NWAC HEADLINES
Clackamas & Lane claim 2009 NWAACC Basketball Championships
SUNDAY MARCH 08 MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Clackamas 71, Lower Columbia 69 OT stats It took double overtime for the Clackamas Cougars to make the championship game and it took overtime for the Lower Columbia Red Devils to head to the final challenge, so it came as no surprise that it took overtime to determine a winner between the two teams vying for the 2009 NWAACC Championship. Heading into the 2009 NWAACC Men's Championship game, the Clackamas Cougars had a number one ranking in the Horizon Air poll; the Southern Region MVP, J.C. Cook; the Southern Region coach of the year, Clif Wegner; and Southern Region all stars Chehales Tapscott, Austin Dunn and Jeff Dorman. The Lower Columbia Red Devils had Western Region all star Alex King and the region's fourth seed coming into the tournament. Both teams had difficult victories last night; Clackamas finally established control in the second overtime, winning 108-101 against Yakima Valley. Lower Columbia suffered the overtime curse as well, squeaking through 79-77 over Highline. Cougar Zach Wilde pump faked and went under his opponent to post the first points of the game a minute thirty in. While Lower Columbia looked for someone with a hot hand, Clackamas built a 12-point lead only 10 minutes in. The Devils woke up and responded with 12 unanswered points to tie the game. The score remained locked as they headed into the locker room at the half and was locked again at 63 when time expired, sending the game into overtime. The Cougars quickly established control in OT, going up by five, a margin they held with two minutes to go. However, the Devils fought back and were within two with fifteen seconds on the clock. Red Devil Marice Tolliver missed a fader and the ball and win seemed destined to Clackamas. However, Ryan Freeman fought and pulled down the ball as the whistle sounded, giving Lower Columbia one more shot with .6 seconds on the clock to inbound and shoot. However, King had no chance for a good look at the basket as shot hit wide to the right. The clock sounded with a Cougar victory, 71-69. Dunn and Tapscott came up big for the Cougars with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Tapscott added 16 big boards. Key posted high points for the Saints, 21, and King had 15 of his own with 13 rebounds. Rolliver came down with 15 rebounds in the game. The 2009 NWAACC Champion Clackamas Cougars close out their season 29-3. The Red Devils return home with a second place trophy and a 19-12 record.







SATURDAY MARCH 07 MEN: Lower Columbia 79, Highline 77 OT [box score]









WOMEN: Ht. Hood 71, Bellevue 68 [box score]



FRIDAY MARCH 06 WOMEN: Bellevue 68, Treasure Valley 52 [box score] While the Treasure Valley Chukars got off more shots, the Belleve Bulldogs shot an impressive 55.6% to finish with a commanding lead, 68-52. For the Bulldogs, Phyllea Francis lead with 12 points. Tiffany Shen and Sharonda Palmer gave another 11 and 10, respectively. For the Chuckers, Alla Dzhidzhiyeshvili and Hope Willams scored 14. Nicole Tolman added 10. The Bellevue Bulldogs live to fight another day tomorrow against Mt. Hood at 12 p.m. The Treasure Valley Chuckars finish the season 15-13. MEN: Spokane 67, Skagit Valley 64 [box score] After losing in a blowout against fourth conference seed Lower Columbia in yesterday’s game, Spokane fought to show Skagit Valley why they’re ranked fifth in the Horizon Air Poll with a win over the Skagit Valley Cardinals, 67-64. The turning point in the game came with 8:30 to play, when a three pointer allowed the Sasquatch to pull away by six. While the Cardinals kept it close until the third minute, a quick unraveling allowed Spokane to pull ahead by 10 with under two minutes to play. However, the Cardinals refused to allow the Sasquatch an easy win and scored nine straight, pulling within one after Andrew Beatty’s on-the-line three made the score 65-64 with 30 seconds to play. A