Burns girls lose to Nyssa 40-39, qualify for state tourney Burns Basketball Burns Sports Sports February 22, 2017February 22, 20170 The Burns girls basketball team lost to Nyssa in the first round of the Eastern Oregon League (EOL)playoffs, but had a high enough ranking by the OSAA to qualify for the 3A girls state basketball tournament. The Lady Hilanders placed third in the EOL with a 6-4 record (14-9 overall), and traveled to second-place Nyssa (7-3, 18-7) on Feb. 14 for a first round league playoff game. The Bulldogs came out on top in the contest, edging Burns 40-39. Nyssa then traveled to Vale (8-2, 18-5) on Feb. 17 to determine the top two seeds from the EOL on to the state tournament. The Bulldogs defeated the Vikings 37-34, giving them the No. 1 seed. Despite the first-round loss, the Lady Hilanders picked up the at-large berth in the state tournament because of their No. 10 ranking by the OSAA. They will travel to Rainier on Saturday, Feb. 25, for a first round game. The Columbians (14-2, 22-3) finished second in the Lewis & Clark League, but defeated Portland Adventist Academy 48-43 in the championship game of their league tournament. Rainier is ranked sixth by the OSAA going into the state playoffs. The winner of the Burns-Rainier match-up will play the winner of the Coquille-Portland Christian contest in the first round of the final-eight bracket. The final eight teams will play March 2-4 at Marshfield and North Bend high schools for the 3A girls state title.