A team which was beaten just once during the regular season by one point, the 26-1 Mountain View Cougars already had won more games than any other team in school history. But this Cougar squad had one more win in mind, the 2009/2010 Oregon 5A state title.

Standing in their way however, was a regional and national powerhouse, and by the way, the number one ranked, 2-time defending state champion Jefferson Democrats.

But on this Saturday night in March (3/13/10), the underdog Cougars held a 7 point lead mid-way through the third period, and looked like they might pull the biggest upset in recent Oregon basketball history.

But in the end, the Democrats found a way to claw back into the game, outscoring Mountain View 21-10 in the final period for a 57-48 Jefferson win.

Even though the Cougars came up just short in their first ever state championship game, they gained the respect of Jefferson, and showed the rest of the state that they belonged in the discussion of the best basketball programs in the state.

With a 104-28 record over the last 5 years (.790), which includes 4 Intermountain League championships, and a 3rd place trophy at the 2006/2007 state tournament, coach Craig Reid has indeed built a program that is ready to compete for more championships in the future. MOUNTAIN VIEW STAYS UNDEFEATED

Mountain View edges Summit, 43-38, to improve to 13-0 overall, 3-0 in Intermountain Conference

By Beau Eastes / The Bulletin - January 16. 2010 4:00AM PST

James Reid and Mark Claar scored 10 points apiece to lead the Cougars, and Jesse Zapata and Isaiah Mitchell each recorded nine points in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Summit High. Seth Brent, Mountain View's top scorer entering Friday's game, ended the night with just two points, his lowest total of the season.

The victory improved the Cougars' Intermountain Conference record to a league-best 3-0. The Storm are tied for second in the IMC with a 2-1 mark.

“We've got players,” said Zapata, whose five points in the second quarter helped the Cougars take a 20-19 lead into halftime. “Everybody on our team can score. If Seth's having an off night, we can pick him up.”

Brent's only points of the game came on a dunk with 1 minute and 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give Mountain View a 38-32 lead.

Reid hit a pair of free throws 28 seconds later to make the score 40-32, effectively ending the game.

“We didn't attack their zone at all,” said Summit coach Dan Munson. “But the kids played hard. For some of our guys this was the biggest basketball game they've ever played in.”

Storm guard Brandon Norby led all scorers with 20 points, 15 of which came off three-pointers. Norby hit three three-point field goals in the fourth quarter, helping Summit stay with the Class 5A second-ranked Cougars until the final minute.

Mountain View (13-0 overall) led early and took a 10-5 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Storm came out hot in the second period, however, and hit three consecutive three-pointers — two by Norby — to lead 14-12 with just over five minutes left in the half.

Zapata answered Summit's rally, though, with his only three-pointer of the night. After the Cougar guard made it 15-14, Mountain View held the lead for the rest of the game.

“We hit some big shots,” said Zapata, whose team hosts Madras on Tuesday night. “We've been doing it all year. It might not have been the best basketball, but were still getting wins.”

COUGARS PULL AWAY IN FIRST LEAGUE GAME

By OWEN R. SMITH The East Oregonian (1/9/10)

(PENDLETON, OR) - Battling the No. 2 ranked 5A team in the state, the Pendleton boys' basketball team trailed the Mountain View Cougars by just two points with less than two minutes to play in a raucus game at Warberg Court.

However, Mountain View used its size and some untimely fouls by the Bucks to sneak out of Pendleton with a 64-55 win in a game that was within four to six points until the final 30 seconds.

If you believe in moral victories, the fact that Pendleton (9-2, 0-1 Intermountain Conference) hung tough with an undefeated team that could end up in the state championship game should be encouraging.

However, Bucks head coach Stu Clem said he told his team after the game they should take no such comfort in lose their league opener. The consensus in the locker room after the game was that the Bucks gave this one away, and they'll let the loss linger awhile.

"We had a tough time getting stops when we needed to," Clem said. "We battled them, I thought, but we just didn't get stops when we needed to. They're disappointed. I think it's going to be exciting to come back tomorrow with a game and perform better against Bend."

Based on how the Bucks started the game, the final score could have easily been a blowout. Bucks wing Deon Davis had two turnovers and the Cougars (11-0, 1-0 IMC) found players on the inside three times in a row to take a 6-0 lead.

Senior Travis Jones hit a three to put the Bucks on the scoreboard and calm the team down. Pendleton had the score tied 13-13 late in the first quarter but two three-pointers by Cougars senior Isaiah Mitchell gave Mountain a 19-13 lead after one.

The rest of the game followed a similar pattern. The Cougars built several leads of eight to nine points, only to have Pendleton fight back and close to within four or five points.

The Bucks trailed by nine heading into the final period, but junior point man Lamar Fairley's two free throws brought Pendleton to within 45-41. With just over a minute and a half left in the game, Tyler Simpson drilled two free throws to bring Pendleton to within 52-50, but it was the closest the Bucks would get.

"They have a height advantage and it was kind of hard to get rebounds," said Simpson, who spent the night battling 6-foot-7 Seth Brent and 6-foot-8 Ryan Fisher. "At the end we were kind of rushing and throwing up some not-smart shots. I thought we played really good and we had a chance to beat the No. 2 team in the state."

Simpson finished with 11 points and six rebounds, Fairley had 15 points and senior post Devon Polhamus added 12 points and eight rebounds. Mitchell led all scorers with 22 points, and Brent had 17 points and 10 boards.

"I give credit to Mountain View because they're a good team," Polhamus said. "I think we could have won it tonight if we'd just stuck it out on defense and hit some crucial free throws. But it's good to know we can stick with anybody in this league."

One More Tournament!

Mountain View will end their pre-season with the Central Oregon Les Schwab Invitational, at Summit HS. It is an eight-team tournament that begins Monday (12/28) and continues through Wednesday (12/30). The Cougs will open with Ashland HS out of the Southern Sky Conference, Monday at 12:30 pm.

Intra-Squad Game!

Tuesday, November 24

6:00 pm @ MVHS

09-10 TRYOUTS!!!

Grade 9: 2:50-5 pm

Grades 10-12: 4:45-7 pm