forced foul sent Sasquatch player Zack Humphrey to the line for two, bring the score to 67-64. Beatty’s for-the-tie three hit the rim, sending the ball out of bounds with 1.4 seconds and without another Cardinal chance. Chas Kok lead the Cardinals with 20 points. Trent Leach and Brad Balch added 12 each. For the Sasquatch, Zach Humphrey showed the way with 24. Kevin Bond had 10. The Spokane Sasquatch continue their tournament dreams on Saturday at 12 p.m. against Mt. Hood. The Skagit Valley Cardinals wrap up their 2008-09 season 16-12. WOMEN: Umpqua 89, Lower Columbia 61[box score] The number one ranked team in the league, the Umpqua Riverhawks continued their easy wins with a 89-61 victory over the Lower Columbia Red Devils. The Riverhawks team revealed the depth of their bench with five players in the double digits, including two with 20 points or more in Kristi Fallin and Miranda Holenstein. Heidi Jackson lead the lady Devils in scoring and rebounds with 23 and eight, respectively. Umpqua will look for domination tomorrow against Skagit Valley at 8 p.m. Lower Columbia hopes to avoid elimination with their 4 p.m. match up with Walla Walla. MEN: Lower Columbia 74, Chemeketa 57[box score] The Lower Columbia Red Devils can continue to boast they’ve never trailed in this tournament with the first points on the board and a final score of 74-57 over the Chemeketa Storm. Alex King was the standout performer for the Red Devils, sinking nine of 11 and both free throws for 20 points and pulled down 16 boards. Jeray Key added 17 points and Conrad Ritchie contributed 14. For the Storm, John Berger lead the charge with 19 points. Suquan Gary had 11. The Red Devils continue their quest to the championship tomorrow at 8 p.m. against Highline. Chemeketa will see Olympic at 4 p.m. WOMEN: Clackamas 63, Yakima Valley 57 [box score] While their male counterparts fought tooth and nail next door, the lady Cougars charged ahead of the Yakima Valley Yaks for a 63-57 win. Rylee Peterson dominated for the Cougars with nearly half of their points – 28 – and 13 rebounds. Teammate Bryanna St. Paul included an impressive 20 of her own. For the Yaks, Chelsey Nill had the hot hand on the threes, dropping down four of five with a total of 14 points. Kaitlin McBride added 11 and 7 boards. Clackamas returns to the court against Lane at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Yakima Valley will see Columbia Basin at 2 p.m. MEN: Clackamas 71, Tacoma 60 [box score] The Clackamas Cougars first place rank heading into the tournament didn’t scare the third-ranked Tacoma Titans in a scrappy back-and-forth game that only had clarity in the final two minutes as the Cougars pulled away two win 71-60. After starting the second 20 minutes ahead, the Cougars lagged close behind by five points or less for heart of the second half. An ankle injury removed Titan Toussaint Tyler from the field with a little more than 10 minutes to play. Two points from Cougar Austin Dunn with 5:48 to play returned Clackamas to the lead, 56-55. From there, the big cats toyed with the Titans, scraping out another four points as the Titans went 1-for-6 at the line. However, as the clock ticked over to two minutes, the Titans surged, fueled Anthony Enriquez’ successful free throw and second shot put back by Kevin Dancer, bringing the score to 60-59. It was as close as Tacoma would get. The team from Oregon City took control, spreading out baskets between Dunn, JC Cook, Jeff Dorman and an enthusiastic, dominating basket by Chehales Tapscott to finish it off. The Titans were lead by injured Tyler with 19 points, and Dancer’s 17, plus 12 rebounds. The Cougars’ points leader, Dunn, offered up 27 points, while teammate Cook added another 20. Tapscott contributed 12, with 13 rebounds. Clackamas faces Yakima tomorrow at 6 p.m. Tacoma will see Bellevue at 2 p.m. WOMEN: Lane 68, Columbia Basin 59 [box score] The third-ranked Lane Titans were never in serious trouble as they defeated the seventh-ranked Columbia Basin Hawks by a score