BAKER GIRLS BASKETBALL: Bulldogs rout Ontario, complete perfect league season
Feb. 12—When a basketball team makes about as many lay-ins in the game as during pregame warmups, it's apt to end up with a win.
And likely a resounding one.
The Baker girls proved the adage on Senior Night Friday, Feb. 10 at BHS, scoring the first 18 points of the game and going to a 76-13 win that had all the drama of a Will Farrell comedy.
The Bulldogs, in their final regular season game, set a season-high for points as 10 players scored.
Baker improved to 20-2 on the season and completed a 6-0 record in the Greater Oregon League.
"They did a great job of playing a high level of ball, consistently for the entire game," Baker coach Jason Ramos said.
Jozie Ramos, one of the seven seniors honored during a pregame ceremony, started the scoring rampage with a steal and the first of Baker's more than a dozen lay-ins.
Indeed, seniors scored all of Baker's 18 points as the Bulldogs rolled to an 18-0 lead before Ontario's Kira Evans scored inside with 1:59 left in the first quarter.
Rylee Elms had four points and Macey Moore, who returned after missing several games due to an injury, scored five as Baker quickly took control.
"It was good to get Macey back on the court, and on her way to getting completely healthy," Jason Ramos said.
Sophomore Ashlyn Dalton completed the first-quarter scoring as Baker led 20-4.
The second quarter played out in much the same fashion, with Baker scoring the first 16 points to lead 36-4.
Evans had a basket and free throw late to cut the halftime lead to 36-7. Evans had all of Ontario's points in the first half.
The second half was a cavalcade of uncontested baskets for Baker, including consecutive lay-ins from Dalton, senior Sydnee Pierce and junior Emma Llaurado, an exchange student from Spain who was honored along with the seniors prior to tipoff.
Reserves played much of the fourth quarter. Sophomores Jayden Whitford had two baskets, and Emy Myer swished a corner 3-pointer.
Baker's defense was unrelenting regardless of who was on the court. The Bulldogs allowed no more than four points in any quarter. Only two opponents scored fewer points than Ontario's 13 — Homedale, eight on Dec. 7, and Ontario, 10, on Jan. 20.
Jozie Ramos' stretch of eight straight games with at least 20 points ended, but despite limited minutes she led all scorers with 17 points.
Three teammates were also in double figures — Pierce with 11, and Elms and Dalton with 10 each.
Baker, still the top-ranked Class 4A team, now awaits its opponent, yet to be determined, in the Greater Oregon League championship game on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at BHS.
Following that, Baker will find out its Class 4A playoff opponent.
ONTARIO (13)
Gutierrez 0 0-0 0, Hart 0 0-0 0, Herrera 0 0-0 0, Meza-Aviles 0 0-0 0, Rocha 1 0-0 2, Evans 4 1-4 9, Covarrubias 1 0-1 2. Totals 6 1-5 13.
BAKER (76)
Elms 5 0-1 10, Dalton 4 2-2 10, Llaurado 4 0-0 8, Pierce 4 2-2 11, Ramos 6 4-4 17, Jaca 3 0-0 6, Robb 0 2-2 2, Rabourne 0 0-0 0, Moore 1 2-2 5, Whitford 2 0-0 4, Myer 1 0-0 3, Rassmussen 0 0-0 0, Spike 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 12-13 76.
Ontario 4 3 4 2 — 13
Baker 20 19 18 19 — 76
