Warriors were a step ahead of the Runnin' Vikes all night

MOSES LAKE ­— Monday night’s NWAC East showdown was a game of simple mathematics going far beyond the garden variety, “one more than the other guys,” equation.

Walla Walla’s Damen Thacker (41 points) and Forrest Smith (28) combined for 69 points and 19 rebounds, which canceled out the incredible shooting night of Big Bend guards Koby Huerta (27) and Serph Decker (26).

The Warriors broke open a tied game midway through the second half with a 10-3 run and went on to beat the Runnin’ Vikes 85-76 at DeVries Activity Center.

The Runnin’ Vikes can’t seem to catch a break. Huerta and Decker had 29 points apiece in Saturday’s 97-91 loss at Treasure Valley. They lost Joey Andrews to a severe Grade 2 ankle sprain. The 6-foot-5 sophomore, who is the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 19 point and eight rebounds a game, is currently in a boot. At best, he will miss the next three weeks. But there is a possibility it could be a season-ending injury.

Michael Washington, a 6-3 freshman out of Canyon Springs High School in Las Vegas, is having eye difficulties and has left the team.

The fact they were in it at all is a testament to a mix-and-match, working class group that ain’t ready to give up just yet. Big Bend (12-5, 2-4 NWAC East) is currently in fifth place in the NWAC East, just one place out of qualifying for the tournament. They had a chance to gain some ground the past couple of game, but dropped two to the two teams just ahead of them in the standings.

“To make it simple, we shot 17 percent from the 3-point line and 35 percent from the floor and that’s not going to cut it,” second-year head coach Mingo Scott said. “The point of the game is to put the ball in the hole and we’re not doing that.”

Thacker, who scored 20 in the first half, scored seven points in the final two minutes and the Warriors (10-9, 4-2) ran it out on the Runnin’ Vikes.

“I thought we hit the glass pretty hard and battled hard to hold our own tonight,” said Miles Brown, who finished with eight points and four rebounds. “I think we’re playing hard enough to win. We just have to make shots. It’s hard to win a game when you’re shooting 17 percent from the 3-point line and 37 percent from the field.”

Mauricio Smith finished with 12 rebounds and five points before fouling out. Former Almira/Coulee-Hartline standout Payton Nielsen is picking up his game now that he’s moved into the starting role. The 6-5 freshman had nine rebounds and two points and Ben Kuiper came off the bench and added five points and four rebounds in 22 minutes.

The game was a homecoming of sorts for former Othello standout Kyler Villarreal. The Walla Walla freshman finished with four rebounds and two points in 13 minutes, coming off the bench for the Warriors.

“Playing at this level you have to be quicker and focused on every play because everybody is quicker and stronger,” Villarreal said. “It wa fun to come back and see everybody from home here.”

Othello rolled into town with a party bus and 40-50 people to watch the former Huskies standout. They had signs and a banner and sent him back to Walla Walla with a smile on his face.

Big Bend plays at Wenatchee Valley on Wednesday and hosts Blue Mountain on Saturday.

Walla Walla 35 50 - 85

Big Bend 38 38 - 76

Walla Walla - Damen Thacker 41, Forrest Smith 28, Jaker Albright 14, Kyler Villarreal 2. Totals 28-70 18-22 85

Big Bend - Mauricio Smith 5, Koby Huerta 27. Serph Decker 26, Payton Nielsen 2. Miles Brown 8, Donte Brown 2, Dakota Fidler 1, Ben Kuiper 5. Totals: 25-70 23-33 76