BASIN HOOPS REPORT: Basketball season comes to a close

COLUMBIA BASIN — Basketball season across the state came to a close last weekend, with two local teams taking home trophies at their respective state tournaments. Read along for a look at where Basin teams finished this season.

Almira/Coulee-Hartline

Boys

ACH finished out the regular season winning six of their last seven regular-season games, then defeating Columbia (Stevens) 70-45 in the first round of the Northeast 1B district tournament. After losing to eventual state champion Wellpinit 65-59 in the district semifinals, the Warriors ended their season with a 65-58 loss to Wilbur-Creston-Keller in the consolation semifinals. ACH finished the year with an 11-12 record.

Girls

The Warriors got back to the 1B Girls State Basketball Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season, winning the Northeast 1B district tournament with a 46-36 win over Curlew. ACH lost to No. 5 Crosspoint in the regional round in Tacoma, then to No. 12 Garfield-Palouse in the Round of 12 at the Spokane Arena to close their season with a 15-8 record.

Ephrata

Boys

Ephrata suffered two narrow losses in the Central Washington Athletic Conference district tournament, first losing 58-55 on Feb. 7 to East Valley (Yakima) and 59-55 to Selah on Feb. 13, ending the Tigers’ season with a 9-14 record.

Girls

After an 11-10 regular season, the Tigers fell in the first round of the CWAC district tournament to Selah on Feb. 6. In the first round of the consolation bracket the Tigers defeated Grandview 58-42, but fell again to Selah in the consolation semifinals 62-53 on Feb. 14. Ephrata ended the year at 12-12.

Lind-Ritzville/Sprague

Boys

The Broncos ended the year at 9-14, falling to Davenport 62-56 in the consolation bracket in the Northeast 2B district tournament. In the quarterfinals of the district tournament, LRS fell to Northwest Christian (Colbert).

Girls

LRS finished the season at 12-12, losing to Liberty (Spangle) in the Northeast 2B district tournament consolation semifinals Feb. 9. To open the tournament the Broncos defeated Northwest Christian 48-45 on Feb. 3, but fell to Colfax during semifinal play.

Moses Lake

Boys

Moses Lake finished the year with a 5-15 mark, falling to Eastmont 71-40 in the play-in round of the Columbia Basin Big 9 district tournament Feb. 13. 

Girls

After winning three of their final four regular-season games, the Mavericks won their play-in game of the CBBN district tournament 39-32 over Eisenhower. In the next round, Moses Lake lost to West Valley (Yakima) to end their season with an 11-12 record. 

MLCA/CCS

Boys

The Central Washington 1B regular season and district champion Lions ended the season with a win, defeating No. 1 seed Lummi Nation 45-40 in overtime of the fourth/sixth-place game at the 1B Boys State Basketball Tournament in Spokane. MLCA/CCS defeated No. 6 Cusick 64-54 in the regional round but lost 62-54 to No. 5 Neah Bay in the state quarterfinals. In the consolation semifinals, the Lions defeated Columbia Adventist 62-42.

With a fourth-place trophy, MLCA/CCS received their second state placing in the last three seasons, finishing the season at 22-2.

Girls

The Lions ended the year with a 3-12 record, missing out on the Central Washington 1B district tournament after falling to Cascade Christian in the final game of the regular season.

Othello

Boys

Othello went 6-14 on the hardwood in the 2023-24 season, missing out on the Central Washington Athletic Conference district tournament. The Huskies closed out their season with a home loss to Ellensburg on Feb. 2.

Girls

The Huskies finished the season 1-19, missing the CWAC district tournament. 

Quincy

Boys

Quincy won both the Caribou Trail League regular season and district titles during the 2023-24 season, amassing a 16-7 record on the hardwood. In the 1A District 6/7 Crossover against Riverside, the Jacks lost 52-38 and missed the 1A Boys State Basketball Tournament.

Girls

The Jackrabbits’ season finished with a first-round loss to Cashmere in the CTL district tournament Feb. 7, ending the year with a 6-16 mark.

Royal

Boys

The Knights won the South Central Athletic Conference (East) regular season title this winter, stringing together 13 consecutive wins from Jan. 6 to Feb. 10. Royal (20-8) reached the 1A for the first time since 2019, but fell to No. 3 seed Annie Wright in the regional round and No. 11 Riverside in the Round of 12.

Girls

Royal won the SCAC (East) league title after going 8-0 in conference games this winter, reaching the district tournament as a No. 1 seed. The Knights fell 61-59 to the eventual district champion Toppenish but rebounded with a win over Kiona-Benton in the first round of the consolation bracket. Royal’s season ended with a loss to Naches Valley, with their record finishing at 13-10.

Soap Lake

Boys

Soap Lake reached the state tournament for the first time since 2014 but lost in the regional round to Summit Classical Christian on Feb. 23. The Eagles, the runner-up in the Central Washington 1B district tournament, finished the season with a 16-7 record.

Girls

The 12-9 Eagles saw their season come to a close in the Central Washington 1B district tournament’s consolation semifinal, losing 33-27 to Entiat. Soap Lake opened the tournament with a 59-27 win over Wilson Creek but lost to Waterville-Mansfield in the semifinals.

Wahluke

Boys

After losing on a buzzer-beater to La Salle in the first round of the SCAC district tournament, Wahluke defeated Connell in the consolation bracket's first round but fell to Wapato in the consolation quarterfinals. Wahluke finished the year with a 13-8 record.

Girls

Wahluke ended the season at 2-19, falling to Toppenish in the play-in round of the SCAC district tournament on Feb. 5.

Warden

Boys

The Cougars finished 2023-24 with a 7-15 record, ending the regular season with a 54-53 win over River View on Feb. 1. Warden lost to Mabton 66-63 in the opening round of the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference district tournament on Feb. 9, then 76-71 to White Swan in the consolation bracket Feb. 13.

Girls

Warden earned its third consecutive top-three finish at the 2B Girls State Basketball Tournament, defeating No. 6 Adna 74-68 in the third/fifth-pace game on Saturday. The 23-6 Cougars, who won the EWAC (East) regular season title, opened the state tournament with back-to-back wins over Davenport and Mabton before losing 52-45 in the semifinals to Okanogan.

Wilson Creek

Boys

Wilson Creek finished the year at 6-10, falling to Riverside Christian in the first round of the Central Washington 1B district tournament. The Devils went 6-6 in league games this winter.

Girls

The Devils went 7-7 this winter, seeing their season finish with a loss to Soap Lake in the first round of the Central Washington 1B district tournament.

Ian Bivona may be reached via email at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

    MLCA/CCS sophomore Johnny Ferguson (24) dribbles the ball up the floor against No. 5 Neah Bay. The Lions took fourth in the 1B Boys State Basketball Tournament, defeating No. 1 seed Lummi Nation in the fourth/sixth-place game.
  

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline sophomore Naomi Molitor lays the ball up against Garfield-Palouse at the 1B Girls State Basketball Tournament. The Warrior girls basketball team got back to the state tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
  

    Soap Lake senior Pavlo Stoyan, left, dribbles the ball up the floor against Riverside Christian in the Central Washington 1B district tournament. The Eagles got back to the 1B Boys State Basketball tournament for the first time since 2014
  

    Warden senior Lauryn Madsen takes the ball up the court against No. 10 Davenport. The Warden Cougars took third place at the 2B Girls State Basketball Tournament, placing in the top three at state for the third straight season.