he's "very pleased with where we're at as a team."

"I loved the schedule, playing against tough teams allows me to see what we need to work on. The guys feel pretty confident right now."

They're also eager, Jones said, to finally get a chance to play in front of their home fans more than a month after the season started.

Two home games in December were canceled due to weather.

Baker is slated to play its first home game Friday, Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m. against Madras. The Bulldogs will also play host to Crook County the next day at 12:30 p.m. Baker continues its stretch of home games by opening its Greater Oregon League schedule against rival La Grande on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

BAKER (74)

Gambleton 0 2-2 2, Logsdon 1 0-0 2, R. Jones 2 2-2 6, Rigueiro 0 0-0 0, Spike 4 2-2 11, I. Jones 9 6-6 25, Long 3 9-10 15, Hobson 4 0-1 10, Jensen 1 0-0 3, Gentry 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 21-23 74.

STAYTON (62)

Pokorny 2 5-5 9, Berning 5 6-6 17, Carlock 1 0-0 2, Aguilar 4 2-2 12, Starbuck 1 0-0 2, Bischoff 1 0-0 2, Callsen 6 6-9 18. Totals 20 19-21 62.

Baker 24 25 12 13 — 74

Stayton 17 15 14 16 — 62