Colleges: Henton scores 25 to lead Yaks

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The points keep piling up for Yakima Valley’s Brandi Henton, who poured in 25 points in the Yaks’ 75-66 overtime victory over Whatcom on Sunday.

Henton is averaging 27.6 points per game this season for the 5-0 Yaks.

Brittney Newcomb scored 13 points and dished out four assists for Yakima Valley, while Ashley Swetzof equaled Newcomb’s scoring output and added 12 rebounds.

Whatcom was led by the one-two punch of Cambie Edwards (25 points) and Erika Locker (22 points).

WHATCOM — Tapia 1-6 0-0 2, Holterman 2-4 3-9 7, Wolf 0-0 2-2 2, Kussman 1-3 1-2 4, Friberg 1-6 0-0 2, Erika Locker 8-17 4-10 22, Cambie Edwards 9-16 6-9 25, Redelinhuis 0-1 0-0 0, Fluit 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 23-56 16-32 66.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Brittney Newcomb 3-17 6-7 13, Alex Brewster 4-6 3-4 11, Bryant 1-3 1-2, Cox 0-2 1-2 1, Ashley Swetzof 5-11 2-4 13, Gonzales 2-3 0-0 5, Lekson 0-3 0-1, Strom 1-1 0-0 2, Brandi Henton 12-29 0-1 25, Ferguson 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 29-78 13-21 75.

Halftime — Whatcom 31, Yakima Valley 26. End of regulation — Yakima Valley 58, Whatcom 58. 3-point goals — Whatcom 4-11 (Tapia 0-2, Kussman 1-2, Friberg 0-1, Locker 2-5, Edwards 1-1), Yakima Valley 4-26 (Newcomb 1-12, Bryant 0-1, Swetzof 1-4, Gonzales 1-2, Lekson 0-1, Henton 1-6). Fouled out — Brewster, Cox. Rebounds — Whatcom 36 (Edwards 15), Yakima Valley 41 (Swetzof 12). Assists — Whatcom 13 (Tapia 5, Friberg 5), Yakima Valley 13 (Newcomb 4). Turnovers — Whatcom 27, Yakima Valley 18. Total fouls — Whatcom 21, Yakima Valley 26.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Spokane outlasts Yakima Valley

LONGVIEW, Wash. — DeAngelo Jones scored 33 points to lead Spokane to a 91-85 victory over Yakima Valley in the championship game of the Red Devils Classic on Sunday in Myklebust Gymnasium at Lower Columbia College.

Jones scored 23 of his total in the first half, as Spokane built a four-point lead at intermission.

Johnnie Diggs scored 19 points to lead the Yaks (2-1), who also go 19 points from Tomas Ogbaslassie.

Preston Wynne added 20 points for the Sasquatch and led his team with eight rebounds and five assists.

SPOKANE — Edwards 0-1 0-0 0, Preston Wynne 6-15 5-8 20, Harvey 0-4 2-2 2, Holbrook 0-3 0-0 0, DeAngelo Jones 9-19 10-11 33, Taylor Pettersen 4-5 2-2 11, Brady Bagby 1-5 8-8 10, Frisbie 1-3 0-0 2, Evans 4-10 1-2 9, Brim 1-4 2-2 4. Totals 26-69 30-35 91.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Johnnie Diggs 6-13 7-12 19, Royal 3-5 0-1 6, Martinez 1-3 3-4 5, J. Bagby 0-0 0-0 0, Molina 2-4 2-2 7, Tomas Ogbaslassie 5-15 6-8 18, Henton 3-9 2-2 9, Jensen 2-5 3-3 7, Romero 2-3 0-0 4, Flowers 2-3 0-0 4, Zapien 3-7 0-0 6. Totals 29-67 23-32 85.

