Ellington

COLUMN: A moment of gratitude during conflict

At the time of writing, the Moses Lake Education Association is on its third day of striking as they work toward an agreement with the Moses Lake School District. It’s no secret these strikes have led to a ripple effect of outcomes, the most notable that school has not been in session this week as negotiations continue and teachers strike.

Warriors fall short in home opener

MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 67-43 by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars Tuesday in their return to the hardwood. Wahluke Head Coach Anfernee Cortez said some of the loss may be attributed to first-game jitters. “We started too flat and just kind of dug ourselves into a hole early. Against a team like Tri-Cities Prep, it’s tough to catch up at that point,” Cortez said. A slow start by the Warriors allowed Tri-Cities Prep to take hold of the momentum early and build a commanding lead. In the first half, the Warriors struggled to knock down shots and attack the rim. The Jaguars carried their momentum into the second half to run away with the game. Wahluke had a stronger second-half showing, but Cortez said it was not enough to get back in the game.

Mavs take a road win over Tigers to start season

EPHRATA — The Moses Lake Mavericks basketball team went on the road to face the Ephrata Tigers, the first game of the season for both teams. The Tigers showed grit on the court, but the Mavs took home the victory with a final score of 48-23. “I felt like things were a little shaky; we had a lot of adrenaline,” said Mavs Head Coach Matt Strophy. “We had a couple of air balls at the top and so we settled in and settled down.” The Mavs made a good start over the Tigers with a strong defensive performance in the first half. MLHS kept up the pressure on the net and kept Ephrata under 10 points until the final few seconds of the half when Maycee Black scored a layup to put the score at 23-11.

Mavs pull ahead of Tigers in season opener

EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers and Moses Lake Mavericks basketball teams faced off in their first game of the season on the Tigers home court. It was a close competition, but ultimately the Mavs came out on top with a 48-37 victory. “It was a little slow in the beginning, but I think it’s just first game of the season, I think we have really good guys and I’m excited for the season,” said Taggart Rathbun, a junior for the Mavs. The Tigers took control in the first quarter, scoring 13 points and holding the Mavs to only three. Moses Lake quickly turned things around in the second quarter where they scored 17 points to tie up the game at 20-20 at the end of the half.

Lions’ Ferguson hits 1K points in win over Entiat

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions basketball team earned a statement 75-29 win in their season opener against Entiat. During this victory, Lions senior Johnny Ferguson hit a personal milestone of 1,000 career points. “I didn’t even know that I was going to hit 1,000,” said Johnny. “I was pretty shocked and it was a surreal moment.” The Lions started the game off with a strong offensive front while also preventing their opponent from scoring for the majority of the first quarter, gaining an early 25-7 lead. This continued into the second quarter as the speed and physicality of the Lions’ game plan kept Entiat down to extend the lead to 49-13 by the end of the half.

From overtime thriller to championship stage

The Knights meet Cashmere once again

ROYAL CITY — On Friday, the No. 1 seed Royal Knights (12-0) will travel to Husky Stadium to play the No. 2 seed Cashmere Bulldogs (11-1) in the 1A state championship game. The Knights Head Coach Wiley Allred was not surprised to see the Bulldogs reach the state championship game. “I was hoping there wasn't a team better than them, because that's a pretty tough team right there. We'll meet our match,” Allred said. When these two met in October, it was the Knights pulling off a late comeback to win 21-15 in overtime. Coming into that game, both teams were undefeated. The Knights had only allowed seven points all season, while the Bulldogs had not allowed a score by any team.

Lions open the season 2-0

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions got off to a strong start to their season taking two home games against Touchet and Entiat on Tuesday and Wednesday to start their season 2-0. “I think it went good, I think we got a little jumbled during the (second) game, but I think it was it was a good game for us to start off,” said Lions senior Brynlynn King. The Lions dominated in their season opener against Touchet on Tuesday, holding their opponent to five points total and preventing a single score in both the second and third quarters. The MLCA/CCS offense and defense were on full display in this game as they won 59-5.

WA COLLEGIATE SPORTS SCHEDULE: Dec. 5-12, 2025

MOSES LAKE — College athletes head deeper into the winter season as the remaining fall teams prepare for deeper runs in the post season. See where your favorite teams will be heading this weekend.

Wahluke falls to Tri-Cities Prep in home opener

MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 46-24 in their home opener by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars. Despite the loss, Head Coach Makai Hirai said he was proud of the effort his players gave on the court. “That was the biggest thing that I took away is we had a lot of effort. We have a lot of girls who are hungry, and the coaches were excited about (that). Our girls look pretty motivated ... they’re working hard,” Hirai said. The Jaguars started fast and held the lead the entire game. Tri-Cities Prep put up double-digit scores in each quarter except for the third. The Warriors finished strong with 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars came out victorious.

Huskies earn 2 wins to start off the season

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies basketball team got its season off to a good start with two victories. The first was on the road Tuesday with a 69-42 win over Omak and the second was in an exciting home matchup against the Connell Eagles Thursday night. “We started off a little rough in the first quarter and we brought it up in the second quarter,” said LJ Nunez, a sophomore for the Huskies. After defeating Omak handily on the road, the Huskies were excited to return home to face Connell. The Huskies started off very strong in the first quarter with Quade Gonzalez sinking back-to-back threes and Nunez keeping pressure under the net to earn six points, but Connell would quickly gain momentum and pull ahead of the Othello toward the end of the quarter.