Pendleton's Spenser Sundin goes for a shot past the Hood River Eagles during the 10th Annual Pendleton Red Lion Classic Friday in Pendleton. <i>Staff photo by Nicole Barker</i>

The Pendleton boys’ basketball game against Hood River was almost over before it started Friday evening.

A 25-6 first quarter erased any doubt of a hangover from the Bucks’ Tuesday loss in Walla Walla, leading to a 75-32 thumping of the Eagles in the first round of the Red Lion Classic.

“I think we were all pumped up and it led to a good first half,” senior point guard Mikal Wright said. “(Tuesday) was a little bit of a motivater, because then we couldn’t run anything. I think we were on the same page tonight.”

Coach Stu Clem said the team had a strong week of practice and that Thursday he and his staff reinforced the need to be “strong competitors.” The pep talk seemed to have paid off, as throughout the first half, the Bucks outplayed Hood River in every facet of the game.

It showed how much team chemistry we have,” senior Codi Warner said. “It shows how quickly we can jump back and how we practice to get ready for the next game.”

In the first quarter alone, the Bucks had seven players score – led by senior Taylor West in the middle with seven points and five rebounds.

“(West) really showed some brilliant quickness to the basket and did well posting up,” Clem said. “The team wanted to show they could play at a high level and they did that. They saw that it wasn’t about the other team, but that we have to take care of ourselves.”

The rout continued in every quarter after that, as Pendleton had an effective mesh of pressuring the ball, rebounding and putting points on the board.

“We’re fast and we need those fastbreaks,” Wright said. “That’s how we get our offense going and we did that today.”

The team swiped 22 steals in the game, leading to multiple break-away buckets. And despite giving up a substantial size advantage to the Eagles, Pendleton outrebounded their opponent 50-35.

West had a big part of the rebounding totals, but one player who stood out in Clem’s mind on the defensive end was Warner. Despite scoring only five points in the game, Warner was the focal point of the press, hustling after loose balls and also collecting six rebounds in what amounted to just three quarters of work.

Offensively, the Bucks had yet another standout performance from Spenser Sundin, who led all scorers with 18 points. He was followed closely by senior Matt Peterson, who collected 14 points off the bench.

“He will fill any role we ask of him,” Clem said. “He’s a slasher and an energy guy and he’s done a great job of coming in competing for us.”

The Bucks will wrap up the Red Lion Classic against Sandpoint at 1:30 p.m. today. The Bulldogs are coming off a loss to La Grande, 68-50, but the Bucks will be weary of their ability to press and cause turnovers as they look for their second win in a row.

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HOOD RIVER (1-5) 6 4 9 13 – 32

PENDLETON (4-2) 25 15 20 15 – 75

HOOD RIVER – Andy Kennedy 13, Shay Huskey 5, Keanu Webb, Thomas Nickel 4

PENDLETON – Spencer Sundin 18, Matt Peterson 14, Mikal Wright 12, Taylor West 9, Alec Wyland 8, Josh Ernst 6, Codi Warner 5, Ryan Hamilton 2, Jared Standley

3-point field goals – Hood River 2, Pendleton 3. Free throws – Hood River 7-9, Pendleton 22-34. Fouls – Hood River 21, Pendleton 21.