McK Sports Report – March 6

McKenzie Varsity Sports Schedule This Week

The McKenzie Varsity Winter season sports have concluded and there are no Spring scheduled contests at this time.

Mt. West League Basketball 1-5 In State First Round

Eddyville Boys Lose In Second Round

The Mt. West League sent its six best basketball teams last week to the 2025 OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 1A Boys and Girls State Basketball Championship First Round playoff games. Thirty two boys teams and thirty two girls teams, representing the State’s eight leagues qualified for the First Round playoffs.

Sixteen victorious teams from each bracket advanced to the Second Round playoffs. And the eight teams winning in the Second Round advanced to Baker City for the annual Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championship Rounds.

The Eddyville Charter Boys Basketball team was the lone Mt. West League team to make it out of the First Round. The Eagles of Eddyville Charter (#1 MWL seed) defeated the St. Paul Buckaroos (#2 Casco seed), 44-23, at Eddyville on Wednesday, February 26, and advanced to play second ranked Crane, at Crane, on Saturday, March 1. That’s where the wheels fell off with the Mustangs routing Eddyville, 68-37.

As for the rest of the Mt. West League representatives, only the Mapleton girls played their First Round opponent somewhat close. The Sailors (#1 MWL seed) hosted Powder Valley (#4 Old Oregon League seed) but lost the home court advantage and the game, 36-49. The rest of the MWL were literally schooled in what good basketball is supposed to look like.

On the Girls side, Union humbled Eddyville Charter 75-21 and Imbler blasted Triangle Lake, 64-7.

It was as bad or worse over on the boy’s side of the bracket. Alsea, the MWL second seed, lost to Crane 70-17 and third seed Triangle Lake found an unsympathetic Nixyaawii team in Pendleton, which showed the Lakers out the door with a 117-38 pounding.

One team is advancing to the Second Round of Basketball and once again, no Mt. West League teams representing at the Baker City Championships. My how far the MWL has fallen in recent years!

Baker City Quarterfinals Set

Let The Fun Begin

It’s State Championship Week all over the State of Oregon and the State’s top 16 Boys and Girls Basketball Class 1A teams are packing bags and gear and setting their compasses east for sunny Baker City. The good folks and businesses in Baker City will be rolling out the red welcome carpet to all the arriving teams and fans and the hospitality, as always, is awesome! What a place to make lifelong memories.

The Class 1A Girls Quarterfinals kick off the party on Wednesday, March 5. The State’s top-ranked team, the Union Bobcats square up to the eight team brackets lowest seed, the Echo Panthers, and this matchup will be a catfight for sure. Union (24-2) and Echo (22-6) are both members of the Old Oregon League and Echo lost to Union once, in the OOL District playoffs 53-55. This game will be the first game of the 2025 Quarterfinals and it might just be one of the best of the year. Tip-off time is 1:30 pm at Baker High School if you can’t stand it and need a break from your everyday job.

Next up at 3:15 pm, is fourth ranked Country Christian (23-5) representing the Valley 10 League and fifth ranked Jordan Valley (24-3) out of the High Desert League. These two teams met earlier on January 25 at Country Christian and the Mustangs of Jordan Valley galloped back home with a 56-48 victory over their Cougar hosts. Lot of cats in the house for the start of this quarterfinals so expect Country Christian to pick up on the growls and clawing from the earlier contest.

After dinner, at 6:30 pm, the third ranked High Desert Crane Mustangs (22-5) tangle with the North Douglas Warriors (23-4), representing the Skyline League. And topping off a fine day on the court, the second ranked Imbler Panthers (22-4), another Old Oregon League member, clashes with the Saints of North Clackamas Christian (22-5), which hails from the Valley 10 League. You can bet the NCC Saints would like to keep rollin’ on.

Winning teams advance to the Championship Semifinals, starting on March 7, and the losing quarterfinal teams proceed to the Consolation Semifinals, to be held on March 6. The Championship and Consolation Championship games will be held on Saturday, March 8.

Part of the fun at Baker City and Baker High School is that the Boys and Girls Eight team tournaments are held concurrently while school is still in session at Baker High. That being said, the Boys side of the eight team brackets tips off at 1:30 pm on Thursday, March 6, with top-ranked Mannahouse Academy, Portland (26-3) from the Valley 10 League and by the way, another cat mascot, the Lions, colliding with the eighth ranked team of the Quarterfinals, the Dufur Rangers (22-6) who are representing the Big Sky League.

Next up is the fourth ranked Sherman Huskies (23-5) from the Big Sky and the Skyline League’s North Douglas Warriors (24-3), fifth ranked. That game starts at 3:15 pm. Remember, you’re already there in Baker City for the girls openers the day prior, so pull your hat down and enjoy the ride!

Following the dinner break, at 6:30 sharp, the Nixyaawii Golden Eagles (24-3) fly in as the State’s third ranked team to play sixth ranked Country Christian (21-7). Nixyaawii hails from Pendleton and the Old Oregon League and you’ll remember that Cougars of Country Christian are from the Valley 10 League.

The night’s marquee matchup, 8:16 PT, will feature the undefeated Crane Mustangs (27-0), somehow second ranked team from the High Desert, and even money will tell you that the Mustangs will be ready to assert themselves versus the Quarterfinals lowest ranked team, the Skyline League Days Creek Wolves (20-7). Wolves and mustangs are natural enemies and so on the basketball court. These two teams matched up early on in the season and Crane easily defeated Days Creek at Crane on December 13, 2024, winning 65-41. A lot of dust has been stirred and settled since then, so this may be a fine game to cap off the evening. Championship semifinals and consolation semis will be played the next day, March 7, and the Championship and Consolation Championship games will be decided on Saturday, March 8

Oh and may I suggest a brew down at Barley Browns Brew Pub? Salmon dinner at the Palm Court at the Geiser Grand, followed by great Mexican at the El Erradero the next evening, can’t go wrong.

Breakfast? Try, the Baker Truck Corral-Restaurant off of Campbells and I-84. But make sure you have your seat for the halftime show of the Boys Championship game. The Baker Elks Drum and Bugle Corps are a tradition worth watching every year. Have a fine trip!