Richland boys, Kamiakin girls win to advance to 4A WA basketball quarterfinals

Richland’s boys and Kamiakin’s girls held off their opponents on Wednesday in loser-out games at the Class 4A state boys and basketball tournaments in the Tacoma Dome.

That means both squads advance to the state quarterfinals on Thursday.

Six area squads were forced to play loser-out contests around the state — Tacoma, Yakima and Spokane — going 4-2.

Five more Mid-Columbia teams will make their final state site debuts Thursday.

Here’s a look at what local teams have done this week or are going to do:

Class 4A boys

(8) RICHLAND 55, (9) UNION 43: The Bombers used an 18-6 third quarter to gain control of the game and knocked out Union in a loser-out contest.

Josh Woodard led Richland with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.

Teammates Jordan Valencia-Alvarado and Luke Westerfield each added 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists for Richland. Westerfield added three blocked shots.

Union had trouble scoring baskets in the second half, shooting just 28 percent from the floor. Richland, meanwhile, answered with 46 percent shooting in the final 16 minutes.

Josiah Balassare led the Titans with 16 points and 6 rebounds, but their season is done.

For Richland, the Bombers advance to the quarterfinals, where they’ll play No. 2 Mount Si at 2 p.m., Thursday.

Tacoma Dome

Wednesday, March 1

Game 12 — (8) Richland 55, (9) Union 43 (loser out)

Thursday, March 2

Quarterfinal

Game 16 — (8) Richland vs. (2) Mount Si, 2 p.m.

Class 4A girls

(7) KAMIAKIN 62, (10) BOTHELL 52: The Braves outscored the Cougars 20-10 in the third quarter to pull away in the loser-out contest.

With the victory, Kamiakin meets No. 8-seeded Emerald Ridge at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the state quarterfinals in the Tacoma Dome.

In Wednesday’s win, Mia Howard led the Braves with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Kamiakin dominated the boards, outrebounding Bothell 42-30.

Nikole Thomas added 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals for the Braves, while teammate Maddy Rendall added 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.

Ella Kaleta and McKylee Hawkins each scored 14 points for the Cougars, whose season ends.

(1) WOODINVILLE 55, (9) RICHLAND 46: The top-ranked Falcons jumped out to a 23-12 first-half lead and never looked back in eliminating the Bombers.

Richland’s Kylee Fox ended her prep career by scoring 14 points and getting 3 steals. Fox will play for Fresno State University in the fall.

Teammate Mackenzie Schulz added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Richland, which was just 2-for-4 from the free throw line.

Woodinville, which outrebounded Richland 48-28, was led by Jaecy Eggers’ 17 points and 9 rebounds.

Tacoma Dome

Wednesday, March 1

Game 10 — (7) Kamiakin 62, (10) Bothell 52 (loser out)

Game 12 — (1) Woodinville 55, (9) Richland 46 (loser out)

Thursday, March 2

Quarterfinal

Game 14 — (7) Kamiakin vs. (8) Emerald Ridge, 5:30 p.m.

Class 2A boys

Prosser makes its Yakima Valley SunDome state tournament debut at 2 p.m., Thursday, as the No. 7 Mustangs will take on No. 8 seed R.A. Long of Longview in the quarterfinals.

Long defeated No. 9 West Valley of Spokane 56-39 in Wednesday’s Round of 12, loser-out game.

In December, Prosser and R.A. Long met in the Moda Center in Portland, and the Mustangs won that game 61-59.

Yakima Valley SunDome

Thursday, March 2

Quarterfinals

Game 16 — (7) Prosser vs. (8) R.A. Long, 2 p.m.

Class 2A girls

(10) OTHELLO 33, (2) LYNDEN 31: It wasn’t pretty judging by the score, but the Othello girls knocked heavy favorite Lynden out of the state tournament on Wednesday in the Yakima Valley SunDome.

The Huskies, now 18-9, forced Lynden into 18 turnovers, and they outscored the Lyncs 11-2 off of turnovers.