Halftime — Spokane 40, Yakima Valley 36. 3-point goals — Spokane 9-23 (Edwards 0-1, Wynne 3-8, Harvey 0-2, Holbrook 0-3, Jones 5-7, Pettersen 1-1, B. Bagby 0-1), Yakima Valley 4-9 (Molina 1-1, Ogbaslassie 2-3, Henton 1-3, Jensen 0-1, Zapien 0-1). Fouled out — Pettersen, Molina, Ogbaslassie. Rebounds — Spokane 31 (Wynne 8), Yakima Valley 31 (Henton 7). Assists — Spokane 11 (Wynne 5), Yakima Valley 9 (Diggs 2, Martinez 2, Henton 2). Turnovers — Spokane 22, Yakima Valley 32. Total fouls — Spokane 25, Yakima Valley 25.

Murphy’s law: Prosser falls in state semifinals

KENNEWICK, Wash. — Benji Sonnichsen paused to search for the right word and it didn’t take long.

“The best way I can describe it is they just suffocated us,” said Prosser’s head football coach. “We’d get a little breathing room, then boom — they’d come in and make a big play on offense or defense. That’s a very good football team and they completely shut us down.”

Archbishop Murphy, which sent tremors through the Class 2A state playoffs with runaway wins over Tumwater and Othello, did the same to Sonnichsen’s Mustangs on Saturday afternoon with a 50-14 semifinal victory at Lampson Stadium.

 

PHOTO GALLERY Click here for more photos from this event. SPACER Click here for information on purchasing photos.

The Wildcats pounced immediately, scoring touchdowns on two of their first seven plays, and never gave Prosser a chance to reverse the direction in a game Archbishop Murphy dominated on both sides of the ball.

On offense, AM’s wing-T rolled up nearly 500 yards and broke off plays of 48, 53, 25, 73 and 32 yards en route to a 35-7 lead at halftime.

And a good case could be made for the defense playing even better, holding Prosser to 10 net yards prior to its final possession.

“We were focused and ready to play, but they came out and got the first hit in and we couldn’t recover from it,” said senior Isaac Anderson, who returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. “We fought and fought but couldn’t get anything to bust open like we usually do. We struggled to even get a first down.”

By locking on to Prosser’s receivers with man-to-man coverage and blitzing from the edges, Archbishop Murphy’s physical and athletic defense squeezed the variety and threat out of Prosser’s offense, which averaged 42 points during its 11-game win streak.

“Our defense is fast and the guys did a good job getting in the face of the quarterback and limiting his options,” said AM coach Dave Ward. “Prosser has a good spread offense with good receivers, but we didn’t give them a chance to get in a rhythm. That’s a real credit to our pass rush.”

Prosser’s junior quarterback Ryan Fassler completed 5 of 19 passes for 47 yards and was sacked three times, and the ground game was unable to find any traction with 14 net yards, in large part because of the sacks.

“They were able to play real tight man coverage and blitz the house. When that happens you’re in for a long day,” Sonnichsen noted. “No other team has been able to do that to us, not even Kamiakin.”

Two of those big plays in the first half came in long down-and-distance situations when the Mustangs were still close.

The Wildcats’ second touchdown — a 53-yard shovel pass — came on a third-and-8 play, but the backbreaker was AM’s third score. Faced with a fourth-and-19, quarterback Conner Kruse connected with Austin Broadwell for a 25-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.

“That was kind of a dagger,” said Ward, whose Wildcats (12-1) will face Lynden (13-0), a 17-7 semifinal winner over Chehalis, in next Saturday’s championship game in the Tacoma Dome.

In the final game of his three-year varsity career, Anderson collected 154 all-purpose yards. The kickoff return score — his first — gave him 61 career touchdowns.

The Mustangs (11-2), with a senior crew that posted back-to-back 9-0 seasons in the CWAC, earned a nice consolation prize — a third-place trophy for a storied program that has now produced 10 final four teams.

“We accomplished a lot with the kids — a league title, the state semifinals — and we were very successful in many, many ways,” Sonnichsen said. “They are one of the top 10 best teams in Prosser history, and in this program that’s something to be proud of.”

