Yaks hammer Highline in opener
November 22, 2008 by YH-R Sports
BELLEVUE — Despite learning they’d lost perhaps their best player on Thursday, Yakima Valley’s men debuted impressively on Friday.
Led by Rico Wilkins’ 28 points and a 16-point, 13-rebound performance by Jody Johnson, the Yaks ran past Highline 96-79 in the first round of the season-opening Bulldog Classic at Bellevue Community College.
YVCC will continue tournament play at 5 p.m. today against the winner of a later game between Everett and Mount Hood.
Yakima Valley coach Ray Funk said he’d found out that Damar Wilson, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound standout recruit from Anchorage, Alaska, has a damaged ACL in one of his knees and will either have season-ending surgery or attempt to recover enough to play later this season. Wilson hurt the knee in a Nov. 9 scrimmage at Longview.
Wilkins, a 6-0 sophomore guard from DeSoto, Texas, hit 8 of 13 3-point attempts. Johnson, a 6-4 returnee from last season’s NWAACC championship team, led five other Yaks in double figures as Ben Wilson had 14 points, LeMar Anglin 12 and Nico Sandoval and Dennis Wilson added 11 each. Dennis Wilson is Damar Wilson’s brother and Ben Wilson, Anglin and Sandoval all played for YVCC last season.
Sandoval, a sophomore point guard from Davis, added nine assists, six steals and five rebounds.
Evan Berndt, a former West Valley standout, scored nine points for Highline, which was led by Kelly Edwards’ 19.
HIGHLINE — Gaines 2-7 1-2 6, Berndt 3-7 1-2 9, Stevens 3-7 2-5 8, Kelly Edwards 6-10 6-6 19, Young 1-6 0-0 2, Bowser 2-7 0-0 4, Mickelson 0-0 0-0 0, Gibler 5-8 0-0 10, Julian Fernandez 6-9 2-4 15, Morine 2-2 2-3 6. Totals 30-63 14-22 79.
YAKIMA VALLEY — Rico Wilkins 8-19 4-4 28, Jody Johnson 7-16 2-2 16, Dennis Wilson 5-8 0-0 11, Nico Sandoval 4-11 2-2 11, Thornton 1-1 0-0 2, Spellman 0-2 2-2 2, Ben Wilson 5-12 2-2 14, LeMar Anglin 3-12 6-9 12, Gillispie 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-82 18-21 96.
Halftime — Yakima Valley 45, Highline 39. 3-point goals — High 5-11 (Gaines 1-3, Berndt 2-4, Fernandez 1-2, Edwards 1-2); YVCC 12-24 (Wilkins 8-13, D. Wilson 1-3, Sandoval 1-3, B. Wilson 2-4). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — High 49 (Edwards 8); YVCC 42 (Johnson 13). Assists — High 11 (Edwards 4); YVCC 18 (Sandoval 9). Turnovers — High 30, YVCC 13. Total fouls — High 18, YVCC 19.
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