of 68-59. Lane was paced by Theresa Brown's 8 of 9 shooting from the field and 6 of 6 shooting from the line for 22 points. She also dominated the boards for 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Lauren Rada and Jordan Brown combined for 35 points for the Hawks. Lane advances to the semifinals against the winner of the Clackamas - Yakima Valley game tomorrow at 6pm. The loss drops Bellevue into the 4th/7th place consolation bracket again the loser of the Clackamas - Yakima Valley game tomorrow at 2pm. MEN: Yakima Valley 79, Bellevue 67 [box score] The sixth-ranked Yakima Valley Yaks took a 17-15 lead at 11:05 in the first period and never gave up the lead as they defeated the fourth-ranked Bellevue Bulldogs by 12, 79-67. The Bulldogs made several strong attempts to catch the Yaks, but couldn't find enough. fire power. Rico Wilkins was on fire for the Yakima Valley with 12 for 20 shooting from the field, including 8 from beyond the arc, for 35 points. Jody Johnson was huge on the boards with 18 rebounds to go along with his 5 assists and 3 steals. Matt Lapasin led the Bulldogs on 5 of 7 from the field for 13 points. The win moves the Yaks into the semifinals against the winner of the Clackamas - Tacoma game tomorrow at 6pm. The loss drops Bellevue into the 4th/7th place consolation bracket against the loser of the Clackamas - Tacoma game tomorrow at 2pm. WOMEN: Skagit Valley 69, Walla Walla 63 [box score] The sixth-ranked Walla Walla Warriors and fifth-ranked Skagit Valley Cardinals battled a tight contest for three quarters of the game that featured 11 lead changes. The Cardinals took the lead with less than 10 minutes remaining and held on the rest of the way for a seven point win. Keri Arendse and Brittany Janz combined for 37 points and 15 rebounds to pace the Cardinals. Nancy Johnson led the Warriors with 17 points while Kati Isham and Jeni Gabriel combined on another 27. The win moves Skagit Valley into a semifinal match with either Umpqua or Lower Columbia tomorrow at 8pm. Walla Walla will move into the 4th/7th pace consolation bracket and take on the the loser of the Umpqua - Lower Columbia game tomorrow at 4pm. MEN: Highline 95, Olympic 78 [box score] The eighth-ranked Olympic Rangers sputtered on both side of the court and found themselves in a 24-4 hole in the first seven minutes of the game against the second-ranked Highline Thunderbirds. The Rangers got back on track and narrowed the gap to 39-30 by the half, but Highline again opened the gap and cruised to a 18 point win. Five Thunderbirds scored in double digit figures with Coby Gibler leading the way on his game high 18 points. Gibler, Shedrick Nelson and Kelly Edwards dominated the boards with 7 rebounds apiece as Highline out-rebounded the Rangers 51-30. Tysaih Curry scored 15 points and 9 rebounds to lead Olympic while Brandon Thompson and Duntae Jones combined for another 27 points. The win propels Highline into a semifinal match-up with either Lower Columbia or Chemeketa tomorrow at 8pm. Olympic drops into the 4th/7th place consolation bracket against either Lower Columbia or Chemeketa at 4pm tomorrow. WOMEN: Peninsula 86, South Puget Sound 55 [box score] The South Puget Sound Clippers hung with the Peninsula Pirates for the opening six minutes but a series of three pointers by Dena Houser and Brittany Bridges opened up a double digit lead as the Clipper offense began to sputter. Houser led a quartet of double digit scorers with a game high 22 points. Sam Flett had 16 points and 9 boards while Brittany Bridges notched 14 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks. Marissa Magalei and Kaitlin Nielsen combined for 34 of the Clippers 53 points. Nielsen and Alicia Richardson collected a combined 16 rebounds. The win moves Peninsula into a consolation bracket game verses eighth-ranked Centralia tomorrow morning at 10am. The loss ends South Puget Sounds season with a record of 15-13. MEN: Whatcom 82 Blue Mountain 80 [box score] The Whatcom Orcas lead most of the way, but