Archbishop Murphy 14 21 8 7 — 50 Prosser 0 7 0 7 — 14

AM — Alex Galgano 8 run (Foster Wade kick) AM — Alex Kramer 53 pass from Hans VanderWel (Wade kick) AM — Austin Broadwell 25 pass from Conner Kruse (Wade kick) AM — Galgano 73 run (Wade kick) Pro — Isaac Anderson 92 kickoff return (Abi Fajardo kick) AM — Eneliko Tevaga 10 run (Wade kick) AM — Tevaga 2 run (Ricky Gordon run) AM — Kruse 4 run (Wade kick) Pro — Diego Magana 7 run (Fajardo kick) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — AM, Galgano 9-121, VanderWel 10-94, Tevaga 12-45, Kruse 10-39, Kramer 2-32, Gordon 3-7, David Loveless 6-5, Conner Longoria 2-6, Max VonderHofen 2-3, Brandon Byrne 1-0. Prosser, Anderson 7-33, Magana 4-12, Bubba Frank 1-(minus 1), Ryan Fassler 3-(minus 30). PASSING — AM, VanderWel 3-4-0-83, Kruse 2-4-0-57. Prosser, Fassler 5-19-1-47. RECEIVING — AM, Kramer 2-85, Broadwell 1-25, Galgano 1-23, Tevaga 1-7. Prosser, Anderson 1-24, Fajardo 1-14, Sterling Clark 1-5, Magana 1-3, Wyatt Baker 1-1.

GRIDIRON CLASSIC

State championship pairings

AT TACOMA DOME

Class 4A

Skyline (10-3) vs. Skyview (11-2), Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Class 3A

O’Dea (13-0) vs. Bellevue (13-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Class 2A

Lynden (13-0) vs. Archbishop Murphy (12-1), Saturday, 10 a.m.

Class 1A

Cascade Christian (10-2) vs. Connell (12-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Class 2B

Morton/White Pass (11-1) vs. Waitsburg-Prescott (13-0), Saturday, 4 p.m.

Class 1B

Almira/Coulee-Hartline (13-0) vs. Neah Bay (11-2), Friday, 4 p.m.

 

11/27/11 Prosser-Archbishop Murphy photo gallery

Prosser’s Isaac Anderson holds up the team’s third place trophy after their 50-14 loss to Archbishop Murphy Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic photo).

Photos from Saturday’s Class 2A state semifinal football game between Prosser and Archbishop Murphy at Lampson Stadium in Kennewick, Wash.

Click here for information on purchasing any of these photos.

Cold truth on warm day, Archbishop Murphy just really good

KENNEWICK, Wash. — Numbers, as we all know, don’t always tell the story. But on some occasions, such as Saturday’s Class 2A state semifinal game, the cold truth on a warm day at Lampson Stadium was illuminated brightly, and for all to see.

Arch-bishop Murphy 50, Prosser 14 was no illusion.

And looking at neither the film nor the scores from AM’s two prior playoff games, against defending champion Tumwater (41-6) and Othello (34-0) could have prepared the Mustangs for this.

It was not a matter of Prosser not game-planning properly. It was not a matter of the Mustangs not playing hard or a standout senior class not delivering in the leadership department, or any related possibility.

Nor did it involve an opponent playing over its head, unless you consider the Wildcats’ aforementioned contests against coaches with seven combined state titles (five for Tumwater’s Sid Otton, two for Othello’s Roger Hoell) aberrations. And they weren’t.

Again, Archbishop Murphy 50, Prosser 14 was no illusion. And if it begs the question, how good were the Mustangs, the answer was very.

You don’t go 9-0 in the CWAC and win 11 straight games, which Prosser had in fact done, without being an elite team in your specific classification.

Those numbers, too, were truthful.

The problem for coach Benji Sonnichsen’s squad on this afternoon was a big, strong, athletic opponent that was meticulously coached on both sides of the ball.

AM’s wing-T offense scored early and often. Its defense seemed everywhere at once.

Coach Dave Ward’s Wildcats produced no surprises, challenging Prosser with straight man-to-man coverage that ex-quarterback Sonnichsen felt he had multiple answers for, but in reality did not.

“We tried everything we had,” Sonnichsen said afterward. “We have what we call man beaters, and we tried those against their man coverage. There wasn’t anything we didn’t try.”

