LA GRANDE — In what was to be a rebuilding year, the Umatilla boys basketball team had other plans.

Edwin Ortiz had 15 points — all on 3-pointers — and Andrew Earl added 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead the Vikings past Riverside 49-41 in the Eastern Oregon League championship game on Saturday at Eastern Oregon University.

It’s the first district title for Umatilla (16-10) since 2017.

“This is a good spot for us to be in for supposedly rebuilding,” Vikings coach Scott Bow said. “This is a great accomplishment for these kids.”

Umatilla will host Cascade Christian at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the first round of the 3A state tournament. The winner advances to the final eight.

Despite knocking off top-ranked Nyssa on Friday, and finishing second at district, Riverside did not receive a state playoff berth.

The Vikings took an 11-8 lead after the first quarter, and 24-13 at the half.

The Pirates (15-11) used an 11-6 run in third to cut the deficit to 30-24 with one quarter to play.

“Our third quarters have not been great,” Bow said. “It’s a work in progress.”

Earl scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter, while Ortiz added six.

Oscar Campos chipped in 10 points, and Ramiro Alvarez grabbed eight rebounds for the Vikings, who will host a 3A state first-round game Saturday.

Cristian Rea led the Pirates with 12 points, while Juan Reyna had 10 and Johan Pena nine.

Boys basketball

HEPPNER 42, UNION 34 — Brock Hisler had a big day with 19 points and six rebounds to lead the Mustangs to third place at the Blue Mountain Conference tournament with a win over the Bobcats.

The Mustangs (14-10) used 13-7 runs in the first and fourth quarters to keep Union at arm’s length.

The Bobcats trailed just 29-27 after three quarters, but the big fourth by Heppner sealed the win.

Jayden Wilson added 10 points, six rebounds and four steals for the Mustangs, while Jackson Lehman and six points, six assists and three steals.

Keegan Glenn had a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats (17-10).

NIXYAAWII 77, JOSEPH 54 — The Golden Eagles played stout defense to help secure a win over the Eagles to clinch the Old Oregon League district title on Saturday in Baker.

Nixyaawii (22-5) earned a first-round bye in the 1A state tournament Wednesday. They will host a team to be determined Saturday, with the winner advancing to the final eight in Baker City.

Mick Schimmel led the way for Nixyaawii with a game-high 26 points.

Joseph’s Chase Murry had a team-high 20 points.

IONE/ARLINGTON 74, SOUTH WASCO COUNTY 68 — Making their first appearance at district since 2014, the Cardinals made the most of their trip, winning the district title with a victory over the Redsides at the Big Sky League tournament at Madras High School.

“It was very satisfying for the boys,” I/A coach Dennis Stefani said. “We had to make some adjustments at halftime. We went from a zone to man-to-man to try and stop (Garrett) Olson and (Oscar) Thomas.”

The Cardinals (20-4) will have a first-round bye in the 1A state tournament Wednesday. They will host a team to be determined on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the final eight in Baker City.

I/A led by four points at the end of the third quarter, then held on down the stretch for the win.

Wesley Goad led the Cardinals with a team-high 23 points, while Hunter Padberg added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Carson Eynetich 17 points, and Jace Troutman 13 points.

“It was a big appearance for Carson,” Stefani said. “He’s a freshman and he brings a lot of energy. He came through and played well.”

The Redsides were led by Olson, who scored a game-high 24 points, while Thomas added 23.

Girls basketball

ENTERPRISE 40, HEPPNER 38 (OT) — The defending state champion Mustangs dropped the third-place game of the Blue Mountain Conference district tournament to the Outlaws at the Pendleton Convention Center, but they did pick up the last berth to the 2A state tournament.

Heppner will play at Kennedy at 6 p.m. Friday, with the winner advancing to the final eight.

The Mustangs (14-9) led 16-8 at the half, and still had a slim 21-16 lead after three quarters.

The Outlaws went on a 17-12 run in the fourth quarter to tie the score and force overtime.

In the extra session, Enterprise (17-6) outscored the Mustangs 7-5.

Sydney Wilson led Heppner with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Marlee Mitchell added six points, eight rebounds and four steals, and ZaBrena Masterson six points.

Carsyn Miller led Enterprise with 10 points, while Ashlyn Gray and nine points and 14 rebounds, and Rilyn Kirkland six points and five steals.

DUFUR 50, ECHO 44 — The Rangers put an end to the Cougars’ six-game win streak Saturday, slipping past Echo in the Big Sky League championship game in Madras.

Echo (18-8) will host the Elgin Huskies at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the first round of the 1A state tournament.

Faith McCarty and Sydney Bracher led the Cougars with 11 points each.

Dufur’s Zoe Hester and Kierstin White each had eight points.

SOUTH WASCO COUNTY 54, IONE/ARLINGTON 50 — The Cardinals just missed out on a trip to state with a loss to the Redsides in the third-place game of the Big Sky League district tournament at Madras High School.

“It was a two-point game until 10 seconds to go,” I/A coach Nathan Heideman said. “It was a good game all the way around. All the teams in our league were evenly matched. I knew it would be a challenging district.”

The Cardinals trailed 29-24 at the half, but pulled within 41-40 going into the fourth quarter.

I/A and SWC traded leads in the fourth, and the Cardinals missed a layup with about 30 seconds remaining that would have given them the lead.

The Cardinals also played a good portion of the game without Hailey Heideman, who was in foul trouble most of the night.

“Hailey got in foul trouble early, and she is one of our primary defenders,” coach Heideman said. “That hurt us.”

Jessica Medina led the Cardinals (14-11) with a game-high 22 points.

SWC was led by 6-foot junior Destiny Mora-Lopez with 22 points.

“We couldn’t stop their big girl,” Heideman said. “She got where she needed to be and we didn’t have the height to contest that.”

Oregon state swimming

Pendleton’s Cahill Robinson turned in his best time of the season Saturday to place second in the 200 IM at the 5A state finals Saturday at Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton.

Robinson turned in a time of 2 minutes, 2.98 seconds, shaving 2 seconds off his prelim time from Friday.

Robinson also swam the 100 breaststroke, but did not make the finals.

The Bucks finished fifth in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:35.28. The was comprised of Tyler Spratling, Andrew Williams, Kaleo Theis and Robinson.

Sophomore Melinda Cramp finished sixth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 57.85.

Sophomore Adam Smith, a para-athlete, finished second in the 50 (41.13) and 100 (1:34.85) freestyle.