NWAC tournament returns to Tri-Cities. CBC teams vying for playoff berths

The Columbia Basin College men’s and women’s Hawks are near the top of the NWAC East Region standings in both basketball divisions.

In fact, if the season ended today, both CBC’s men and women would qualify for the NWAC Championship tournaments — which will be back in the Tri-Cities this year.

But instead of the Toyota Center, the tournaments will be at CBC in the new student recreation center.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 24, CBC’s men sit in third in the East Region standings with a 4-2 record (14-2 overall). The Hawks are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

CBC’s top three scorers are Amar Rivers at 11.9 points, Bobby Siebers at 11.1, and Jayden Martinez (Chiawana) at 10.1.

The CBC women are in second place in the East Region standings at 4-2 (11-4 overall), and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

Top Hawks scorers are Lexie Heath at 14.8 points a game, Kenzie Pedersen at 11.2, and Trinidie Nichols at 10.4.

The women’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 will be held at CBC on March 8-10.

The men’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 is at CBC on March 10-12.

The Final Four games for both men and women will be held at CBC on March 18, while the men’s and women’s championship games are set for March 19.

▪ While it would be great to see the Hawks in the tournaments, there could be some other locals who could be playing. This is just who there is from the East Region:

Big Bend women: Dakota Killian, freshman, Lind-Ritzville.

Blue Mountain women: Marta Barajas, freshman, Riverside; Nadine French, freshman, Southridge; KayLeigh Young, freshman, Southridge.

Spokane women: Madeline Gebers, sophomore, Kennewick.

Walla Walla men: Trey Arland, freshman, Kamiakin; Kyson Rose, sophomore, Kamiakin.

Walla Walla women: Malia Cortes, freshman, Prosser.

Wenatchee Valley men: Ayoni Benavidez, freshman, Kennewick.

Wenatchee Valley women: Monica Miller, sophomore, College Place; Alexes Stein, freshman, Kennewick; Leila Taylor, freshman, Prosser.

Sidenote: Walla Walla’s Rose is among the leaders in the entire NWAC in scoring (21.9 points) and rebounds (10.1). WVC’s Benavidez is among NWAC leaders in scoring (21.7).

Prep wrestling

Congratulations to Manny Plata and his Chiawana Riverhawks, who won another Mid-Columbia Conference regular-season team title.

Plata took over the program after Jack Anderson stepped down last spring.

But the machine keeps rolling along.

They’ve won four consecutive MCC team titles — back to back to back to back.

College update

The Providence Argos women’s basketball team, through games of Jan. 25, sits at 12-9 this season.

The Montana NAIA school has quite the Mid-Columbia touch on its roster, with five former Mid-Columbia Conference players contributing.

Graduate student Kenedy Cartwright (Chiawana) leads the way, averaging 9.6 points a game. Cartwright has started every game for the Argos, is No. 1 on the team with 43 free throws made. She also has 30 assists and 23 steals.

Her youngster sister is freshman Camryn Cartwright (Chiawana) who has seen some play.

Grad student Alicia Oatis (Kennewick) is shooting 41 percent from the floor (42 for 101), and is averaging 5.0 rebounds a game.

Sophomore Delaney Pink (Chiawana) has sunk 13 3-point field goals, and freshman Katelyn Heideman (Hermiston) is shooting 42 percent (6 for 14) in limited play.

▪ MeiLani McBee (Kennewick) came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points, leading the Hawaii women’s basketball team over Cal State Fullerton 66-53 in a Big West game on Jan. 7.

McBee shot 6-for-13 from the 3-point line, and added 4 steals.

For the season so far, she’s shooting 32 percent (19 for 58) from the 3-point line, which is third best of Hawaii.

McBee is averaging 4.5 points a game and has 17 steals. She has started in four contests, and played in all 17 games.

Hawaii is 5-3 in Big West play, and 7-10 overall.

▪ Freshman Savannah Taylor (Chiawana) finished the women’s soccer team in the fall as the No. 2 scorer for the Western Oregon University women’s soccer team, which finished with a 7-6-5 record.

Taylor scored 7 points for the Wolves, with 3 goals and an assist.

Football signings

In the span of about a five days, Montana Western University’s football program has come into the Tri-Cities and scooped up about five commits.

Richland WR/athlete Landon Charlton, Kamiakin DL Devin Crow, Chiawana OL Joshua Doig, Southridge OL Bryer Hughes, and Kennewick DL Carlos Orozco all announced their commitments to the Montana school this past week.

▪ Richland senior Seth Shook will be plying his receiving skills next fall at the University of Idaho.

Shook led the Bombers this past season in receiving, catching 44 passes for 734 yards. That’s an average of 16.6 yards per catch.

Defensively, Shook was in on 47 tackles as a defensive back. He also had an interception. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.

Hockey

Former Tri-City Americans goalie Beck Warm has a 15-5-3 record this season for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. The team is an affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.

Warm has a .904 save percentage, and surrenders an average of 2.87 goals a contest.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.