Defending state champion Bulldogs to compete in prestigious boys basketball tournament

Published 9:19 am Monday, November 4, 2024

The Baker boys basketball team achieved its ultimate goal eight months ago, beating Junction City 75-58 on March 9 to claim the Bulldogs’ third boys state title and first since 2007.

But an even bigger challenge awaits Baker this season.

The Bulldogs, who return six members of the state championship team, are scheduled to compete in one of the more prestigious high school tournaments in the nation just after Christmas.

The Les Schwab Invitational runs Dec. 26-30 at Portland State University.

The 15-team tournament field includes primarily Class 6A Oregon schools.

Baker is the only Class 4A school in the bracket.

Other Oregon schools, all Class 6A, are Barlow, Central Catholic, Grant, Jesuit, Lakeridge, Mountainside, Nelson, Roosevelt, Southridge and Westview.

The list of schools also includes Gonzaga High School from Washington, D.C., La Lumiere from La Porte, Indiana, and Owyhee from Meridian, Idaho, as well as Camas, Washington.

La Lumiere’s roster includes three players ranked in the top 100 high school players by ESPN, and Gonzaga has two such players, according to the Les Schwab Invitational website.

Many players who competed in the tournament in the past went on to play Division I college basketball and then in the NBA, including Oregonians Payton Pritchard and Kevin Love.

Baker coach Jebron Jones said he got in touch with tournament officials after the Bulldogs won the state title.

At the time the 2024 tournament field was full, but Baker was added to a waiting list, he said.

Then, in September, he got an email from the tournament director. One team had dropped out, and he offered Baker a berth in the event.

Jones said he talked with Baker athletic director Simon Lamson, who agreed to add the tournament to the Bulldogs’ schedule.

“I just thought why not give these guys the chance to have that experience, to play against guys you read about and watch highlights of,” Jones said.

Competing in the Les Schwab Invitational fits with Jones’ overall goal to schedule high-level competition for the Bulldogs before the Greater Oregon League season starts in January.

In the past few years, Baker has competed in multiple tournaments in Oregon and Idaho.

This season, in addition to the Les Schwab Invitational, the Bulldogs will travel to Prineville for a three-day tournament to open the season, Dec. 5-7, and then head to Meridian, Idaho, for another three-day event Dec. 12-14.

In both cases the Bulldogs will play three games in three days.

“The boys will need to be ready physically and mentally,” Jones said.

The Les Schwab brings the same challenges, and it also starts the day after Christmas.

“The goal is to help us prepare for league and whatever happens after league,” Jones said.

Defending state champions

The situation is different this season because the Bulldogs are coming off a 28-1 record that culminated in the state title.

“They’re going to have a target on their back,” Jones said. “I want these guys to be hungrier than they were last year, and they’re going to have to be.”

Five members of the championship team graduated — Paul Hobson, Hudson Spike, Nate Jensen, Giacomo Rigueiro and Brandon McCullough.

The Bulldogs will also be without senior starting guard Jaron Long, who is not eligible this season because the Oregon School Activities Association rejected his appeal. Long started as a freshman at BHS in the fall of 2020 but he didn’t compete in any sports that year, and he took classes after Christmas through the Eagle Cap program, his dad, Mike Long, said. However, OSAA gives students four years to compete in sports, from their official start as a high school student, Mike Long said. And OSAA denied the Longs’ appeal that Jaron should be allowed to compete in sports this year since he has only competed in three years.

The six players who won’t be on the roster this season scored 98 of Baker’s 200 points in its three games at the 2024 state tournament, including 52 of 74 points in a semifinal win over Cascade.

Returning players, however, accounted for 56 of Baker’s 75 points in the championship game.

That includes seniors Isaiah Jones and Jaxon Logsdon, who combined for 41 points in the title game, and seniors Palmer Chandler and Grant Gambleton.

Juniors Eli Long and Rasean Jones also return from the championship roster.

“All the returners know what it takes to win,” Jebron Jones said. “They know it takes a lot of hard word to get where you want to get to.”

He said the returning players have been doing a “great job” as mentors for younger players during open gym workouts.

Tryouts will start Nov. 18, when Jones and the other coaches start assessing who will fill the six open roster spaces.

Rasean Jones, who scored 13 points in the title game, is recovering from a separated shoulder injury he sustained in a football game against La Grande on Oct. 10.