Ward, meanwhile, deployed an explosive wrinkle in his own aerial attack. The Wildcats on four different occasions used shovel passes — forward passes thrown with a sideways or underhand motion — and completed them all for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Amplifying the Mustangs’ defensive challenge was that AM’s two-headed monster at QB, senior Conner Kruse and junior Hans VanderWel, have the option of throwing or running on such plays.

“We did that back at Oak Harbor when Marshall Lobbestael was my quarterback,” said Ward of his 2006 Class 4A state championship squad, and Washington State’s senior signal-caller. “Marshall, believe it or not, ran with the ball more than he threw it.”

Archbishop Murphy threw only one other pass — a conventional, overhand toss by Kruse — and it went for a 25-yard touchdown and a 21-0 AM lead with 10:52 still to play in the first half.

“When a team scores that quick at the start of the game, it deflates you,” Sonnichsen said. “Then on offense when you have a ton of three-and-outs, you’re into some serious problems.”

Or in this case, playing a seriously skilled opponent.

To lose Saturday, and by such a one-sided margin, left a disproportionate mark on an otherwise historic Prosser season.

Only seven days earlier, Sonnichsen smilingly acknowledged having reached one of his coaching goals with the Mustangs securing a Thanksgiving-weekend game.

And after the season had ended following an especially somber occurrence, with Tuesday’s passing of senior standout Charlie Petersen’s father, Steve, after battling cancer, the coach was able to note another positive aspect.

The 2011 Mustangs had become the 10th team in the program’s rich history to reach the state’s final four.

So if the Lampson Stadium scoreboard spoke the cold truth Saturday, Prosser’s record books will confirm that one of its very best teams simply lost to an opponent that was just really, really good.

• Roger Underwood’s Under the Radar blog is at sportsyakima.com He can be reached at 509-577-7694 or runderwood@yakimaherald.com

Local report: Newcomb, Henton power YVCC women

SHORELINE, Wash. — Yakima Valley has developed an imposing 1-2 punch so far during the women’s basketball season.

And the duo produced in big-time fashion again Saturday night, with Brittney Newcomb scoring 27 points and Brandi Henton totaling 21 in an 80-44 defeat of Shoreline.

Newcomb, a top scoring threat on last season’s NWAACC championship team, connected on 6 of 10 shots from 3-point range and, for the season, is 21 of 36 from beyond the arc.

“She’s been lights out,” said coach Cody Butler, whose squad improved to 4-0 going into today’s 2 p.m. game at Whatcom. “She had 19 points in the first half and was 4 for 6 (from long range). Brandi missed her first few shots, but then she hit some and the whole team got rolling.”

Kaleigh Phillips scored 15 points to pace Shoreline.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Brittney Newcomb 9-14 3-3 27, Brewster 3-5 0-2 6, Bryant 2-5 0-0 6, Cox 1-4 2-2 4, Swetzof 0-2 0-0 0, Gonzales 1-5 2-2 5, Weaver 0-2 2-4 2, Lekson 1-11 3-4 5, Strom 0-3 0-0 0, Brandi Henton 8-20 3-6 21, Ferguson 0-4 0-0 0, Smythe 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 26-77 17-25 80.

SHORELINE — Lueke 3-6 2-4 8, Voss 2-8 3-4 7, Hooyman 1-7 0-0 3, Bergano-Kinney 0-3 0-0 0, Stuart 0-2 0-0 0, Roussopulus 2-8 0-1 4, Cathey 3-8 0-0 7, Ciraco 0-1 0-0 0, Kaleigh Phillips 3-14 9-14 15. Totals 14-57 14-23 44.

Halftime: YVCC 43, Shoreline 20. 3-point goals: YVCC 11-33 (Newcomb 6-10, Henton 2-8, Brayant 2-5, Gonzales 1-3, Lekson 0-6, Swetzof 0-1), Shoreline 2-15 (Hooyman 1-6, Cathey 1-6, Roussopulus 0-1, Bergano-Kinney 0-1, Voss 0-1). Rebounds: YVCC 52 (Brewster 7, Henton 7, Newcomb 5), Shoreline 51 (Lueke 7). Total fouls: YVCC 19, Shoreline 19. Assists: YVCC 14 (Newcomb 3), Shoreline 9. Turnovers: YVCC 14, Shoreline 33. Blocked shots: YVCC 0, Shoreline 3 (Hooyman 2). Steals: YVCC 17 (Lekson 3, Ferguson 3), Shoreline 8.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Yaks reach LCC title game

LONGVIEW, Wash. — Amir Royal scored 20 points and Yakima Valley survived 28 turnovers Saturday night to beat Centralia 77-66 and advance to the championship game of the Red Devil Classic at Lower Columbia College.

