>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

WAITING GAME: The Tigers’ Luke Kevan scored 17 points Tuesday night. No. 1-ranked La Grande earned a first-round bye and will open the OSAA playoffs March 8. - The Observer/PAUL HARDER

Following the flowers, balloons and pictures the La Grande leaders completed their mission — knocking off Baker 72-57.

Cody McKague battled through injuries and illness to get back for the regular season finale.

“I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity,” McKague said. “Sitting on the sidelines the last couple weeks was pretty tough. Having the chance to play in front of my parents and the fans helps you heal a little quicker.”

An early 15-2 run showcased La Grande’s senior talent — with a sophomore starting off the show.

Kevin Attila opened the game with a 3-point field goal.

Then Luke Kevan, Gage Winde and McKague put points on the board in succession.

But don’t forget senior Anthony Nice. The Baker ball handlers didn’t.

Nice set up the opening sprint with steals.

The 5-foot-7-inch guard picked off two passes, and collected an assist during the opening push.

“It was a good night for all of (the seniors),” Tigers head coach Aaron Mills said. “This group likes to play with the spotlight on them.”

The No. 1 team in the Associated Press and Coaches poll continued to impress its coach with effort.

After a missed jumper by Ryan Tooke in the second quarter La Grande collected four offensive rebounds on the same possession. Tooke grabbed the final rebound, and gave the Tigers a 25-14 lead with his lone basket of the game.

Winde lead the attack on the boards. The 6-foot-6-inch post grabbed 11 rebounds — with eight coming on the offensive end.

“That’s something that has really helped us,” Mills said. “Early in the season we had one person trying to grab rebounds. The kids have taken it upon themselves to get better in that area. Now we have at least three players crashing towards the hoop.”

Baker stayed in the game with Derek Blankenship’s 3-point touch.

The Bulldog guard tied up the game 25-25 on consecutive shots behind the arc with 4:32 left in the second quarter.

Blankenship’s hot hand went away in the second half, but La Grande wrestled with its own problems on offense.

The Tigers stopped making the extra pass. They failed to move without the ball. And points stopped piling up on the scoreboard.

“We started playing one-on-one basketball,” Mills said. “Our offense doesn’t work like that. The four other players on the court don’t know what’s happening when one player tries to take over. All we need to do is stay in our offense.”

 McKague ended a three minute drought with a 3-point field goal, pushing the lead back to 10 points.

Again a senior run helped close the door.

Winde, Kevan and Nice pushed the lead back to 12 points, 61-49, with 2:02 left to play.

All four seniors finished in double figures. Kevan led the group with 17 points.

Winde picked up 15 points.

McKague and Nice finished with 10 points apiece.

The Tigers will play the waiting game for the next 10 days. La Grande will host a second-round playoff game March 8.

BAKER (57)

Bunch 3 4-5 10, Blankenship 8 0-0 22, Baxter 0 2-3 2, Schildknecht 2 3-4 7, Mastrude 1 2-2 5, Richards 3 5-8 11. Totals 17 16-22 57.

LA GRANDE (72)

McKague 4 0-0 10, A. Nice 5 0-1 10, Attila 6 3-3 16, Tooke 1 0-0 2, Boyd 1 0-2 2, Kevan 8 1-2 17, Winde 7 1-2 15. Totals 32 5-10 72.

Baker    14    19    7    17 – 57

La Grande    21    21    10    20 – 72

3-point goals: Baker, Blankenship 6, Mastrude 1; LG, Attila, McKague 2.

Tigers season ends on two game skid

Miscues sent the Tigers home with a 58-47 loss to Baker Tuesday.

La Grande tallied 37 turnovers. Added to a 19-8 first quarter hole equaled a loss, ending the Tigers’ season with back-to-back losses.

“We need to value the ball better,” La Grande head coach Jim MacKay said. “The girls need to trust each other out on the court. Right now it’s a consistency thing. We have to come focused and ready to play every game.”

Seniors Johanna Pettey and Megan Bedard finished with 12 and 10 points respectively.

Brittani Good finished with a game-high 19 points.

La Grande, 10-13 overall and 5-3 GOL, will host the winner the third-place team from the Capital Conference at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

BAKER (58)

Warner 3 2-2 8, Defrees 2 3-4 8, Daly 0 0-2 0, Phillips 1 0-0 2, Vaughan 5 3-4 15, Shively 1 1-2 3, Talbott 6 4-5 16, Ogan 2 2-2 6, Kuck 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 15-21 58.

LA GRANDE (47)

Good 6 7-9 19, Mitchell 0 1-2 1, Tooke 1 0-0 2, Pettey 6 0-0 12, MacKay 0 1-2 1, Bedard 4 2-2 10, Miles 0 0-0 0, Jenkins 0 0-0 0, Nice 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 11-15 47.

Baker    18    12    10    18 – 58

La Grande    9    11    10    17 – 47

3-point goals: Baker, Defrees, Vaughan 2; LG, none.