Jebron Jones, who is Rasean and Isaiah’s dad, said Rasean will begin physical therapy later this month. He expects Rasean will be available to play some time in December.

Although Rasean can’t lift weights, the shoulder injury hasn’t affected his ability to run and work out on a treadmill and stair-stepping machine, and those cardiovascular exercises should speed his transition to basketball, Jebron Jones said.

2024-25 schedule

In addition to the three tournaments, Baker’s schedule includes nonleague games against Crook County, Redmond and Mountain View of Bend, a rematch with Cascade, and Churchill, a Class 5A school from Eugene.

The Bulldogs have just six home games scheduled, and fans will have to wait until 2025 to watch the defending champions play on their home floor. Baker plays host to Crook County on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 11 a.m.

Baker, which had seven homes games last season, has won 17 straight games in the BHS gym. The Bulldogs’ last loss there was to La Grande in a GOL playoff game on Feb. 19, 2022.

Baker boys basketball schedule

Dec. 5, vs. Mazama at Crook County Tip Off, 5 p.m.

Dec. 6-7: Crook County Tip Off tournament, Prineville, TBD

Dec. 12-14: Owyhee tournament, Meridian, Idaho, TBD

Dec. 26-39: Les Schwab Invitational, Portland, TBD

Jan. 4: vs. Crook County, 11 a.m.

Jan. 10: at Redmond, 7 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Mountain View (Bend), 1 p.m.

Jan. 14: vs. Pendleton, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: at Cascade, 7 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Mountain View (Washington), 6 p.m.

Jan. 20: at MLK Showcase, Kent, Washington, opponent, time TBA

Jan. 24: vs. La Grande, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: at Ontario, 6:30 p.m. PST

Feb. 4: at Pendleton, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 7: at La Grande, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 14: vs. Ontario, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 15: vs. Churchill (Eugene), TBA

Baker girls basketball

Dec. 4, vs. Burns, 6 p.m.

Dec. 5: vs. Seaside at Crook County Tip Off, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 6: at Crook County Tip Off, TBD

Dec. 7: at Crook County Tip Off, TBD

Dec. 10: vs. Vale, 6 p.m.

Dec. 17: at Fruitland, Idaho, 6:30 p.m PST

Dec. 19: at Seaside Tournament, TBD

Dec. 20: at Seaside Tournament, TBD

Dec. 21: at Seaside Tournament, TBD

Dec. 26: vs. Heritage (Washington) at Stayton Tournament, 3 p.m.

Dec. 27: at Stayton Tournament, TBD

Dec. 28: at Stayton Tournament, TBD

Jan. 4: vs. Crook County, 12:30 p.m.

Jan. 7: vs. Fruitland, Idaho, 7 p.m.

Jan. 14: vs. Pendleton, 6 p.m.

Jan. 16: at Vale, 6 p.m. PST

Jan. 21: vs. Melba, Idaho, 7 p.m.

Jan. 24: vs. La Grande, 6 p.m.

Jan. 28: at Nyssa, 6 p.m. PST

Jan. 31: at Ontario, 5 p.m. PST

Feb. 4: at Pendleton, 6 p.m.

Feb. 7: at La Grande, 6 p.m.

Feb. 14: vs. Ontario, 6 p.m.

Powder Valley boys basketball

Dec. 6: vs. North Lake at Ione Basketball Bonanza, 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: at Ione Basketball Bonanza, TBD

Dec. 12: Calvin Hiatt Invitational at North Powder, TBD, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 13: Calvin Hiatt Invitational at North Powder, TBD, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14: Calvin Hiatt Invitational at North Powder, TBD, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 19: at Union Tournament, TBD, 1 p.m.

Dec. 20: at Union Tournament, TBD, 7 p.m.

Dec. 21: at Union Tournament, TBD, 7 p.m.

Dec. 27: vs. Imbler, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 9: vs. Wallowa, 9 p.m.

Jan. 10: at Prairie City, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: at Union, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Pine Eagle, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 21: vs. Grant Union, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 23: vs. Elgin, 8 p.m.

Jan. 24: vs. Joseph, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: vs. Pine Eagle, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1: at Wallowa, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 6: vs. Union, 7:30 p.m..

Feb. 7: at Elgin, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 13: vs. Pilot Rock, 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 14: at Joseph, 7:30 p.m.