Blue Mountain timberwolves hung close until they made a run that tied the game at 69 to send the contest into overtime. With Whatcom up 81-77, Sam Grogan buried a huge three pointer to bring the Timberwolves to within one, but they couldn't find any more as the Orcas advance on a 82-80 overtime victory. Ryan Sweet had a monster game as he led the Orcas with 29 points and 12 rebounds while Zac Andrus and Sean Green netted 11 apiece for another 22. Blue Mountain's Jamar Ransome poured in 24 points and Sam Grogan grabbed 11 boards to go with his 18 points. The win moves Whatcom into a match up with Clark in the consolation bracket. Game time set for tomorrow at 10am. The loss ends Blue Mountain's season with an overall record of 15-15. WOMEN: Centralia 63, Whatcom 39 [box score] The Whatcom Orcas stayed within five of the Centralia Trailblazers for most of the first half until just before the half when the Blazers push out the an eight point advantage, 27-19. Centralia controlled scoring in the paint during the second half and finished off the Orcas 63-39. Courtney May led the Blazers with 16 points followed by Megan Peabody with 13 and Deanna Riffe with 10. Riffe also pulled down 8 boards for Centralia. Tara Visser had a double-double for the Orcas scoring 10 points and 10 rebounds along with 5 blocked shots. The win moves eighth-ranked Centralia into a consolation bracket match up with the winner of the South Puget Sound - Peninsula contest tomorrow at 10am. The loss ends the season the the Orcas who finished the year with a 15-11 record. MEN: Clark 64, Linn-Benton 59 [box score] The Linn-Benton Roadrunners pulled out to a 13 point lead with 3:35 left in the first half, but went flat for a long period while the Clark Penguins turned up the heat and regained the lead six minutes into the second half. Clark went up by 13 with 9:48 remaining to play. The Roadrunners fought back but could not close the gap as Clark took a 64-59 victory. The Penguins were led by Brandon Jones' 20 points and 8 rebounds. Zack Walder, Travis Garrison and Arman Kalan each finished with 8 points. Tyson Christie and Scott Teutsch combined to score 31 for Linn-Benton. Teutsch also tallied 11 boards for the contest. The win moves Clark into a consolation bracket match-up with the winner of the Whatcom - Blue Mountain game tomorrow at 10am. Linn-Benton finishes the 2008-09 campaign with a 12-16 overall record. WOMEN: Mt Hood 83, Highline 64 [box score] The Highline Thunderbirds and Mt Hood Saints traded leads until mid-way through the first half when the Saints began to pull ahead and maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way. Brooklyn Bahme went 7 for 11 from the field and 7 of 7 at the line for 21 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Alexandra Melonson and Katie Smith combined on another 30 points. Smith also controlled the middle pulling down 13 boards while Bahme picked the Thunderbird pockets for 5 steals. Highline's Jazzmn Montgomery and Ariassa Wilson scored 14 apiece while Tera McCann-Soushek and Dani Carlman combined for another 23. Tera McCann-Soushek ripped down 13 boards for the Thunderbirds. The win moves Mt Hood into a match up with the winner of the Bellevue - Treasure Valley tomorrow at 12pm. Highline's loss ends their season with a 16-14 overall record. MEN: Mt Hood 78, Columbia Basin 70 [box score] The Columbia Basin Hawks led most of the way until the Mt Hood Saints seized the lead with 14 minutes remaining in the second half and held on for an eight point margin of victory. Four players scored in double digit numbers for the Saints led by Mike Wohlers' 17. Cody Mortenson (13) and Jeremy Jones (10) tallied 23 boards as Mt Hood out rebounded the Hawks 55-29. For the Hawks, Skylar Montoya busted out for 28 points while Andy Maxwell and Morgan Hyslop combined for 23 more. The win pits Mt Hood against the winner of the Spokane vs. Skagit Valley game tomorrow at 12pm. The loss ends the season for Columbia Basin with an overall record of 16-10.
