VALE – The Vale boys varsity basketball team started slow and struggled to maintain momentum and St. Mary’s of Medford took advantage to post a 54-46 first-round state playoff win Wednesday, Feb. 22.
The loss ends Vale’s season.
“It is unfortunate to play one of our worst basketball games of the season in a playoff game,” said Vale coach Colby Shira.
Vale trailed 29-22 at halftime but tied the contest, 33-33, late in the third quarter. Diesel Johnson’s two-pointer with just over two minutes left in the third frame put the home team ahead 35-34.
St. Mary’s, though, used a scoring spurt as the third quarter ended for a 40-35 advantage and dominated the final quarter to ice the win.
Johnson finished the game with 19 points and 18 rebounds.
The Vikings were stymied late in the game by committing turnovers and going ice cold with their shooting.
“Offensively we couldn’t put enough together,” said Shira.
The Vikings ended the season with an 8-2 league mark and a district championship trophy.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE – The Malheur Enterprise delivers quality local journalism – fair and accurate. You can read it any hour, any day with a digital subscription. Read it on your phone, your Tablet, your home computer. Click subscribe – $7.50 a month.