Powder Valley girls basketball

Dec. 6: vs. North Lake at Ione Basketball Bonanza, 3 p.m.

Dec. 7: at Ione Basketball Bonanza, TBD, 4 p.m.

Dec. 12: Calvin Hiatt Invitational at North Powder, TBD, 6 p.m.

Dec. 13: Calvin Hiatt Invitational at North Powder, TBD, 6 p.m.

Dec. 14: Calvin Hiatt Invitational at North Powder, TBD, 6 p.m.

Dec. 19: at Union Tournament, TBD, 1 p.m.

Dec. 20: at Union Tournament, TBD, 7 p.m.

Dec. 21: at Union Tournament, TBD, 7 p.m.

Dec. 27: vs. Imbler, 3 p.m.

Jan. 9: vs. Wallowa, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 10: at Prairie City, 6 p.m.

Jan. 17: at Union, 6 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Pine Eagle, 4 p.m.

Jan. 21: vs. Grant Union, 5 p.m.

Jan. 23: vs. Elgin, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 24: vs. Joseph, 6 p.m.

Jan. 31: vs. Pine Eagle, 6 p.m.

Feb. 1: at Wallowa, 4 p.m.

Feb. 6: vs. Union, 6 p.m..

Feb. 7: at Elgin, 6 p.m.

Feb. 13: vs. Pilot Rock, 6 p.m.

Feb. 14: at Joseph, 6 p.m.

Pine Eagle boys basketball

Dec. 5: vs. Elkton at Cove High School, 5 p.m.

Dec. 6: at Mt. Fanny Classic, Cove, TBD

Dec. 7: at Mt. Fanny Classic, Cove, TBD

Dec. 12: at Calvin Hiatt Invitational, North Powder, TBD

Dec. 13: at Calvin Hiatt Invitational, North Powder, TBD

Dec. 14: at Calvin Hiatt Invitational, North Powder, TBD

Dec. 19: at Four Rivers, 6:30 p.m. PST

Dec. 20: at Griswold, TBD

Dec. 21: at Griswold, TBD

Jan. 3: vs. Huntington, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 4: vs. Tri-Valley (Idaho), 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Union, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Joseph, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 24: vs. Elgin, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 25: vs. Wallowa, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 31: at Powder Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1: vs. Union, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 7: vs. Joseph, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: at Wallowa, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 14: at Elgin, 7:30 p.m.

Pine Eagle girls basketball

Dec. 5: vs. Elkton at Cove High School, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 6: at Mt. Fanny Classic, Cove, TBD

Dec. 7: at Mt. Fanny Classic, Cove, TBD

Dec. 12: at Calvin Hiatt Invitational, North Powder, TBD

Dec. 13: at Calvin Hiatt Invitational, North Powder, TBD

Dec. 14: at Calvin Hiatt Invitational, North Powder, TBD

Dec. 19: at Four Rivers, TBD

Dec. 20: at Griswold, TBD

Dec. 21: at Griswold, TBD

Jan. 3: vs. Huntington, 6 p.m.

Jan. 4: vs. Tri-Valley (Idaho), 6 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Union, 6 p.m.

Jan. 18: at Joseph, 4 p.m.

Jan. 24: vs. Elgin, 6 p.m.

Jan. 25: vs. Wallowa, 4 p.m.

Jan. 31: at Powder Valley, 6 p.m.

Feb. 1: vs. Union, 6 p.m.

Feb. 7: vs. Joseph, 6 p.m.

Feb. 8: at Wallowa, 4 p.m.

Feb. 14: at Elgin, 6 p.m.

Huntington boys basketball

Dec. 20: at Pilot Rock, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 3: at Pine Eagle, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 9: vs. Crane, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Griswold, 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 17: at Four Rivers, 6:30 p.m. PST

Feb. 2: vs. Four Rivers, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 15: at Dayville/Monument, 1:30 p.m.

Huntington girls basketball

Dec. 20: at Pilot Rock, 4 p.m.

Jan. 3: at Pine Eagle, 6 p.m.

Jan. 9: vs. Crane, 6 p.m.

Jan. 11: at Griswold, 1 p.m.

Jan. 17: at Four Rivers, 5 p.m. PST

Feb. 2: vs. Four Rivers, 6 p.m.

Feb. 15: at Dayville/Monument, noon