La Grande Tigers Defeat Madras 62-56, Advance to 4A State Championship

Blake Hildebrandt scored 20 points and Beckett Hutchins knocked down five three-pointers for 16 more as La Grande's Tigers defeated Madras 62-56 in the OSAA 4A semifinals on March 13, punching their ticket to the state championship game.

The victory capped a remarkable two-day run for La Grande, which entered the tournament seeded eighth. A day earlier, the Tigers had stunned No. 1 Scappoose 61-50 in Thursday's first quarterfinal, the program's first semifinal appearance since 2010. Against the top-ranked Indians, Hutchins was the engine of the upset, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Trailing 25-23 at halftime, La Grande outscored Scappoose 19-11 in the third quarter to take a 42-36 lead, then extended it with a 9-5 run to open the fourth. A Darek Mcilmoil layup with 3:37 remaining pushed the margin to 53-41, and Scappoose never got closer than six.

"I knew all along that we could beat Scappoose," La Grande coach Shawn Brooks said after the quarterfinal. "Not many people have believed in us all year, but we believe in ourselves, just trusting the process. Our guys really showed up in the second half after not playing their game in the first half."

Madras arrived at the semifinal having survived a scare of its own. The White Buffaloes led St. Helens 36-21 with less than four minutes left in the third quarter before the Lions erupted with a 7-0 run to close the period and then opened the fourth with a 13-5 burst, tying the game at 41-41 on an Andrew Waite layup with 2:44 remaining. Madras steadied down the stretch, with John Buffalo-Ball and Angelo Perez-Perez adding seven points between them to secure the win and advance to Friday's semifinal carrying a 20-5 record.

In the semifinal, it was La Grande's shooting that ultimately separated the two teams. Hutchins' five three-pointers kept Madras from crowding the paint, while Hildebrandt's 20-point performance gave the Tigers a reliable interior threat. La Grande held on to win 62-56 and advance with a 17-10 record.

The Tigers will play in the OSAA 4A state title game, a stage La Grande has not reached in over 15 years.