Ephrata boys secure home playoff game with 65-49 win over Quincy

EPHRATA — Ephrata shooting guard Jakob Oxos poured in seven 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points. Point guard Cameron Clark hauled in nine of his 15 rebounds in the second half and chipped in 16 points in the Tiger’s 65-49 Central Washington Athletic Conference victory over Quincy to wrap up the regular season in front of a capacity crowd.

But the night belonged to senior Nathan Greene. The 6-foot-5 big man has served as the team’s manager after being diagnosed with a heart disorder following his freshman year. But on Senior Night, in front of an estimated 1,000 people, with a postseason home game hanging in the balance, he got the start.

Ephrata (13-7, 11-7 CWAC) controlled the opening tip and immediately sent it into Greene on the blocks. The big man backed it in, spun on a power move and banked it in off the glass for the first basket of the night. In all, the honorary captain only played a minute, but he left the floor to a standing ovation.

“He’s a great kid with a great basketball mind,” Ephrata coach Brandon Evenson said. “He averaged 18 points a game as a freshman, but doctors decided he shouldn’t play. But he’s been a part of the team all along. I really think he’d be one of the better posts in the league if he could play.”

One last time on Senior Night and he was good for the field goal and a couple of free throws in the end.

“I didn’t jam, that was 30 pounds ago. But it meant a lot,” he said with a smile larger than life. “It was a great experience. We’re not just a team, we’re family.”

For the Quincy Jacks (2-18, 1-17 CWAC), it was the final game. They lead 19-8 early and trailed by one at the intermission. But Ephrata got the running game going and ripped off 15 unanswered points, including three 3-pointers, to secure a home playoff game.

“That’s Ephrata basketball right there,” Clark said. “I just do whatever my team needs and tonight it was rebounding.”

Quincy’s Trajan Trevino put a runner in off the glass to open the final quarter and break the Tiger’s 15-0 run, but the damage had been done. Jack senior Kevin Rios spent the second half of the final game of his high school career sitting on the bench with an ice bag on his left ankle.

“It actually happened two games ago, but I wanted to go as long as I could in my last game,” said Rios.

Trevino finished with a team-high 18 for the Jacks and Tyson Thornton added 15.

The Tigers will host Thursday night’s District 6 game against Prosser. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.