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Imbler wins Old Oregon District Title
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BAKER CITY — Elbows flew. Blood spilled. Emotions ran high. And when this hardwood brawl finally ended, Imbler was left standing, above Joseph, above Wallowa. Above everyone. As district champions. This Panthers boys varsity basketball team defeated Joseph, 52-50 at Baker High on Saturday, claiming the Old Oregon League District 7-1A crown, advancing into the state tournament with a first-round bye. Two steps, complete. Is state hardware next? “Amazing feeling,” said Imbler sophomore Dalton McDaniel, who finished with 25 points. “Adrenaline’s going crazy. Heart’s pumping. “It’s crazy. It’s awesome.” And it ended perfectly — on the final possession, in the final seconds, just like this whole, crazy tournament. Here it was: The clock read 6.7 seconds. Joseph ball at half court. Two points, and overtime is next. Three points, an Eagles victory. But then one stumble, one hesitation and one bad look later, Joseph was done, and Imbler was champions. “It broke down from the get-go,” Eagles coach Larry Nall said. “After he stumbled, the ball went places it’s not normally supposed to go, and nobody knew what to do with it. “It’s one of those things that happens. The game’s not won or lost on the last play.” True. But it can be won by one player. And Saturday, it was Mr. McDaniel. Here was the Imbler sophomore, scoring eight consecutive points to open the game. Here he was again, scoring points to close the game. He caught passes over the top for easy layups. He cut backdoor for tough layups. He was the main reason Imbler defeated Joseph for the third time this season. “He played his rear end off,” Imbler coach Jarod Teeter said. “He was the player of the game for us, really. “It’s always tough to beat a team three times.” Especially against an Eagles team which withstood a miracle half-court shot the previous night. They didn’t flinch then. They didn’t flinch Saturday. Don’t count on them flinching the next round, either. “You gotta hand it to Joseph,” Teeter said. “They hung in there, they gutted it out, they gave us everything.” Including battle wounds. Here was Panthers junior Nick West, driving to the rim, taking an elbow above the eye, leaving an open gash, and blood drips on the floor. Here was Panthers sophomore Bryan Mills, taking an elbow in the face, drawing blood, too. Both players had to leave the floor. Both incidents required floor-cleaning delays. Both were accidental contact wounds from a physical game between two quality Old Oregon League teams. Now it’s onto the next round. Joseph will host Triad at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Imbler plays Saturday versus either Southwest Christian or the High Desert second seed (to be determined.) Is state hardware next? The Imbler dry-erase board said so, at least. “We’re just hoping to be able to get back here in Baker, and have a chance at it again,” Teeter said. “I’d really like another shot at some people.” He smiled. “We’ll leave it at that.” IMBLER (52) Thompson 2 7-8 11, West 0 0-2 0, McIntosh 2 1-2 5, McDaniel 12 1-2 25, Mills 3 4-4 10, Bridge 0 0-0 0, Peterson 0 0-0 0, Ricker 0 1-2 1. Totals 19 14-20 52. JOSEPH (50) Harshman 2 0-0 6, Shetler 1 0-0 2, Makin 3 5-8 12, Patton 4 0-0 8, Hurley 2 1-2 5, Touray 1 2-2 4, Steen 3 0-0 9, Baynes 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 8-12 50. Imbler 13 13 10 16 – 52 Joseph 11 11 14 14 – 50 3-point goals: Joseph, Steen 3, Harshman 2, Makin; Imbler, none. All-Tournament Team Selections 2nd team Jordan Pratt, Powder Valley Nick West, Imbler Keegan Conro, Powder Valley Tyler Harshfield, Wallowa Andrew Wilson, Wallowa
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