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| THE DALLES-WAHTONKA freshman Anndria North (front) lunges for a pass while Crook County’s Channele Fulton defends during the first half of Friday’s game. TDW won, 62-47. Ray Rodriguez photo |
Eagle Indians notch third-straight win
TDW connects on 56 percent from field in first half on way to 62-47 victory over Crook County
By Ray Rodriguez
The Chronicle
Four games ago, The Dalles-Wahtonka head coach Dan Telles challenged his team.
He told them there was a lack of respect among the ranks of the Intermountain Conference.
The Eagle Indians have responded in a major way.
Nadia Telles scored 19 points, freshman Anndria North added 18 points, and the Eagle Indians rode their hot shooting first half to roll past Crook County in 5A Intermountain Conference girls hoops play at Kurtz Gym in The Dalles.
“One thing we found out four games ago is that these girls are competitors. They are very competitive,” Telles said. “We basically challenged them. We told them ‘Nobody respects us, so let’s go out and earn their respect.’ The girls are playing well. They are leaving it all out on the floor. We are coming together as a team at the right time.”
The win was the third consecutive for the Eagle Indians, who are in the fourth and final playoff spot with five games left.
During the winning streak, TDW is averaging 54.3 points a contest, more than eight points above its season average.
The four league wins dwarf last season’s IMC win total of one. TDW has a 4-5 league record, with two of the losses coming by an average of 1.5 points.
North said the turnaround is simple: the team is having fun and, most importantly, they believe.
“I think we realize we can contend in this league. We have figured out what works for us and what doesn’t and we have started to execute those things,” she said. “We have started to rely on each other, depend on each other and just have fun. Now that we have started winning, we are starting to enjoy the game a lot more. Winning is funny that way. We start doing things the right way and we develop confidence. That is the key.”
In the opening half, TDW canned 15-of-27 shots and jumped on the last place Cowgirls with the combination of the inside and outside game.
Backdoor passes hit their mark, players moved crisply to open lanes and six different players contributed field goals in the opening two quarters of play.
Telles was in a zone in the opening half, scoring nine points in the first quarter and six in the second quarter for a game-high 15 first-half points.
“Nadia was shooting the lights out and everyone was just working hard,” North said. “We were working hard on defense and we were getting the stops. It was really fun. You could feel the intensity and it really fueled us.”
While the Eagle Indians were hitting their mark, Crook County struggled from the field, making good on 8-of-27 shots.
TDW went on a 13-4 run in the first 4:48 of the first quarter, with Sydney Hege capping the run with a baseline jumper.
The Eagle Indians led by as much as 17-4 in the first, before Crook County closed things out with a 4-0 spurt to move to within 17-8 after eight minutes of action.
In the second quarter, the Eagle Indians continued their torrid pace, using back-to-back layups from Leah Wilson and a jumper by Telles to swell the cushion to 31-16 with 1:50 left in the half.
When the horn sounded, ending the second quarter, TDW was up by a 35-19 margin.
“That first half was the best we have played all season. The girls were looking for each other and we were making great passes,” Coach Telles said. “We are playing nice basketball right now. We have a nice inside-outside game. They are playing basketball and taking what the defense gives them.”
At one point in the third quarter, the Eagle Indians led by as much as 22 points, and with 38 ticks left, North drove baseline for a layup and a foul to give her squad a 48-28 advantage.
Entering the fourth quarter, TDW led 48-30, and with 6:53 remaining in the game, North drained two foul shots to give the Eagle Indians a 53-33 lead.
Crook County bounced back off the canvas and delivered a 13-3 run in a span of 4:31 to cut its deficit to 56-46 with 2:22 left.
During that span, TDW went 3-of-7 from the free throw line and committed four turnovers.
There would be no late game meltdown on this night, as TDW connected on 4-of-4 free throws in the next 1:24, and the Cowgirls misfired on their next three shots.
Danni Severance led the Cowgirls with 12 points, and Korey Hehn added 11 points. In the second half, Severance was held to one point, with none coming in the fourth quarter.
For the Eagle Indians, Wilson finished with 10 points, and Hege tallied six points.
In all, TDW made good on 21-of-41 from the field and committed 10 turnovers.
TDW (10-10 overall, 4-5 league) faces another tough test with three-straight road games at Mountain View (Tuesday), Bend and Pendleton.
Now holding tight to its playoff spot, Coach Telles feels his team has the right formula in place to keep the pace.
“That’s the thing. We know we have the capabilities to play the game of basketball and be a contender,” he said. “At the same time, we are a young squad. However, we are not looking at that. We got the potential. We just have to play under control and that is what we are doing right now.”
.Sports Editor Ray Rodriguez can be reached at (541) 506-4618 or email RRodriguez (at) thedalleschronicle.com.
