Soap Lake girls pass big test
Photos by Neil Pierson/Columbia Basin HeraldEphrata's Justine Hintz scraps for a rebound with Grandview's Jessica Gonzalez during the first-half of Thursday's CWAC girls basketball game.
Girls basketball recaps
SOAP LAKE - Soap Lake head coach Tony Blankenship said last week that he felt his Lady Eagles could be the second-best team in the North Central 2B League.
Blankenship was evidently correct. On Friday, Soap Lake routed the Bridgeport Fillies on the road, 60-36. One night later, the Eagles returned to their home court and downed the Kittitas Koyotes, 51-37.
"It was a great night. We were tied for second place - we took sole possession of that tonight," Blankenship said after the win over Bridgeport. "We played really, really well."
The Eagles trailed at halftime against the Fillies, 26-23, but came out of the locker room like gangbusters. The Eagles owned the second half, outscoring Bridgeport 37-10.
Ariel Wernex led all scorers, finishing with 24 points and three steals. Chelsea Allen had 10 points and seven assists, while Michelle Marthini tossed in eight points and 15 rebounds.
Kayla Craig scored 13 points for the Fillies, but was their only double-digit scorer.
On Saturday, Soap Lake improved to 9-5 overall, 5-1 in league, with a 14-point win over Kittitas (4-8, 1-4). The Eagles were held to 30 points through three quarters, but exploded for 21 in the final eight minutes.
Marthini led the Eagles with 15 points and Tanya Babak scored 14. Charli Bergevin scored a game-high 17 for Kittitas, but again, Soap Lake allowed just one double-digit scorer.
The Eagles look to keep things rolling on Friday at 6 p.m., when they host the Oroville Hornets, a team they've already beaten this year.
Saturday
Moses Lake 51, Pasco 38
PASCO - The Chiefs passed perhaps their biggest league test to date, getting 18 points, 14 rebounds and three steals from Jordan Loera to beat the Bulldogs in Columbia Basin League action.
Moses Lake (10-3 overall, 4-0 CBL) maintained its hold on first place as Carly Noyes added 10 points, five rebounds and six blocked shots. Kelly Sutherland added 13 points and six assists.
The game was close throughout and well-played, as evidenced by the 21 combined turnovers. But Moses Lake pulled away with a 16-6 edge in the fourth quarter, and hit 10 of its 11 free throws.
Kelsie Ramsey had 14 points for Pasco, the only Bulldog in double digits. Moses Lake's defense was stingy, holding Pasco to 22 percent from the floor and just 18 percent from 3-point range.
The Chiefs host the Wenatchee Panthers on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Othello 65, East Valley 64, OT
OTHELLO - On the strength of Courtney Kirkwood's late 3-pointer, the Lady Huskies ran their win streak to eight games and solidified their hold on second place in the Central Washington Athletic Conference standings.
With East Valley leading 64-62, Kirkwood drilled a trey with 14 seconds left in the extra period. It was the last of her game-high 25 points, and Othello earned its first victory over the Red Devils in over a decade.
Allison Walker also had a huge game for the Huskies, recording 22 points and 17 rebounds. Othello led 33-27 at halftime and 45-42 after three quarters, but watched the lead slip away late in regulation.
Othello hits the road on Friday, going to Grandview at 6 p.m.
Lind-Ritzville 32, Almira/Coulee-Hartline 30
HARTLINE - The Lady Warriors made a valiant upset bid, but the Lady Broncos held on for a two-point win in Bi-County League action.
Both teams' offenses struggled through three quarters, with Lind-Ritzville maintaining a 19-17 advantage. The Broncos stayed in second place with the win, improving to 14-3 overall, 11-2 in league. ACH dropped to 8-9, 3-8.
Katlin Fowles had eight points for Lind-Ritzville and Nikki Osborne led ACH with nine.
The Broncos host Davenport on Tuesday in Lind, a 6 p.m. tip-off. The Warriors host league-leading Northwest Christian, also on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Moses Lake Christian 40, Mansfield 28
MOSES LAKE - The Lady Lions used a balanced system at both ends of the court to upend the Kernels and keep their record above .500.
Esther Timofeyev had 12 points, 11 rebounds and four steals for Moses Lake Christian (7-6, 3-2 North Central League). Chelsea Allsbrook had eight points, with Heidi Sandberg (seven points, seven rebounds), Jessica Jachetta (six points, five steals) and Lynnsee Moberg (five points, five rebounds) also factoring in.
Defensively, the Lions used a variety of full-court pressure schemes to keep Mansfield off balance.
Moses Lake Christian hosts Wilson Creek on Friday at 6 p.m.
Prosser 66, Quincy 41
PROSSER - The Mustangs used a 17-0 first-quarter run to bury the Lady Jackrabbits in CWAC play.
Tashia Zamarron scored 13 points for Quincy and Taylor Kunkel added nine, but Lacie French's 16 points paced a Prosser attack that proved to be far too much.
Quincy hosts Wapato on Friday at 6 p.m.
Columbia-Burbank 58, Warden 31
WARDEN - The Lady Cougars stayed close for one quarter, but the Coyotes' 25-3 spurt in the second quarter put them in too deep of a hole to recover.
Warden got 13 points from Kelsey Garner, 11 points and 10 rebounds from Brandi Kisler, and 11 rebounds from Kim McPartland. Burbank's Brianna Smith led all players with 26 points, while Tiffany Idler had 12 points and five steals.
The Coyotes, who stand in first place in the South Central Athletic Conference East Division, won their 10th straight game and limited Warden to 10 for 48 (21 percent) from the floor.
