Ephrata boys, Warden girls highlight local basketball teams in RPI poll

| January 17, 2020 8:28 AM

Ephrata boys basketball nearly handed Toppenish its first loss of the season Tuesday night, losing in double overtime.

If the regular season ended today, the Tigers and Wildcats would meet again to play in the regional round of the state tournament for a first-round bye. Ephrata is ranked seventh in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s (WIAA) RPI poll and Toppenish is second.

Those numbers will likely change between now and late February, but Ephrata has proven itself to be a contender in the Central Washington Athletic Conference (CWAC).

Odessa boys basketball is ranked first in 1B and Almira/Coulee-Hartline (ACH) is 17th, one spot outside of earning a regional berth. Lind-Ritzville/Sprague (LRS) is ranked 19th in Class 2B.

Warden continues to lead the Basin’s girls programs. The undefeated Cougars are ranked second in 1A, trailing only Hailey Van Lith and Cashmere.

Moses Lake girls basketball is ranked 15th in 4A. Royal (21st), LRS (15th), Odessa (17th), Wilson Creek (21st) and Moses Lake Christian Academy (24th) round out girls programs in the hunt for regional berths.

— Staff report