Odessa boys, Warden girls lead locals in RPI rankings
Casey McCarthy/Columbia Basin Herald Brecka Erdmann takes the floater in the lane for the Cougars in the first half of Tuesday's win over Cascade at home.
The basketball postseason continues to inch closer.
The district tournament in most leagues begins the second week of February, and plenty of local teams are in the mix to play in the regional round or have an opportunity to play for a first-round bye in the state tournament.
Odessa boys basketball has continued what the football team started with an undefeated record of 16-0. The Tigers are first in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s (WIAA) RPI rankings, which would put them in a prime position to not only advance to the Spokane Arena but play for a first-round bye close to home. Currently, Odessa would play eighth-ranked Oakesdale (14-3) in the regional round.
Despite consecutive losses to Selah and Ellensburg, Ephrata is still inside the top 16 of the 2A rankings. The Tigers are 11-5 and sit in fourth place in the Central Washington Athletic Conference (CWAC). That record is good for 14th in the RPI and would place Ephrata into a match-up with White River (16-3), likely on the west side of the state.
In the B ranks, Lind-Ritzville/Sprague (12-5) is 13th in 2B and is currently matched up with 12th-ranked Life Christian Academy (13-3). Almira/Coulee-Hartline (7-7) is 15th in 1B and would play No. 10 Muckleshoot Tribal (11-4) if regional games were played today.
Wahluke (9-8) and Royal (8-8) are ranked 28th and 29th, respectively, in Class 1A.
Warden girls basketball has been the most dominant local program this season, compiling a 17-0 record with a point differential of plus-687. The Cougars, ranked third in the RPI, average 68.2 points per game while only allowing 27.8 points per game. Their closest game was a 14-point win at Chelan on Jan. 11.
Warden would play sixth-ranked King’s (14-4) in the regional round. The Knights boast a 52-47 win against 4A Moses Lake.
Speaking of the Chiefs, Moses Lake (13-3) is ranked 10th in the RPI and has taken over first place in the Columbia Basin Big Nine after a crucial win against Sunnyside. If the season ended today, Moses Lake would play No. 15 Sumner (13-4), likely on the east side.
In Class 1B, Odessa (12-5) is ranked 13th and would play Wellpinit (13-4) right now. Lind-Ritzville/Sprague (12-5) is barely on the outside looking in, ranked 17th in 2B. Moses Lake Christian (9-6) is ranked 20th and lurking in 1B.