Senior Annalee Coronado — the MVP this season in the Central Washington Athletic Conference, and who is headed to play at Central Washington University in the fall — led Othello with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

Emi Pruneda added 7 points and 8 rebounds for the Huskies, who overcame bad shooting from the floor in the second half (3 for 25 for 12 percent) to win.

Othello used just six players in the win.

Payton Mills led Lynden with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Othello plays top-seeded Ellensburg — a CWAC rival — in a quarterfinal game at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

A third CWAC team, No. 4 Prosser, plays No. 6 WF West of Chehalis at 3:45 p.m., Thursday in another quarterfinal.

Ellensburg and Prosser will be making their SunDome state tournament debuts on Thursday.

All three CWAC teams — Ellensburg, Othello and Prosser — are in the same half of the bracket, which means two of them could meet each other in one semifinal game on Friday.

Yakima Valley SunDome

Wednesday, March 1

Game 10 — (10) Othello 33, (2) Lynden 31 (loser out)

Thursday, March 2

Quarterfinals

Game 13 — (4) Prosser vs. (6) WF West-Chehalis, 3:45 p.m.

Game 14 — (10) Othello vs. (1) Ellensburg, 5:30 p.m.

Class 2B boys

(5) BREWSTER 59, (12) TRI-CITIES PREP 49: The Jaguars’ strong season came to an end Wednesday in a loser-out game loss to Brewster in the Spokane Arena.

The Bears led by one at halftime, but outscored Prep 29-20 in the second half to earn the victory.

Blake McClure led the Jags with 17 points, while Cole Jordan added 14 points and 5 rebounds.

Kelson Gebbers, bound for the University of Portland, led Brewster with 20 points and 8 rebounds.

No. 3 Lake Roosevelt eliminated No. 11 Wahkiakum 58-53 on Wednesday morning. Lake Roosevelt now meets No. 4 Columbia-Burbank at 9 a.m. Thursday in the state quarterfinals.

Spokane Arena

Wednesday, March 1

Game 11 — (5) Brewster 59, (12) Tri-Cities Prep 49 (loser out)

Thursday, March 2

Quarterfinals

Game 13 — (4) Columbia-Burbank vs. (3) Lake Roosevelt, 9 a.m.

Class 2B girls

(8) MABTON 58, (9) LIBERTY-SPANGLE 47: The Vikings outscored Liberty 21-9 on points off turnovers, and that proved to be the difference in the loser-out game in the Spokane Arena.

Alana Zavala led Mabton with 16 points, Esmeralda Sanchez added 12 points and 4 steals, and Keirrah Roetger had 12 points and 6 rebounds.

The Lancers, who outrebounded the Vikings 40-28, were led by Jordyn Jeske’s 15 points and 5 rebounds.

Mabton now plays No. 2 seed Okanogan at 9 p.m., Thursday, in the state quarterfinals.

Joining Mabton in the quarterfinals Thursday will be defending state champion Warden, a No. 4 seed, going against No. 6 La Conner at 3:45 p.m. Thursday.

Spokane Arena

Wednesday, March 1

Game 12 — (8) Mabton 58, (9) Liberty-Spangle 47 (loser out)

Thursday, March 2

Quarterfinals

Game 13 — (4) Warden vs. (6) La Conner, 3:45 p.m.

Game 16 — (8) Mabton vs. (2) Okanogan, 9 p.m.

Class 1B boys

Sunnyside Christian and DeSales — Southeast 1B rivals — get their tournament week under way Thursday with quarterfinal games in the Spokane Arena.

DeSales, seeded third, plays Moses Lake Christian — which defeated Sound Christian Academy 58-54 in a loser-punt contest on Wednesday. That contest is set for 7:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, Sunnyside Christian is the No. 2 seed of the tournament, and the Knights will take on Orcas Island in the late 9 p.m. game.

If both DeSales and SSC were to win Thursday, the two league rivals would meet in a semifinal contest — with the winner playing Saturday for the 1B state title.

Spokane Arena

Thursday, March 2

Quarterfinals

Game 15 — (3) DeSales vs. (5) Moses Lake Christian, 7:15 p.m.

Game 16 — (2) Sunnyside Christian vs. (16) Orcas Island, 9 p.m.

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