In 1925, Wallowa’s enrollment was 124, which is larger than many schools in District 1 but four times smaller than bigger schools like La Grande and Baker, two schools who would stand in Wallowa’s way if it was to travel to Salem and the state basketball tournament.
Anyone who watched the gridiron during the fall of 1924 would have learned that Wallowa was going to be a force in Eastern Oregon. When Wallowa thumped Enterprise 45-7 in the final football game of the year to cap an unbeaten season, the precedent had been set for a successful sports campaign.
Wallowa wasn’t satisfied with being just Eastern Oregon champs in football as calls were made to play against Eugene high school, probable champions of Western Oregon. Sadly, the newspapers at the time never mentioned if the game came to fruition and what happened.
Thanks to some nifty math, the Wallowa Sun determined that no team in the state of Oregon could make a better claim to the state championship in football than Wallowa.
“Wallowa beat La Grande 12 to 0. La Grande and Pendleton tied 0 to 0. This makes Wallowa 12 points better than Pendleton. Pendleton defeated The Dalles 26 to 7, a margin of 19. This makes Wallowa’s margin over The Dalles 31 points. The Dalles won over Albany 31 to 0, giving Wallowa a lead of 62 points on comparative scores. Hillsboro defeated Albany 12 to 0, which gives Wallowa a margin of 50 over the Western Oregon claimant.” [1]
Clever mathematics aside, it was clear that Wallowa was going to be a tough team to take out on the hardwood.
Wallowa returned a solid core from their 1924 team that lost in the first round of the district basketball tournament to Union. The contest was close throughout and even tied late in the fourth quarter at 31, but Union “looped through two baskets that put the game on ice for them.” [2]
After establishing their dominance on the football field, Wallowa’s star athletes switched gears to the hardwood.
Led by Coach James Eaman, Wallowa worked tediously to prepare for the grueling basketball season. Eaman built his team around senior Tony Greer, a two-year stalwart at center and Captain Leon Baird, a guard.
Two of Wallowa’s first three games were with La Grande, defending champions of District 1 and early favorites to repeat in 1925. La Grande had knocked off Joseph in the 1924 District 1 Tournament and ended Jo-High’s two-year reign as Eastern Oregon champs.
Undaunted, Wallowa took the two games from La Grande, including the season opener on the road in La Grande where the Savages, as they were called in the Wallowa Sun, held La Grande without a field goal in the second half of a 13-9 win.
One weekend after handling Union 37-20, Wallowa returned home to face La Grande. La Grande led for most of the game though it was close. La Grande led 21-20 in the fourth quarter before Wallowa closed the game with a 6-1 run to come away with a 26-22 victory.
With two victories over the defending champions already to their credit, Wallowa had staked their claim as the class of District 1. Certainly Joseph and Baker would factor into the equation by the end of the season, but the Savages had started with a flourish.
Next, Wallowa faced a two-game series with Baker, traditionally one of the strongest teams in Eastern Oregon. According to the Wallowa yearbook, the Waloha, “Baker carried a formidable reputation and many Wallowa fans predicted that Wallowa might be beaten.” [3]
The confident Wallowa team proceeded to take two straight from the boys from Baker County. The home town Savages broke open a tie game at halftime with a 13-3 second half to pull out a 21-11 victory. Wallowa proved the first game wasn’t a fluke the following week when they traveled to Baker and scratched out a 13-6 victory to move their record to 5-0 on the season.
Before their final four games against Joseph and Enterprise, Wallowa first dispatched of Union at Union, 28-12 in a “slow and uninteresting” game. [4] The outcome was never in doubt though the Unionites were said to have put up a good fight in defeat.
Sporting a 6-0 record and no doubt full of confidence, the team had the most challenging stretch of the schedule yet to play. The last four games of the season were to be with Joseph and Enterprise, two of the best teams in the District.
Enterprise was noted for its defensive prowess, having held La Grande to a 13-8 score earlier in the season. Led by a veteran team with a slew of returning players, both Joseph and Enterprise were sure to provide a stiff challenge for the Savages.
Joseph, winners of district titles in 1922 and 1923, proved to be every bit the team as Wallowa. They broke open a 6-3 halftime game in the second half while Wallowa went frigid from the field. Joseph responded with a flurry of offensive production, led by forward Estes, who “came through with an avalanche of shots from every angle” in the fourth quarter. [5]
The showdown of the two premier small-schools in Eastern Oregon produced a decidedly lopsided result, a 26-9 win for Joseph. Many considered Joseph the team to beat in Eastern Oregon and their 17-point drubbing over Wallowa certainly added to those beliefs.
