STAYTON — Baker improved to 5-4 with a dominating 70-40 win over Gladstone in the first round of the Stayton holiday tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 27.

Baker led 22-7 after the first quarter, and the Gladiators never narrowed the lead to single digits thereafter.

The Bulldog offense stumbled in the second quarter, scoring just six points, but Baker had its best half of the season in the second, scoring 42 points.

Nine of the 10 Bulldogs scored, led by freshman Kyndal Chandler’s 14 and Emy Myer’s 10, including two of Baker’s three 3-pointers.

Kathryn Gentry and Ashlyn Dalton had nine points each, and Gwen Rasmussen and Makea Robb had six each.

Baker coach Jason Ramos said he challenged the Bulldogs to start the game with “energy” — potentially a challenge after driving about 350 miles earlier in the day.

Baker was also playing its first official game since Dec. 12 (Baker lost to a team of Bulldog alumni, 48-39, on Dec. 22).

“We came out with a lot of energy and we executed well,” Ramos said about Baker’s 22-point first quarter. “I think they were excited to play again.”

He said the Bulldogs were “out of sync” in the second period, when Rasmussen, with six points, was the only Bulldog to score.

“We regrouped at halftime,” Ramos said. He said the players set a goal of scoring at least 15 points in the third quarter. They exceeded that by nine points.

“We had a good second half for sure,” he said.

Chandler and Gentry each scored six points in the first quarter as Baker took control early against the Gladiators in a rematch of the March 2023 Class 4A state championship game, which Baker won to claim its second girls state title.

Baker will play second-ranked Stayton in a semifinal game Thursday, Dec. 28 at 6 p.m.

Stayton, 6-1, advanced to the semifinals by beating Klamath Union 46-36 on Wednesday.

“The competition level steps up for sure,” Ramos said. “We know we’re up for a challenge.”

BAKER (70)

Gentry 4 1-2 9, Logsdon 0 0-2 0, Spike 1 3-4 5; Dalton 4 1-2 9, Whitford 1 0-0 3, Chander 7 0-0 14, Myer 4 0-3 10, Rasmussen 2 3-4 7, Robb 2 3-4 7, Gulick 3 0-0 6. Totals 28 11-21 70.

GLADSTONE (40)

Locke 0 0-0 0, Prehn 5 3-8 13, Mellena 0 1-2 1, Browning 3 0-0 6, Transsen 0 0-0 0, Monrw 5 7-8 20, Stevens 0 0-4 0, Taylor 0 0-0 0, Keyes 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 11-22 40.

Baker      22 6 24 18 — 70

Gladstone 7  7 11 15 — 40

The Powder Valley girls basketball team’s seven-game winning streak ended with a 53-20 loss to Crane, the top-ranked Class 1A team, on Wednesday night, Dec. 27 in the Eastern Oregon Crossover Holiday tournament at North Powder.

The Badgers, 7-3, are ranked 11th.

Crane is 8-0.

Powder Valley plays Burns Thursday at 9:15 p.m. at Baker High School.

The Badger boys are playing in the same tournament, and they lost 55-34 to La Grande on Wednesday at BHS.

Powder Valley will play the Baker JV on Thursday at 9:15 p.m. at North Powder.

Other scores from the tournament’s opening day Wednesday:

Girls

Pine Eagle 47, Huntington 34

Prairie City/Burnt River 64, Cove 31

Boys

Huntington 57, Pine Eagle 33

Cove 62, Prairie City/Burnt River 47