Othello boys basketball team deals with postponed, canceled games

OTHELLO — Bad weather and the COVID-19 pandemic have combined to make it a bumpy season so far for the Othello High School boys basketball team.

The Huskies have a record of 3-5 overall, and are 1-1 in the Central Washington Athletic Conference, but a Dec. 30 non-league game with Quincy High School was canceled, and league games with Ellensburg High School and East Valley High School (Yakima) scheduled for the first week of January were postponed.

The Friday game against Ellensburg was postponed due to the snowstorm that swept through eastern Washington, while the Saturday game against East Valley fell victim to coronavirus protocols.

The Huskies lost a non-league game to West Valley High School (Spokane), 70-47 on Jan. 4. Othello head boys basketball coach Roman Pruneda said third-ranked West Valley had a really good shooting night, especially in the first half.

The Eagles outscored Othello 26-5 in the first quarter. Othello played West Valley almost evenly after the first quarter, but couldn’t make up the deficit.

“They (West Valley) play really disciplined basketball,” Pruneda said.

The canceled league games will be rescheduled, but it may mean juggling the remaining schedule, especially the non-league games, Pruneda said. The Huskies can’t practice as long as certain coronavirus protocols are in place. The players are working hard when they can practice, he said, but since mid-December the Huskies have only played one game.

“It kind of throws the kids off,” he said.

The Huskies were in fourth place in the CWAC as of Monday. The long layoff, however, has made it difficult to evaluate the team’s progress.

“We can’t really gauge where we’re at,” Pruneda said.

The postponements, cancellations and coronavirus protocols also have scrambled the remainder of the season, everything from the practice schedule to game dates.

“I guess it’s just the sit and wait game,” Pruneda said.