Tomas Ogbaslassie and Dabrail Henton added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Yaks (2-0), who meet Spokane at 4 p.m. today for the title.

While Yakima Valley turned the ball over 26 times, it forced 30 turnovers.

“One thing we’re doing well early in the season is making the game ratty,” said YVCC coach Ray Funk. “At this time of year we can mostly get away with it, but as we start to play more disciplined teams we’re going to have to get better.”

Royal also grabbed 11 rebounds and collected three steals for YVCC, which shot 38 percent from the field to the Trailblazers’ 35 percent.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Mohamed 0-0 0-0 0, Diggs 3-6 1-4 1 7, Amir Royal 8-20 3-4 20, Martinez 1-3 0-0 2, Bagby 1-1 0-0 2, Molina 3-6 0-0 6, Tomas Ogbaslassie 4-8 5-7 13, Dabrail Henton 5-17 0-1 12, Jensen 2-8 0-0 4, Romero 0-3 0-0 0, Flowers 1-3 1-2 4, Zapien 3-7 1-1 7. Totals 31-82 11-19 77.

CENTRALIA — T.J. McKinney 4-9 5-7 14, Kyler Shula 3-16 1-2 10, Lockett 0-0 0-0 0, Arnes 3-7 2-2 9, Gunnar Falstad 6-11 0-5 12, D. Fullmer 0-0 2-2 2, Voss 4-11 0-0 8, Majors 0-1 0-1 0, M. Waggener 1-4 0-0 2, T. Fullmer 0-3 0-0 0, W. Waggener 4-9 1-1 9. Totals 25-71 11-20 66.

Halftime — YVCC 35, CC 26. 3-point goals — YVCC 4-20 (Diggs 0-1, Royal 1-5, Ogbaslassie 0-1, Henton 2-7, Jensen 0-3, Flowers 1-3); CC 5-17 (McKinney 1-4, Shula 3-8, Arnes 1-2, Falstad 0-2, Fullmer 0-1). Fouled out — McKinney, W. Waggener, Arnes. Rebounds — YVCC 43 (Royal 11, Henton 9); CC 41 (Arnes 6, Voss 6, M. Waggener 6). Assists — YVCC 8, CC 12. Turnovers — YVCC 26, CC 30. Total fouls — YVCC 21, CC 17.

Wildcats win fourth straight

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Kevin Davis had a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds and Central Washington committed only three turnovers in 103-55 rout of Quest College of British Columbia on Saturday night in Nicholson Pavilion.

Brandon Magee scored 16 pints, reserves Jordan Coby and Philipp Lieser had 13 apiece and Toussaint Tyler finished with 11 for CWU, which won its fourth straight after a season-opening loss.

The Wildcats, who open GNAC play at home Thursday night against Western Oregon, outrebounded the Kermodes (0-8) 45-31 and forced 30 turnovers.

QUEST — Umagat 1-5 1-2 3, Brodan Robertson 4-6 1-2 10, Johal 1-4 0-0 2, Pankratz 4-7 1-1 9, Kang 3-8 0-0 6, Gibson 0-0 2-2 2, Dadfar 1-1 0-0 2, Colorado 0-3 0-0 0, Kular 3-7 0-0 7, Beasley 0-1 0-0 0, Smilijkovic 2-3 2-2 7, Heinrichs 2-3 3-4 7. Totals 21-48 10-13 55.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON — Clyde 4-6 1-1 9, Brandon Magee 7-14 2-2 16, Kevin Davis 10-13 1-2 21, Haddock 1-5 0-0 2, Toussaint Tyler 4-10 0-0 11, Gross 1-8 0-1 3, Johnson 3-8 2-4 8, Jordan Coby 4-10 2-2 13, Philipp Lieser 6-10 1-1 13, Nelson 3-8 1-2 7. Totals 43-92 10-15 103.

