Nixyaawii's Kyella Picard dribbles against Powder Valley's Maddy Leggett during the Old Oregon League girls championship game against Powder Valley at Baker High School on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. The Golden Eagles took advantage of a big second-half run to top the Badgers 59-39.

BAKER CITY — A valiant effort ultimately came up short for the Powder Valley girls basketball team, which finished as runners-up in the Old Oregon League district tournament.

The Badgers stayed within reach early, but a big second half propelled Nixyaawii to a 59-39 victory in the championship game on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Baker High School.

Powder Valley relied on its high defensive intensity early on, holding a high-octane Nixyaawii offense within check early on. The Badgers built up a 5-1 lead through the first five minutes of action and slowed down the pace.

The Golden Eagles ran the press on defense early and often, fighting back to take a 9-7 run at the end of the first quarter. Nixyaawii’s Sistine Moses was steady offensively all game long, scoring six of her game-high 16 points in the first quarter.

The Badgers found themselves trailing for the ensuing three quarters, but the game was far from lost. Powder Valley cut the lead to 12-11 with 6:15 remaining in the second quarter — a packed house at Baker High School was loud from start to finish. The Badgers trailed 24-18 at halftime and looked to be in contention for the district title.

The third quarter was an exchange of runs, which ultimately proved costly to Powder Valley. Nixyaawii jumped out to a 26-18 lead out of halftime, to which the Badgers answered with a 7-0 run of their own.

With the game knotted at 28-25 in favor of Nixyaawii, the Golden Eagles completely tilted the scales in their favor. Nixyaawii rattled off a 16-0 run that extended into the fourth quarter and helped the Golden Eagles take a 44-25 lead.

Late in the game, Powder Valley fought back to bring the game within 11 — the Badgers trailed 50-39 with three minutes remaining. Nixyaawii closed out the game with a 9-0 run to cap off a 20-point victory in the district title game.

Dallee Bingham was effective throughout the game for Powder Valley, scoring a team-high 10 points. Jacey Anderson and Maddy Leggett both scored nine points each.

The win for Nixyaawii clinches the team’s spot at the top of the Old Oregon League, and will host a second-round game Feb. 26. Powder Valley, as runners-up, will host Trout Lake Feb. 23.