THURSDAY MARCH 05 MEN: Chemeketa 84, Skagit Valley 61 The Chemeketa Storm took an early lead in the contest and built it into a 28 point lead by the second half before putting away the Skagit Valley Cardinals by 23, 84-61. Four players scored in double digit figures for the Storm led by Danny Berger's 19. Landon Boucher (17 pts), John Berger (15 pts) and Danny Derry (10 pts) combined for another 42. Derry and Seiji Blume controlled the boards combining for 17 rebounds. Blume also swatted 3 Cardinal shots and swiped 3 others. Andrew Beatty led the way for Skagit Valley with 16 points and 5 rebounds. For the Storm, the win sets up a match up of with Lower Columbia tomorrow at 8pm. The loss sends the Cardinals into a 10pm consolation bracket match up with fifth-ranked Spokane. WOMEN: Lower Columbia 74, Treasure Valley 66 It was a tight match between the Lower Columbia Red Devils and the Treasure Valley Chukars in the first half which resulted in a 27-27 tie at the break. The Red Devils came out of the locker room and established a lead they never relinquished. The Devils were led by Holly Weston's 20 points and Sadie Salte's 17. Weston also led in rebounds with 7 and assists with 4. Alla Dzhidzhiyeshvili, Nicole Tolman and Hope Williams combined for 48 points led by Dzhidzhiyeshvili's 20. The win propels Lower Columbia into a match with top-ranked Umpqua tomorrow at 8pm. Treasure Valley will take on Bellevue in the consolation bracket at 10pm. MEN: Lower Columbia 69 Spokane 43 [box score] The fifth-ranked Spokane Sasquatch got more than it could handle as the Lower Columbia Red Devils pounced early and never let off the gas in a 69-43 surprise. the devils were paced by a trio of double digit scorers as Marice Tolliver (15 pts), Alex King(12 pts) and Ryan Freeman (11 pts) combined for over half of the Red Devil points. Marice Tolliver lead the team on the boards with 7 rebounds while Tolliver and Tim Roffler combined for 10 assists. Derek Gianukakis led the way for Spokane with 14 points and 7 rebounds. Lower Columbia will play the winner of the 10pm game (Skagit Valley - Chemeketa) tomorrow at 8pm while Spokane will take on the loser of that game in the consolation bracket at 10pm. WOMEN: Umpqua 101 Bellevue 53 [box score] Top-ranked Umpqua Riverhawks put on an awesome display of offense and defense as they cruised past the Bellevue Bulldogs 101-53. Kristen Fallin nailed 7 of 12 three points en route to scoring 25 points. Another trio of Riverhawks tallied double digit figures as Cassie Scheffelmaier got 17, Miranda Holenstein 13 and Kirsten Strawn 11. The Umpqua defense collectively got 14 steals with Mykiea Russell leading the way with 4 to go along with her 8 assists. Cassandra Tiggett controlled the middle pulling down 16 boards and blocking a pair of shots. Amanda Harms was the bright spot in the scoring rotation for Bellevue as she shot 4 of 8 from the beyond the arc, scoring 14 points. The win advances Umpqua against the winner of tonight's Lower Columbia - Treasure Valley game tomorrow at 8pm. Bellevue will take on the loser of that game at 10pm tomorrow evening. MEN: Clackamas 76 Whatcom 72 [box score] Top-ranked Clackamas Cougars edged the Whatcom Orcas in a contest that featured sixteen lead changes throughout the entire game. Four Cougars finished in double figure scoring led by Chehales Tapscott 21 followed by JC Cook's 17 pts, Austin Dunn's 14 and Zach Wilde's 11. Tapscott also led in rebounds with 9 and Shane Fife got 3 steals. Ryan Sweet led the Orcas with 22 while Zac Andrus and Sean Green each got 14 points. Sweet was huge on the boards with 14 rebounds. The win sets up a meeting of top-ranked Clackamas and third-ranked Tacoma tomorrow at 6pm while Whatcom faces Blue Mountain in the consolation bracket at 12pm. WOMEN: Yakima Valley 58 South Puget Sound 45 [box score] The South Puget Sound Clippers gave second-ranked Yakima Valley Yaks all the game they could handle through 3/4 of the game - Then the Yaks cranked up their intensity on both offense and defense and took over the contest rest of the way. Kaitlin McBride paced the Yaks with 18 points and Nicole DeRosier dumped in another 13. Kaiti Harris was big in the middle with 9 points and 9 rebounds while McBride created havoc for the Clipper ball handlers with 8 steals. Kaitlin Nielsen led the Clippers with 12 points and Whitney Moser pulled down 9 boards while Kiara Honore dished four assists. The win pits Yakima Valley against fourth-ranked Clackamas tomorrow at 6pm while South Puget Sound will meet Peninsula at 12pm in the consolation bracket. MEN: Bellevue 76, Linn-Benton 53 [box score] Linn-Benton challenged the fourth-ranked Bellevue Bulldogs for half of the first period, then hit long scoring drought and never recovered from a 27 point deficit. