Lady Huskies can take top spot

Tuesday's prep basketball recaps

TOPPENISH - Thanks to a little help from a Central Washington Athletic Conference rival, the Othello Huskies girls basketball team is just one win away from a historical achievement.

Othello did its part on Tuesday night with a come-from-behind, 63-48 win over the Toppenish Wildcats, and when the Prosser Mustangs upset conference co-leader Ellensburg 52-49, the Huskies got the break they needed to win their first-ever CWAC title.

Othello (18-2 overall, 15-2 CWAC) can do just that in its regular-season finale at last-place Ephrata on Friday. A win will make it an outright title, while a loss allows Ellensburg and East Valley to tie for the crown.

Against Toppenish (3-16, 2-15), the Huskies didn't have the best start, leading 27-22 at halftime but falling behind in the third period. That's when star junior Allison Walker helped Othello take over.

The Huskies closed the game on a 19-11 run, with Walker scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Teammate Courtney Kirkwood notched 18 points, while Kylee Mollotte added nine.

Aracely Zuniga paced the Wildcats with 15 points and eight assists, while A.J. Yarlott had a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards and Ximena Prieto added 10 points.

East Valley 72, Ephrata 42

EPHRATA - The visiting Red Devils tied Ellensburg for the CWAC's second spot, brutalizing the Tigers during a 26-5 first-quarter run.

East Valley (15-4, 14-3) got 15 points and seven rebounds from Kendall Hull, and 10 points apiece from Annie Martinez and Arianna Mohsenian.

Justine Hintz led Ephrata (1-18, 1-16) with 12 points. BreAnne Duff scored eight points, Margaret Eisen grabbed four boards, and Lexi Lange dished out three assists.

The Tigers host their Senior Night activities on Friday at Marty O'Brien Court, a 6 p.m. start against Othello.

Selah 68, Quincy 55

QUINCY - The visiting Vikings spoiled the Jackrabbits' Senior Night plans, using huge games from Sasha Valdez and Rochelle Burke to claim the CWAC's No. 6 seed for playoffs.

Valdez and Burke scored 32 of Selah's 42 second-half points, as the Vikings (9-10, 8-9) pulled away and relegated Quincy (5-14, 5-12) to the No. 7 or No. 8 seed to the district tournament.

Valdez and Quincy senior star Tashia Zamarron led all scorers with 27 points, but Burke's 17 points gave Selah a huge boost. The Vikings stormed back from a 30-26 halftime deficit, ending the game on a 22-12 run.

Zamarron added 10 rebounds and four steals for the Lady Jacks, while Taylor Kunkel had six points and nine boards. Dayanna Lopez scored nine for Quincy.

Selah's Emily Harris added 12 points and 13 boards, while teammate Cassie Heide had nine boards.

Quincy can clinch the No. 7 seed with a win at East Valley on Friday at 6 p.m., but a loss leaves the door open for Grandview to steal the spot.

Ephrata 68, East Valley 53

EPHRATA - The Tigers won for the 15th time in 17 conference outings, but missed a chance to tie for the CWAC lead when Prosser scored a last-second win over Ellensburg.

Patrick Simon, Ephrata's heralded sophomore, had another huge outing with 35 points and 10 rebounds. Daniel Simon added 15 points, and the brothers were the only two Tigers in double figures.

The Red Devils (15-5, 12-5) got 31 points from Kevin Komstadius, but he also didn't receive much help from his supporting cast.

The Tigers (17-2, 15-2) led 27-19 at halftime and took a commanding lead into the fourth quarter with a 25-16 spurt in the third.

Ephrata hosts Senior Night on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against the Othello Huskies.

Quincy 47, Selah 39

QUINCY - The Jackrabbits took a key step toward solidifying a district playoff spot by beating the Vikings on Senior Night.

Eric Martin finished the game with 14 points for Quincy, scoring all eight of his fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line. Chase Webley added seven points for Quincy, while Adam Richardson and Cory Keller each chipped in six.

Selah's Trevor Dallman led all scorers with 24 points, the only Viking in double figures.

Selah led 14-7 after one quarter, but the Jacks regained the lead by halftime and salted things away with a 14-7 fourth-quarter edge.

Quincy (5-14, 4-13) can wrap up a playoff berth by winning at East Valley on Friday at 7:30 p.m., but a loss doesn't necessarily doom the Jacks. Selah would have to upset conference-leading Prosser to tie for the eighth seed, while Othello would have to do the same to second-place Ephrata.

Toppenish 47, Othello 46

TOPPENISH - The Huskies' slow start proved very costly, and a 23-13 fourth-quarter run couldn't save them in a CWAC loss to the Wildcats.

The defeat also proved costly to Othello's playoff hopes, as the Huskies (5-14, 4-13) will have to upset second-place Ephrata on Friday to have any shot at the postseason.

Judah Gowan led Othello with 11 points, but Toppenish got just enough to survive thanks to Josh Schutz (19 points, six assists, four rebounds) and Roman Ramirez (16 points). The Wildcats had a 23-19 lead at halftime and a 34-23 edge after three quarters.