The following night, the Enterprise stalwarts fought Wallowa tooth and nail and through three quarters looked poised to send Wallowa to defeat on their own floor. They were also looking to pin the second defeat on Wallowa in as a many nights. But seniors Tony Greer and Bill Henderson scored six points and Wallowa erupted for 16 points in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 35-20 victory and a split on the road trip.
The return game between Joseph and Wallowa was played the following week at Wallowa. A packed house saw a close game throughout as the stars shined for their respective teams. The Savages led 11-9 at halftime behind four points each for Greer and Henderson, two from Oliver and a free throw from Baird. In the third quarter, both teams came out firing and Joseph forged into the lead as Mathews poured in six of his game high 10 points in the quarter. Greer and Henderson did their parts to keep Wallowa close, combining for six points of their own.
Clinging to a 19-17 lead at the end of three quarters, Joseph tightened their defense in the fourth quarter. The last quarter “was played very poorly by both sides, the checking being so close that neither side was able to score…many times missing the backboard entirely.” [6]
Neither team found the basket in the fourth quarter and Joseph claimed their second victory over Wallowa. Winners of two of the last three District 1 championships, Joseph was now in the driver’s seat heading into the Sub-District Tournament at La Grande.
To complete the season, Wallowa ventured up to Enterprise and prevailed in double overtime on a Tony Greer shot from the middle of the floor with around 40 seconds left. The game was not without controversy however as with a few minutes left in the game, the referee blew his whistle for Wallowa to make a substitution. The Enterprise fans and players thought the game was over and people began to leave their seats and surround the Enterprise players to congratulate them on the victory. Many in the crowd began to leave and some even made it all the way out the doors and into the brisk night.
The referees cleared the floor and Oliver returned to center and won the tip to Greer who dribbled down and made the basket to force over time. [7]
Wallowa entered the sub-district tournament at La Grande with an 8-2 record. The tournament featured Wallowa and Union Counties. Four teams from the two counties would enter the District 1 Tournament at Union the following weekend. Meanwhile, over in Baker, the schools of Baker County played for a trip to districts with the top two teams advancing. The schools in Grant County and Malheur Counties battled for one spot apiece.
In the tournament at La Grande, Wallowa, Joseph, Enterprise and La Grande all advanced to the district tournament at Union. In Baker, Muddy Creek and the host Baker advanced, while Prairie City (Grant County) and Vale (Malheur County) earned berths in the Union meet.
Wallowa ventured to Union to take on the best of Eastern Oregon for the 1925 District 1 Tournament. Wallowa drew Muddy Creek in the opener and used an 18-0 second quarter to break the contest open and coasted for a 46-11 victory.
Later that night, Wallowa met La Grande in a crucial game of the tournament. A victory over their old nemesis would make the road to Salem easier, while a loss would have thrown Wallowa into the loser’s bracket. Even though Wallowa had defeated La Grande three times, once in football and twice in basketball, “Wallowa was classed way below La Grande by the La Grande Observer.”[8]
Wallowa showed its mettle in holding La Grande to just five points in the contest. La Grande made three free throws and just one shot from the field, while Wallowa rang the bell for 17 points. According to the Sun, “this was the greatest defense the local team has showed in the last three years and their 17-5 victory was well earned.” [9]
The frenetic defensive intensity Wallowa unleashed against La Grande nearly cost them dearly in their third game against Enterprise. Bill Henderson proved his mettle in the third quarter, notching two crucial baskets for Wallowa as they eased to a four-point victory 14-10 over the county-seaters.
Meanwhile, archrival Joseph was also making her way through the bracket, dispatching Prairie City, Baker and Vale to reach a Saturday evening matchup against the winner of the Baker and Wallowa game.
Wallowa, after the rugged win over La Grande, overcame a slow offensive output and sluggish shooting to hold off Enterprise 14-10 in their third game. The four-point victory over Enterprise eliminated Enterprise from contention and left just three teams standing, Wallowa, Joseph and Baker.
Wallowa faced Baker for the right to challenge Joseph for the District 1 crown. Joseph had already defeated Baker meaning a Wallowa victory would have eliminated Baker and set up a championship game between the two premier small schools in Eastern Oregon. Baker nixed that plan, stifling Wallowa’s offense schemes and pulling out a 16-7 victory. Baker completely dominated Wallowa and led 12-0 at halftime.
The loss did not eliminate Wallowa; they would now be forced to play Monday night against the winner of the Joseph and Baker game Saturday night. Joseph was in the catbird seat, having drawn the bye Saturday afternoon and still undefeated in the tournament. Baker and Wallowa both had one defeat to their name so one more loss ended the season.