Warden goes to Connell on Friday for a 6 p.m. start.
Connell 65, Royal 34
ROYAL CITY - The Eagles dismantled the Knights in SCAC East play behind three double-digit scorers.
Debbie Molsbarger led all scorers with 21 points, with Kaitlyn Eppich and Kourtney Eppich each tallying 12 points. Tawnee Gonzales had 12 points, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots for Royal, while Katrina Werlinger scored eight points and Maggie Leal grabbed eight boards.
Connell hit 16 of its 20 free throws, while Royal was just 5 of 13 at the line. The Lady Knights were only down nine at half - 29-20 - but lost hope as Connell won the third quarter 18-4.
The Knights travel to Columbia-Burbank on Friday at 6 p.m.
Friday
Moses Lake 72, Richland 29
MOSES LAKE - The Chiefs didn't have their characteristic fast start, trailing 12-11 after one quarter, but were nothing short of spectacular after that.
Moses Lake held the Bombers to 17 points in the final three periods, including a two-point third quarter.
The Chiefs' offense was just as good, with Jordan Loera leading four players in double figures with 19 points. Kelly Sutherland and Lorin Montgomery each netted 17, and Carly Noyes chipped in 10. Richland's Lindsay Roberts had 12 points.
Othello 72, Ephrata 48
OTHELLO - The Lady Tigers were coming off their first win of the season on Thursday, but the Lady Huskies weren't about to let that get in the way of their win streak.
Othello (10-2 overall, 7-2 CWAC) used a 14-4 run in the first quarter to set the tone, then ran away in the fourth quarter by scoring 28 points.
Christine Kirkwood had a game-high 23 points for Othello, with Courtney Kirkwood scoring 21 and Allison Walker adding 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Ephrata (1-11 overall, 1-9 CWAC) got 10 points for Ephrata, the only Tiger in double figures.
Ephrata is on the road again on Friday, playing at first-place Ellensburg at 6 p.m.
Lind-Ritzville 68, Wilbur-Creston 30
RITZVILLE - The Lady Broncos blitzed the Wildcats from the opening tip, leading 10-3 after one quarter and 30-14 at halftime to easily win their Bi-County League matchup.
Devon Killian paced a balanced Lind-Ritzville attack with 10 points. Cassie Cole and Kelsey Arlt each had 10 points, Sabrina Saetre scored nine and Laura Cain added eight.
East Valley 64, Quincy 45
QUINCY - The Lady Jackrabbits stuck right with the CWAC power Red Devils for 16 minutes. Then came the third quarter.
East Valley (8-2 overall, 7-1 CWAC) went on a 22-7 run in the third, turning a 24-23 lead into a 46-30 advantage. The Lady Jacks (3-8, 3-6) got 16 points apiece from Tashia Zamarron and Taylor Kunkel.
River View 47, Warden 36
FINLEY - The Lady Cougars had a poor offensive first half, which cost them dearly in an SCAC Eat loss to the Panthers.
Warden managed just 12 first-half points, meaning a 24-20 edge during the second half left them well short of victory. Kelsey Garner scored a team-high 10 points, while Cassandra Kisler scored eight and Brandi Kisler added seven. River View's Alex Crowder had a game-high 16 points.
Kiona-Benton 63, Royal 42
BENTON CITY - The host Bears turned a close affair into a rout, going on a 24-6 run in the third period to ice an SCAC East victory.
The Lady Knights trailed 28-26 at halftime before Kiona-Benton got hot and went up 52-32 after three. The Bears' Sara Vannoy recorded a triple-double, pacing all players with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while teammates Rylee Cannon and Caitlin Patterson each had 15 points and eight boards.
Tawnee Gonzales scored 11 points for Royal, with Kelcy Jansen adding nine.
Pateros 60, Moses Lake Christian 50
PATEROS - A hard-fought North Central League contest went the way of the Nannies, though the Lady Lions got several strong performances in defeat.
Esther Timofeyev had a huge game with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Kristina Firouzi and Jessica Jachetta each scored 11 for the Lions, while Heidi Sandberg added nine points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Jachetta also had five rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Firouzi chipped in two boards and two assists.
Entiat 70, Wilson Creek 22
WILSON CREEK - The Lady Devils didn't manage many positives against a powerful Tigers team, which has lost just once this season.
Entiat (11-1, 3-0 North Central League) took control early with a 17-4 run and led 37-11 at halftime. The Tigers had 17 steals and earned a 39-34 edge in rebounding.
Kelsey Campbell was Wilson Creek's top scorer with nine points. Shawnee Ledbetter had 12 points and eight steals for Entiat, Kristen Schull also scored 12 and Jamie Wilson added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Devils travel to Easton on Saturday for a 6 p.m. tip-off.
Liberty 53, Almira/Coulee-Hartline 36
HARTLINE - The Lady Warriors were the victims of an early 19-7 run and never recovered in their Bi-County League meeting with the Lancers.
Sarah Gloyn had a team-high nine points for ACH, Nikki Osborne and Niki Porterfield each scored eight, and Alyssa Bodeau added seven.
Reardan 57, Odessa 18
REARDAN - The Lady Tigers' struggles continued against the Indians, as Odessa never managed more than six points in any period.
Reardan led 23-2 after one quarter and 33-8 at halftime, dropping Odessa to 3-10 overall, 1-9 in Bi-County League play. Mariah Davison had five points for the Lady Tigers, who travel to Wilbur-Creston on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
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