Vikings eliminated from NWAACC tourney

KENNEWICK — For their first two encounters with the College of Spokane, the Big Bend Community College Vikings found the way to pull out close wins in consecutive nip-and-tuck battles.

However, the third time was a charm for Spokane as the Sasquatch won when it most counted, building a 22-point first half lead before holding on to beat Big Bend 82-76 in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Championship Tournament consolation semifinals, and eliminating the Vikings in the process.

Big Bend (18-10) closed the early deficit to 41-37 at halftime and actually led by four in the second half before the Sasquatch (23-8) roared back to take the win.

Dominick Brumfield led Big Bend with 21 points and eight rebounds, Alan Marsh added 13 points and Michael Hattar scored 12 points.

Big Bend once again struggled to shoot well hitting only 38 percent of their shots while Spokane hit 50 percent of their attempts.

Spokane hit 10 three pointers, led by Zach Humphrey’s seven-for-12 performance as the Sasquatch outscored Big Bend by nine points from beyond the arc.

Humphrey led all scorers with 28 points.

The two teams tied with Walla Walla Community College for the NWAACC East Division title, with Big Bend taking second over Spokane after their regular season sweep of the Sasquatch.