Landon drills Walla Walla in Big Bend victory
Lady Vikings eliminated from playoff chase
MOSES LAKE - Big Bend sophomore guard Daley Landon has come up with several big performances this year, and Saturday's game with the Walla Walla Warriors was no different.
Landon scored a game-high 26 points, fueling the Vikings to their 10th win in 12 league games, an 87-72 triumph over the visiting Warriors at DeVries Activity Center.
Landon did his damage in 38 minutes of work, going 9 of 15 from the floor and 5 of 10 from 3-point range. He added three rebounds and two assists.
Cameron Mero had 20 points for the fifth-ranked Vikings (21-4 overall, 10-2 NWAACC East Division), who remain 1 1/2 games ahead of Yakima Valley for the No. 2 spot to the upcoming conference tournament.
Brett Vriesman chipped in 10 points on 5 of 10 shooting and four rebounds. James York also scored 10 to go along with eight assists and five boards, while Will Winn collected seven points and a game-high five steals.
Big Bend shot 51 percent from the field (32 of 63), while holding Walla Walla to 43 percent (28 of 65). The Vikings also had a 36-34 edge in rebounding and forced 21 turnovers that they converted into 20 points.
Cameron Stevenson led five Warriors in double-digit scoring with 14 points. Brent Garves, Justin Brown and Zach Callan had 12 points apiece, with Mark Minarik adding 11 points.
The Big Bend women were officially eliminated from contention for the conference tournament, falling 81-74 to the Warriors in the early game on Saturday.
Trailing 33-32 at halftime, Big Bend stormed out of the gates and took what appeared to be a commanding 65-47 lead at one point. But the Warriors put together a huge run of their own, scoring 34 of the last 43 points to win.
The Lady Vikings (14-11, 4-8) needed a win to have any shot of catching Walla Walla (20-6, 7-6) for the division's fourth and final berth to tournament, but committed 22 turnovers and shot only 53 percent from the free-throw line.
Big Bend's Natalie Lindley led all scorers with 23 points, hitting 8 of her 12 field-goal attempts and 5 of 9 from outside the arc. The freshman point guard also had seven assists and four rebounds.
Heather Burke was 3 of 7 from 3-point range and had 13 points for the Vikings, but leading scorer Kim Bluff managed only eight points on 2 of 11 shooting. Dana Bates collected a team-high 11 boards.
Brittanie Toone paced Walla Walla with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while teammate Katie Strunk had 11 points and 13 boards. Allie Dreadfulwater scored 16 points and Sydney Gossard added 11.
The Vikings are on the road for their final two regular-season doubleheaders, starting with Wednesday's trip to Wenatchee Valley. On Saturday, Big Bend goes to Spokane for a makeup doubleheader - the women tip things off at 2 p.m.