Halftime — CWU 56, QU 21. 3-point goals — QU 3-11 (Umagat 0-2, Robertson 1-1, Pankratz 0-1, Kang 0-1, Colorado 0-1, Kular 1-4, Smilijkovic 1-1); CWU 7-28 (Magee 0-2, Haddock 0-2, Tyler 3-6, Gross 1-5, Johnson 0-2, Coby 3-8, Lieser 0-2, Nelson 0-1). Fouled out — Robertson. Rebounds — QU 31 (Robertson 8); CWU 45 (Davis 14). Assists — QU 9 (Pankratz 4); CWU 17 (Magee 4, Coby 4). Turnovers — QU 30, CWU 3. Total fouls — QU 14, CWU 14.

PREP BASKETBALL

Selah girls 2-0 in jamboree

TOPPENISH, Wash. — Selah’s girls beat Davis and Riverside Christian to finish 2-0 in a four-team jamboree Saturday night.

The Vikings topped Davis 20-10 and RC 21-11. In other scores, Toppenish bested Riverside Christian 10-8 and Davis beat Toppenish 15-14.

Records: Selah 2-0, Davis 1-1, Toppenish 1-1, Riverside Christian 0-2.

Source: Wulff likely out as WSU coach

SEATTLE — Paul Wulff has likely coached his last football game at Washington State.

Sources close to the situation say Wulff, whose Cougars lost 38-21 to Washington on Saturday at CenturyLink Field, will be dismissed after a meeting with athletic director Bill Moos, barring a last-minute change of direction by Moos. It could happen as early as Sunday, possibly Monday.

A reversal of thinking is unlikely, and sources familiar with the process say the Cougars will have former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach at the top of their list of possible replacements. Leach has been out of coaching since 2009 after a controversial exit from Tech that resulted in him suing the school.

Moos said through a spokesman after the game Saturday night that he and Wulff would determine on the plane ride home a time to meet on the status of the program and that “anything beyond that is pure speculation.”

The result of the Apple Cup was not a factor in the decision on Wulff, who has a year remaining on his five-year contract. Wulff has been under heavy scrutiny all season from Moos, who opted to retain him a year ago in a relatively close call.

Wulff would finish with a 9-40 record, a .184 winning percentage that is worst in school history.

Moos, who has been WSU’s athletic director for 18 months, has refreshed plans to renovate Martin Stadium and build a football-only training-and-offices facility at the west end of campus. Regents recently approved the $80 million stadium remodel project and there have been significant concerns about the ability to raise funds with a fan base divided on Wulff.

“He has to have a coach to do for him what he’s doing for Elson Floyd,” an informed source told The Times recently, referring to Moos and the WSU president.

Wulff was a lightning rod for criticism after taking over a disheveled program from Bill Doba after the 2007 season. There was a talent deficit, a scholarship hit because of the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate standards, a passel of injuries and other issues that put the program at an immediate competitive disadvantage.

With modest talent at quarterback and a general talent shortfall in 2008, the Cougars were shut out three times and gave up 58 points or more six times. They were compared to the worst teams of all time, but managed a double-overtime victory over Washington.

WSU was more competitive in 2009, but still managed to win only a single game, and after a 30-0 loss to Washington in the Apple Cup, Wulff had to survive a push to remove him after two seasons.

The Cougars gradually got better, but the victories were too sparse to turn the administrative tide for him in a significant way. With a 3-22 record the first two years — no matter how tough the circumstances when he took over — it was difficult for him to gain traction with many alumni and boosters.

WSU beat Oregon State last year in a big surprise, won an uplifting comeback game at Colorado Oct. 1 this year and had a rousing upset of Arizona State on Nov. 5 behind a memorable performance from quarterback Connor Halliday. But with a chance to notch a second straight upset, against Utah, the Cougars eschewed a potential game-winning chance at the 1-yard line in the final seconds, kicked a field goal and lost in overtime.

