Powers Girls Reach Baker City Consolation Final After 30-Year Drought

Kendra Bushnell banked in a go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing seconds as Powers edged Jordan Valley 58-57 in a consolation semifinal at the Class 1A state tournament in Baker City, clinching a spot in the consolation final at 9:45 a.m. Saturday. The comeback capped a day that guarantees Powers hardware on their first trip to the state tournament in 30 years.

Powers trailed by 11 at the start of the fourth quarter before Starlena Pina drilled a 3-pointer to pull the Cruisers within 44-36 and ignite a 13-0 run. During that stretch KaiLey Jo Swenson converted three buckets and Pina sank a free throw to complete the rally. Danika Bushnell tied the game with a free throw and then put Powers ahead with a bucket with just over four minutes remaining, setting the stage for Kendra Bushnell’s last-gasp game-winner.

The turnaround followed an earlier second-round victory that sent Powers to Baker City. Powers beat Harper Charter 52-38, trailing 14-13 after one quarter before taking a 30-25 halftime lead and outscoring Harper Charter 22-13 in the second half. Harper Charter’s Lindsay Talbot finished with 15 points. A team source said, "Danika was our motor tonight, keeping us on track and keeping us organized. Starlena hit one at a crucial moment that sent our momentum surging ahead."

State activity scheduling placed Powers in a consolation semifinal against No. 4 Jordan Valley at 9 a.m. Friday at Baker High School. Powers will meet Country Christian, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, in the consolation final Saturday at 9:45 a.m.; Country Christian beat Union 54-44 on Friday morning. A bracket preview had Powers matched with top-ranked Imbler in a Thursday quarterfinal at 1:30 p.m., but the available accounts do not include an explicit result from that quarterfinal before Powers appeared in consolation play.

The run to Baker City ends a decades-long drought for Powers. The program’s last state appearance came in the mid-1990s, with a 1995 title and a 1996 runner-up finish. Former Powers standout Mowe, age 48, recalled leading Powers to the 1994 state tournament and later watching the 1996 championship, when she scored 28 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked three shots in her final high school game. Mowe, who has coached girls basketball at Baker High School starting in 2008 and now runs Sweet Wife Baking with her husband, said of the current Cruisers, "I was impressed. They played so hard." Her niece, Brooke Mowe, is a junior guard on this season’s squad.

Powers’ victory over Jordan Valley — a one-point, last-second finish after an 11-point deficit — leaves the Cruisers with a consolation final against Country Christian and the tangible reward of returning home with a Baker City trophy on a season that marks their first trip to the Class 1A state tournament since 1996.