Knights, Mustangs prepare for CBC showdown

The frequency of such competition, however, is admittedly unusual, head coach Mitch Thompson said regarding the team’s showdown with top-rated Heppner Friday night in Heppner.

“This is our fourth time playing a No. 1 team this year,” the first-year coach said. “I think that’s kind of unheard of.”

The third-ranked Knights (11-1) will enter Friday 2-1 against top-ranked opposition. They pulled out victories over Class 2A’s then No. 1 Toledo and Class 1A’s best Horizona Christian on Tuesday. The team’s lone loss came to Class 3A Dayton in a 69-67 nailbiter at the Pirates gym earlier this month.

The host Mustangs are atop the 2A food chain after compiling a 10-1 record to this point. Toledo owns the only Heppner defeat this season.

“Are we the best team in state? Well, I think Irrigon’s got to be the best team until someone knocks them off. They haven’t lost to a 2A team in like what two years?” Heppner coach Jeremy Rosenbalm said.

For Heppner to end the Knights dominance, which includes just one loss in Columbia Basin Conference play the last 32 times out, it’ll need to stick to its guns, Rosenbalm said.

“You’re not going to stop a great basketball team like that, because they have so many great weapons,” he said. “Hopefully we can slow them down, but we need to focus on our game plan and what we do well. We don’t want to get away from what we do well.”

This season that has been feeding the Mustangs 6-foot-4 center Patrick Collins early and often. With the big man busy at work in the paint drawing double teams, it has freed shooters like Logan Grieb and Weston Putman the necessary room to spot up and drill long range shots.

The Mustangs have yet to lose with Collins’ 18 points and 11 rebounds in the lineup. Their defeat to Toledo came with the junior in Pasadena taking in the Rose Bowl football game.

“You have to start with Patrick Collins,” Thompson said. “He’s a tremendous player. He’s big. He’s strong. I think he’s pretty intelligent as well.

“He’s bigger and stronger than anyone that we’ve got. That’s to be expected. We’ve played multiple games where they have bigger stronger kids than us. We just have to do a good job as a group and work together and stay together”

Last season it was Knight senior Ryan Reynolds who drew the difficult task and accordingly shut the sturdy ball player down in a pair of dominant Irrigon victories. “He can have a huge impact in the game. But, we’ve got to get him involved early and see how Irrigon’s going to guard him. Last year they did a great job against him,” Rosenbalm said.

Heppner has not beaten Irrigon in its past six tries and no game has been closer than 12 points.

The biggest challenge for the Mustangs and Irrigon opponents alike, has been keying in on the Knights trio of capable scorers. The loaded lineup includes the past two Class 2A State Players of the Year Adrian Romero and Anthony Landeros as well as this year’s leading scorer Fredy Vera.

All three are lethal perimeter shooters, but also competent at getting the ball to the rim.

“It’s going be a great test for us. It’s still early in the season this one game on Friday isn’t going to decide the season for us,” Rosenbalm said.

Not lost in Rosenbalm’s preparation for Friday is the challenge that lingers a day later. That’s when the Mustangs will travel to No. 5 Stanfield (9-2) for its second top-five showdown in as many days.

“I honestly believe that our league could be the toughest league in the state. If you look at the rankings that’ s pretty obvious too,” Rosenbalm said.