Wulff’s fate might have been sealed on Sept. 3, oddly, in a 64-21 victory over Idaho State. Jeff Tuel, the standout junior quarterback, awoke that morning with a virus and the Cougars started senior Marshall Lobbestael.

But Tuel, after taking medication and asking to play, entered with 6:14 left in the first quarter. On his fifth snap, he tried to run right to escape a rush, was tackled and suffered a broken collarbone.

It essentially ruined his season and led to instability at the position through much of it. Tuel returned Oct. 15 but played only a game and a half before injuries sidelined him for the year — possibly torpedoing WSU’s chance to get to six wins and bowl eligibility.

Leach, meanwhile, coached Texas Tech to 10 straight bowl appearances but left amid controversy after the ’09 season. He had signed a five-year, $12.7 million contract with the school in February 2009.

But an incident in which he allegedly mistreated one of his players, the son of ESPN analyst Craig James, prompted the school to fire him, just short of a deadline in which he was to receive an $800,000 bonus. Leach sued for wrongful termination and after some legal wrangling over whether as a state entity, Tech had sovereign immunity, greatly limiting potential legal action, the Texas Supreme Court agreed to review the case.

Leach has been out of coaching the past two years, but has been open about interest in returning. He was interviewed for the Maryland job last offseason but it went to Randy Edsall, and speculation has been that Leach’s tangled exit from Texas Tech has hurt his chance at being rehired.

— Bud Withers/The Seattle Times

11/26/11 Prep football express score

Archbishop Murphy 14 21 8 7 — 50  Prosser 0 7 0 7 — 14

AM — Alex Galgano 8 run (Foster Wade kick) AM — Alex Kramer 53 pass from Hans VanderWel (Wade kick) AM — Austin Broadwell 25 pass from Conner Kruse (Wade kick) AM — Galgano 73 run (Wade kick) Pro — Isaac Anderson 92 kickoff return (Abi Fajardo kick) AM — Eneliko Tevaga 10 run (Wade kick) AM — Tevaga 2 run (Ricky Gordon run) AM — Kruse 4 run (Wade kick) Pro — Diego Magana 7 run (Fajardo kick) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — AM, Galgano 9-121, VanderWel 10-94, Tevaga 12-45, Kruse 10-39, Kramer 2-32, Gordon 3-7, David Loveless 6-5, Conner Longoria 2-6, Max VonderHofen 2-3, Brandon Byrne 1-0. Prosser, Anderson 7-33, Magana 4-12, Bubba Frank 1-(minus 1), Ryan Fassler 3-(minus 30). PASSING — AM, VanderWel 3-4-0-83, Kruse 2-4-0-57. Prosser, Fassler 5-19-1-47. RECEIVING — AM, Kramer 2-85, Broadwell 1-25, Galgano 1-23, Tevaga 1-7. Prosser, Anderson 1-24, Fajardo 1-14, Sterling Clark 1-5, Magana 1-3, Wyatt Baker 1-1.

NBA, players reach tentative agreement

NEW YORK — NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement early Saturday to end the 149-day lockout.

After a secret meeting earlier this week, the sides met for more than 15 hours Friday, working to try to save the season. This handshake deal, however, still must be ratified by both owners and players.

“We’ve reached a tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations, but we’re optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin Dec. 25,” Commissioner David Stern said.

The league plans a 66-game season and aims to open camps Dec. 9.

“We thought it was in both of our best interests to try to reach a resolution and save the game,” union executive director Billy Hunter said.

The Christmas Day deadline created a sense of urgency because that schedule is traditionally a showcase for the league. This season’s three-game slate was to include Miami at Dallas in an NBA finals rematch, plus MVP Derrick Rose leading Chicago into Los Angeles to face Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

A majority on each side is needed to approve the agreement. The NBA needs votes from 15 of 29 owners. (The league owns the New Orleans Hornets.) Stern said the labor committee plans to discuss the agreement later Saturday and expects them to endorse it and recommend to the full board.

