Home 
Sports Tigers ready for tournament test
Tigers ready for tournament test
|
 TIGER TRAIN: Luke Kevan (40) and the La Grande basketball team will head to Corvallis in quest of a state championship. The Tigers will tip-off against Marist at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday. - The Observer/PAUL HARDER When La Grande (24-1) takes the floor against Marist (22-4) at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday in Gill Coliseum, something may be missing. There won’t be any knees knocking or other outward signs of nervousness. The Tigers will fill that void with unflappable confidence — which may seem odd considering only Anthony Nice returns from a team that took second just two years ago. But the opening minutes in La Grande’s biggest game to date this season — a second-round state playoff game against Molalla — provided a glimpse of what is to come. A sophomore dribbles down the floor, pulls up and knocks down a 3-point shot for his first playoff basket. That young player was Kevin Attila, and his attitude is carried throughout the team. “It’s a game I’ve been playing since I was 3 years old,” Attila said. “That (the game against Molalla) was another game ... with bigger implications. The hoop is still the same height, and the court is the same length. We understand it’s a big opportunity. But we need to keep it from getting bigger than it really is.” Attitude will tip the scales back toward the Tigers, who will travel west in their own search for self. “People on the west side of the state don’t get to see us very often,” Attila said. “We don’t get a lot of respect from them. This is our chance to get some and show we belong there. Only the best-of-the-best make it into the final eight. It’s our time to show them we are for real.” That confidence comes from a trickle down effect. Nice is unflappable as they come. La Grande’s leader already feathered his graduation cap with one state championship — in baseball last spring. That playoff experience will help when La Grande, ranked No. 1, caps the opening night in Corvallis against No. 3 Marist. Earlier this season, Nice said winning one championship made winning them a tangible thing. That new mindset translated into his preparation this time around.
 The Observer/PAUL HARDER Saturday’s second-round game may have been the appetizer the Tigers needed before heading down I-84 to the west. Molalla challenged La Grande all game long. And the Tigers trailed at the half for the first time since Dec. 21 against Crook County. “It was great for us,” Nice said. “We knew not to panic, because good teams don’t. It was just a matter of time before someone’s shots started to fall. Getting to match-up against a team like that was crucial. It showed us a few things we needed to work on.” It also taught the Tigers an invaluable lesson — not all games are officiated the same. Time and time again the La Grande guards got whistled on the perimeter, and were left shaking their heads. “We know we have to change a few things now,” Attila said. “It wasn’t a big deal, but it was different. We’ll make the adjustments.” |
