By ANNIE FOWLER, The CUJ
MISSION — On a night where Nixyáawii honored two players for eclipsing the 1,000-point mark, the Golden Eagles opened Old Oregon League play with a 96-42 victory over Pilot Rock on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
“Our kids never stopped playing hard, even when the game was out of reach,” Nixyáawii coach Aaron Noisy said.
Before the game, Nixyáawii seniors Rylen Bronson and Symon Picard were recognized for their play throughout their career. Bronson hit the 1,000-point mark last season during the 1A state tournament, while Picard reached the milestone during the second game of this season.
Picard led the charge for the Golden Eagles with 29 points, nine assists and four steals. He had 14 of his points in the first quarter as Nixyáawii soared to a 37-14 lead.
“Symon had a really good game,” Noisy said. “It came within the offense. We were able to get some good looks and score. He got easy buckets by playing good defense.”
Sun Schimmel scored nine of his 17 points in the second quarter as the Golden Eagles led 54-16 at the half.
Nixyáawii (10-2 overall, 1-0 OOL) wrapped up the game with a 43-26 run in the second half with the starters taking a seat in the fourth quarter.
The Golden Eagles were on the verge of 100 points, but Noisy said there was no need to run up the score.
“We are trying to teach the kids to have sportsmanship,” he said.
Weptas Brockie added 15 points and five for the Golden Eagles, while Rylen Bronson had 12 points, six assists and three steals. Schimmel added eight rebounds, four assists and five steals, and Irvin Stewart had four rebounds, five steals and three assists.
Pilot Rock (9-3, 0-2), which opened the season with a 9-0 record, has lost three in a row.
The Rockets were led by Hunter Fitzpatrick with 13 points, while Lewis Hansen added 10 and Krister Litfin nine.