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Matt Lapasin's 15 points and David Maddock's 14. Rukari Austin had 10 boards and 2 blocks. The Roadrunners' Tyson Christie notched 21 points and 7 rebounds. The win sends Bellevue into a match up with sixth-ranked Yakima Valley tomorrow at 4pm. Linn-Benton will meet Clark tomorrow at 10am in the consolation bracket. WOMEN: Columbia Basin 59, Centralia 58 OT [box score] Columbia Basin took the early lead until mid-way through the first half when Centralia took over and built an eleven point lead mid way through the second half. The Hawks then nearly held the Trailblazer offense scoreless for the last half of the second period to tie the score 55 all and send the game into overtime where the Hawks prevailed 59-58. Jordan Brown sparked the Hawks with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Caitlin Dill added eight points along with her team high 9 rebounds while Lauren Rada added another 9 points. Brittany Duerr had a big game for Centralia as she scored 26 points with Deanna Riffe contibuting 15 of her own. Riffe also had a game high 11 rebounds. The win advances seventh-ranked Columbia Basin in a match up with third-ranked Lane tomorrow at 4pm. Eighth-ranked Centralia will meet Whatcom at 10am in the consolation bracket tomorrow morning. MEN: Highline 73, Columbia Basin 65 [box score] Second-ranked Highline jump out to a eight point half time margin over the hometown Columbia basin Hawks and never relinquished the lead. The Hawks pulled to within two late in the game but couldn't catch the Thunderbirds as they again increased the margin. The Thunderbirds were led by Kelly Edwards (19 points), Vaughn Gaines (15 pts) and Coby Gibler (14 pts). Gibler also pulled down 13 boards while Gaines led the team in assists with 10. Skylar Montoya was the Hawks high scorer with 19 with Andy Maxwell and Morgan Hyslop combining for another 25. Travis Iverson ripped down 11 boards and Morgan Hyslop had 4 steals. The Thunderbirds advance to play eighth-ranked Olympic tomorrow at 2pm. The Hawks will take on seventh-ranked Mt Hood at 8am in the consolation bracket. WOMEN: Skagit Valley 79, Mt Hood 72 [box score] Fifth-ranked Skagit Valley took a 37-33 half time lead and built it into a 23 point lead in the second. Mt Hood then began to hit from beyond the arc to cut the lead in the last few minutes, but couldn't catch the Cardinals before the final buzzer. The Cardinals were led Brittany Janz with 25 points and Keri Arendse with 20. Janz and Arendse also grabbed most of the boards for Skagit Valley as they combined on 25 rebounds. Alex Love picked the Saints pockets for 4 balls in the game. Brooklyn Bahme and Chelsey Ramos were the scoring leaders for the Saints. Bahme had 17 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists while Ramos tallied 11 points. The win sends Skagit Valley into a 2pm match up with sixth-ranked Walla Walla tomorrow afternoon. The Saints will take on Highline in the consolation bracket at 8am. MEN: Tacoma 83, Blue Mountain 65 [box score] The Blue Mountain Timberwolves led for much of the first half, but the third-ranked Tacoma Titans grabbed the lead with 4 minutes to play in the the half and never looked back. Kevin Dancer enjoyed a huge game with 31 points on 12 of 23 shooting and 7 of 10 at the charity stripe. Dancer also grabbed a game high 18 rebounds and 5 blocks while Darious Walker and Anthony Gittens combined for 15 more. Glittens also scored 10 points and Toussaint Tyler scored 17 more. Four Timberwolves scored in double figures led by Roshun