Baker and Joseph were to meet for the right to play Wallowa. Despite the loss, Wallowa was still in the championship flight by virtue of their first three wins. The Baker and Joseph game never happened because for some reason, Baker forfeited the game to Joseph. No explanation was given in the Wallowa Sun or the Waloha but it meant the two finest small schools in Eastern Oregon would meet for the District 1 crown.
Joseph was essentially making their third appearance in the district championship game in four years, having defeated Enterprise at Enterprise in 1922 and La Grande at Enterprise in 1923 at the end of the regular season. However, these were not championship games of a District Tournament but rather a playoff game to break a deadlock in the standings.
The big night came and the packed house at Union was at a fever pitch. Joseph and Wallowa battled to a near standstill in the championship tilt. Joseph went in at halftime up 4-2 and maintained the two point advantage after three, 6-4. Estes scored for Joseph but a field goal each from Oliver, Johnson and Greer gave the Savages a 10-8 lead with three minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
During the final three minutes, Joseph desperately attempted to even the score but Wallowa’s strong defense kept them at bay. In the end, Joseph could not equalize the game and Wallowa found itself the winner of the district crown and coveted trip to the state capital and a shot at a state title.
The town of Wallowa celebrated their boys just like the citizens of Joseph two years before. There were rallies, dinners and speeches and the boys of Wallowa high school were treated like royalty for a few days. As is often the case when a cross-state trip was in the offing, the issue of finances loomed large. But the townspeople and school assisted with the financial burden and raised nearly $300 for the trip.
The town flocked to the train station on Monday, March 10th to see the boys off to Salem. It was a long and tiresome journey and the team pulled into the station in Salem at noon on Thursday, the day they were to meet Salem high school in the first round game.
Salem was favored to win the tournament and Wallowa “entered the game in very poor shape. Everyone was sick with an epidemic of flu which was aggravated by the change of altitude and climate.” [10]
Nevertheless, Wallowa hung tough with Salem during the first quarter. But eventually the strain of racing up and down the huge Willamette University floor began to wear the Savages down.
Salem led 14-6 at halftime but Wallowa lost Henderson who succumbed to the flu and Rinker substituted. Salem continued to expand the lead and pulled away for a 25-10 victory. Greer led Wallowa with six points in the game.
Salem went on to dominate the rest of the tournament, beating Astoria by 10 in the next round and McMinnville by 27 in the semifinals.
Wallowa coach Eaman was happy with his team and believes that had Salem ventured out east, the result might have been different. Eaman was “confident that Wallowa could have held the Salem team if it played on a local floor with the team in regular shape and that either Joseph or Baker compared favorably to Salem.”[11]
For Wallowa, the trip to the state tournament was the first of many. In the next 85 years, Wallowa would make 16 trips to the state tournament final site, good enough for fourth all-time in Oregon small school basketball history. They have three state championships to their names and hundreds of boys have suited up for Wallowa and worn the black and orange of Wallowa proudly.
The Cougars, as they are called now, nearly claimed their fourth state championship trophy at the 2010 state tournament in Baker, advancing all the way to the finals before losing a close championship game tilt.
Not much has changed in over 85 years of Wallowa high school basketball. Still among the state’s elite.
[1] “Wallowa Football Team Makes Claim to State Title,” Wallowa Sun, December 5, 1924, Page 1.
[2] “Play to Finals of Tournament; High School Quintet Wins Three, Loses to La Grande,” Enterprise Journal, March 4, 1924, Page 1
[3] “Basketball Season,” Wallowa High School Waloha, 1925, Page 49
[4] Ibid
[5] “Basket Ball team Wins from Enterprise, Union, but Loses to Joseph,” Wallowa Sun, February 13, 1925, Page 1.
[6] “Joseph Basketball Team wins 17-19 in Exciting Game at Gym Thursday,” Wallowa Sun, February 20, 1925, Page 1.
[7] “Wallowa Wins Close Game from Enterprise by 28-26 Score Friday,” Wallowa Sun, February 27, 1925, Page 1
[8] “Basketball Season,” Wallowa High School Waloha, 1925, Page 50
[9] “Basketball Team Wins District Championship at Union,” Wallowa Sun, March 13, 1925, Page 2
[10] “Basketball Team Meets Defeat by 10-25 Score by Salem at Tournament,” Wallowa Sun, March
[11] Ibid.
2 comments:
Great post!
Thanks Kirby, fun to research these teams. Did you read the one's about Joseph? Click on the "Small School Success Story" for more small schools making the state tournament in the early years.
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