Two Malheur County girls basketball teams finished strong at their state championship tournaments this weekend.
The Vale girls basketball team took third in state for the second straight year on Saturday, March 8, at the 3A girls state basketball championship at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay.
Coming off a 33-30 semifinal game loss to Banks on Friday, the Vikings faced Jefferson High School in the battle for third place. Vale downed Jefferson 56-49.
Elli Jacobs, a junior, and Brynlee Hartley, a senior, combined for 30 points, while Kesley Stepleton scored eight and had seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. Meanwhile, senior Bella Johnson was clutch at the free throw line, going four for four.
Jacobs was named to the All-Tournament second team for her solid performance.
The third-ranked Vale team finished the season 26-2 overall and 10-0 in league play.
Jordan Valley
The Mustangs took fifth at the state tourney after a 54-42 semifinal loss to Union on Friday, March 7, at the 1A state championship at Baker High School. The Mustangs lost to Imbler 48-39 the following day in a consolation game for third place.
Jalee Maestrejuan, a junior, and Kenzie Tuttle, a senior, scored 14 and 10 points respectively. Maestrejuan was named player of the game for the Mustangs.
Jordan Valley’s Meg Eiguren, a senior, was named player of the game for the Mustangs in the Friday semifinal game. Eiguren scored 14 points and went six for eight at the free throw line.
Jordan Valley’s semifinal appearance was the first for the Mustangs since 1999. The fifth-ranked girls squad was 25-5 overall this season and 10-1 in league action.
News tip? Send your information to Steven Mitchell at [email protected].
WE CAN’T DO THIS FOR FREE – The Malheur Enterprise delivers quality local journalism – fair and accurate. We depend on support through subscriptions to deliver our reports. 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.
