For what is believed to be the first time since 1990, the Klamath Union girls basketball team is headed to the final eight of the Class 4A OSAA state championships after beating Pendleton Saturday at Pel Court, 56-42.
The Pelicans will play in the quarterfinals Thursday at Forest Grove High School. #opreps Oregon School Activities Association Pendleton High School
It had a different feel to it. It had been decades since the varsity girls basketball team at Klamath Union High School hosted a first-round Class 4A OSAA state championship game at Pel Court.
Hosting a first-round state playoff game on a Saturday meant the Pelicans had to adjust to a scenery out of the norm.
A Saturday playoff game meant there would be no varsity cheerleaders, no school band and more than half of its student section not present. Unquestionably, the Pelicans had to find motivation within themselves.
Klamath Union, ranked No. 5 in the state and Pendleton ranked No. 12, held on to a five-point, 27-22 lead by halftime.
The Pelicans led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter before the Buckaroos cut their deficit to a mere nine points in the last minutes of the fourth quarter.
Klamath Union’s leading scorer, senior Dianara Peña, led the Pelicans and scored a game-high 20 points. Fellow senior, Keely Hall, came up second in scoring with 15 points.