Wynne's 14. Team mates Sam Grogan (14pts), Jamar Ransome (11pts) and Khabir Muhammad (10pts) combined for another 35 for Blue Mountain. Ransome pulled down 11 boards and Roshun Wynne hasd 6 assists. Tacoma will meet the winner of Clackamas vs. Whatcom game tomorrow at 6pm while Blue Mountain will take on the loser of that game at 12pm. WOMEN: Clackamas 65 Peninsula 51 [box score] The fourth-ranked Clackamas Cougars and the Peninsula Pirates traded leads until near halftime when Clackamas pulled ahead and never trailed the rest of the way. The Pirates managed to keep it a close contest but the Cougars finally pulled away with less than three minutes remaining. Rylee Peterson ripped the nets for 24 points, pulled down 17 boards and blocked 5 shots to lead the Cougars. Dayle Powell and Brittany Duty both hit double figure scoring combining for 25 points. Sam Fett lead the Pirates in scoring with 17 points while Brooke Helpenstell added 13 more along with her 12 rebounds. Britney Yamane and Krystal Tolliver had 3 steals each. The win moved the Cougars into a macthup with the winner of Yakima Valley vs. South Puget Sound tomorrow at 6pm. Peninsula will take on the loser of the Yakima - S. Puget Sound game at 12pm. MEN: Yakima Valley 67, Clark 39 [box score] Sixth-ranked Yakima Valley jumped out to a big first half lead and never looked back as the Clark Penguins struggled to get their offense going. The Yaks were led by Rico Wilkins' 16 points with Nico Sandoval and LeMar Anglin combining on another 21. Anglin led the team with 10 rebounds and Mario Allen picked the Penguins for 5 steals. The Penguins were led by Grant Ziegler's9 points and Brandon Jones 8. Arman Kalan was huge on the boards with 10. Yakima Valley will advance to meet the winner of the Bellevue vs. Linn-Benton game tomorrow at 4pm while Clark will play the loser at 10am. WOMEN: Lane 78, Whatcom 61 [box score] Third-ranked Lane got a work-out from Whatcom, the North's third seed, but the Titans proved to be too much for the Orcas as Lane moves on in the winner's bracket. Lane was led by Carmen Williams' 17 points with Theresa Brown and Richan Modderman also scoring in double figures with 13 and 10. Brown pulled down a game high 15 rebounds. Whatcom's Sarah Cicchitti ripped the nets for 19 points and grabbed a team high 7 rebounds while Brittney Finkbonner scored 11 more and Taria Cicchitti netted 9. The win propels the Titans into a match up with the winner of the Centralia vs. Columbia Basin game tomorrow at 4pm while Whatcom will meet the loser at 10am. MEN: Olympic 80, Mt Hood 75 [box score] The Olympics Rangers were led by Duntae Jones and L.P. Neloms who combined for 30 points as the eighth-ranked Rangers won their opener against the seventh ranked Saint of Mt Hood. The scores remained relatively close throughout the game with Mt Hood leading most of the way until the mid-way point in the second half when the Rangers took the lead and held on for the victory. The Saints were led by Mike Wohlers' 19 points and 6 assists. Jeremy Jones added 15 while Cody Mortenson (13pts) and Chris Weitzel pulled down a combined 21 boards. Earl Jones had 11 points to go with his 11 points. The Rangers Jones and Neloms both scored 15 while Justin Artis added 12 and Patrick Lewis chipped in 10. Tysaih Curry led the team in rebounds with10. Artis and Jones picked up a combines 11 assists. The Rangers advance to play the winner of the Highline vs. Columbia Basin tomorrow at 2pm while Mt Hood will take on the loser of that same contest tomorrow at 8am. WOMEN: Walla Walla 73 Highline 50 [box score] Sixth-ranked Walla Walla Warriors led by as much as 26 points as they cruised past West third seed Highline thunderbirds 73-50. Nancy Johnson led the Warriors in scoring with 20 points and Kati Isham added 18 to go along with her game high 12 rebounds. Jeni Gabriel led the squad with 7 assists. The Thunderbirds were led by Jazzmn Montgomery and Kameka Nolen who each scored 10 apiece. Walla Walla advances to play the winner of Skagit Valley vs. Mt Hood tomorrow at 2pm while the Thunderbird will take on the loser of that game at 8am.
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