Crane boys and girls finish as High Desert League champs Crane Basketball Crane Sports Sports February 23, 2022February 23, 20220 Photos by DEBBIE RANEY The High Desert League championship basketball tournament was held in John Day over the weekend, and Crane’s boys and girls teams both took first place. Sophomore Carter Nichols driving the baseline in the championship tournament. The Crane Mustang boys basketball team won the High Desert League championship, rolling through their season with a perfect 27-0 overall record and a 14-0 record during league play. Crane’s No. 1 ranked 1A boys team banked back-to-back victories during the two-day championship tournament, which was held in John Day Feb. 18-19. During the first day of the tournament, the Mustangs defeated Prairie City 62-41. They finished off Adrian the next evening, 76-62 for the championship and received a first-round bye for the 1A tournament. Cody Siegner, Carter Nichols, and Mitch Clark earned all-tournament honors for their efforts. The boys will host a second-round game in Crane this Friday, Feb. 25. They’ll find out who they play later this week when the first-round results are determined. ••• The Crane girls basketball team finished off the regular season as High Desert League champions, going 26-1 overall with a perfect 12-0 in league play. The 1A No.1 ranked girls team came out on top both days in the two-day tournament held Feb. 18-19 in John Day. On the first night, the girls put away Adrian 64-32. They went on to defeat Jordan Valley 44-31 the second night, in route to their district title and a first-round bye for the 1A tournament. For their efforts, Leslie Doman and Kortney Doman earned all-tournament honors. The first-round rankings are still being determined, but Crane will host a second-round game Saturday, Feb. 26. Both the opponent and game time are contingent upon this week’s results.