Ephrata controls rebounds in district win over Wapato
Ephrata's Madi Youngers (left) fights for a rebound against Wapato Thursday during the first round of the district tournament at Ephrata High School.
EPHRATA — Madi Youngers and Harley Vanatta are buddies off the court and, so to speak, on the court as well.
When the ball careens off the rim for a rebound one or the other will shout, “you got it, buddy.”
That chemistry was evident in the first round of the district tournament against Wapato as both Youngers and Vanatta pulled down a multitude of offensive and defensive rebounds, limiting Wapato to one shot and conversely creating more opportunities for their teammates.
“We fight really hard to get the rebound most of the time,” Youngers said. “We just look for each other.”
That inside presence powered Ephrata to a 49-36 win over Wapato.
Both teams struggled to find offense early and with 3:21 to play in the first quarter Ephrata had only scored two points. However, Ephrata’s defense made up for its lack of offense and Wapato was unable to build a sizable lead.
A pair of free throws by Youngers with 30 seconds left in their opening period pulled the Tigers ahead 6-5.
“It’s always the first quarter where I have the shakes,” she said. “But I usually get it out of my system.”
A 16-3 run to start the second quarter allowed Ephrata to jump ahead 22-8 and eventually build a 15-point advantage.
Katelyn Ostrowski opened the scoring with a three-pointer. Vanatta converted a three-point play and another layup to help the Tigers take a double digit lead, 18-8.
Wapato closed the half on a 5-0 run to draw within 10 points.
Ephrata build another 15-point lead in the third quarter when Katie Hilliard scored off an offensive rebound by Youngers to make the score 33-18.
But when Youngers went to the bench for a rest Wapato ripped off seven points in a row and the third quarter ended with Ephrata ahead 33-25.
The Wolves got as close as seven points in the fourth quarter as the Tigers continued to control the glass.
Fittingly, the game ended with Youngers collecting the final rebound as time expired.
The win was cathartic for Ephrata who lost to Wapato in the first round of the district tournament at home last season 57-49.
“It feels awesome,” Youngers said, “I knew coming in that we’d win. I just had a great feeling.”
Ephrata will meet Ellensburg in the district semifinals Saturday, 8:30 p.m., at Sunnyside High School.