The union needs a simple majority of its 430-plus members. That process is a bit more complicated after the players dissolved the union Nov. 14. Now, they must drop their antitrust lawsuit in Minnesota and reform the union before voting on the deal.

Because the union disbanded, a new collective bargaining agreement can only be completed once the union has reformed. Drug testing and other issues still must be negotiated between the league and the players.

The settlement first was reported by CBSSports.com.

Participating in the talks for the league were Stern, deputy commissioner Adam Silver, Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the labor relations committee, and attorneys Rick Buchanan and Dan Rube. The players were represented by executive director Billy Hunter, president Derek Fisher, vice president Maurice Evans, attorney Ron Klempner and economist Kevin Murphy.

When last talks broke down, the sides were still divided over the division of revenues and certain changes sought by owners to curb spending by big-market teams that players felt would limit or restrict their options in free agency.

On Nov. 14, players rejected the owners’ proposal, which included opening a 72-game schedule on Dec. 15, announcing instead they were disbanding the union, giving them a chance to win several billion dollars in triple damages in an antitrust lawsuit.

Two days later, players filed two separate antitrust lawsuits against the league in two different states. On Monday, a group of named plaintiffs including Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash and Kevin Durant filed an amended federal lawsuit against the league in Minnesota, hoping the courts there will be as favorable to them as they have been to NFL players in the past.

Now, players will dismiss that lawsuit and get back to the business of basketball.

The previous CBA expired at the end of the day June 30. Despite a series of meetings in June, there was never much hope of a deal before that deadline, with owners wanting significant changes after saying they lost $300 million last season and hundreds of millions more in each year of the old agreement, which was ratified in 2005.

Owners wanted to keep more of the league’s nearly $4 billion in basketball revenues to themselves after guaranteeing 57 percent to the players under the old deal. And they sought a system where even the smallest-market clubs could compete, believing the current system would always favor the teams who could spend the most.

Initially, the salary cap emerged as the biggest obstacle. Owners first proposed a hard cap, but players fought hard to maintain the current system that allows teams to exceed the cap through the use of various exceptions.

The league was adamant the system needed some adjustment, because the old rules gave too many advantages to teams who could afford to keep adding to their payrolls. So the league’s proposals targeted the highest-spending teams, seeking to eliminate the use of the midlevel exception by teams over the luxury tax and prevent them from participating in sign-and-trade deals.

Hoping for an encore

Defending GNAC champion Central men boast key newcomers, promising newcomers||

ELLENSBURG — A suitable encore won’t be easy, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen for Central Washington’s men.

A season after the Wildcats won the GNAC championship by three games and then followed with the conference tourney title, big names and big numbers are missing from CWU’s roster.

But key returnees, promising newcomers and a prime player who missed all of last season due to injury have many in the Central camp highly optimistic.

“We have a lot of guys who didn’t play the last couple of years because of injuries or other things,” head coach Greg Sparling said, “but with them, the new guys we have and the players we have back, it’s an interesting mix. And we’re going to get better each day when we hit the floor.”

Among the key returnees is Toussaint Tyler, a physical 6-foot-1 guard who was the Wildcats’ prime off-the-bench threat in 2009-10, averaging 11.6 points a game before a dislocated right (shooting) elbow benched him a year ago.

Sparling and associate head man G.E. Coleman have no doubt wondered how far last season’s 26-4 squad might have gone had Tyler been available to augment the all-Yakima backcourt of Humberto Perez and Drew Harris, plus diminutive sparkplug Chris Scott.

But at least Tyler, whose father of the same name was a standout fullback for Don James’ Washington Huskies from 1977-80, is back and apparently at full strength having averaged a team-best 15.8 points through four games.

So is Roby Clyde, a powerful 6-5 inside presence whose contributions far transcend scoring, as well as Jody Johnson, who helped Yakima Valley Community College to the 2008 NWAACC championship before redshirting a year at CWU. He then becoming a reliable force off the bench, averaging 10 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds last season.

Clyde and Harris were the only Wildcats to start all 30 games last season, and Clyde did so despite a damaged right (non-shooting) shoulder that was surgically repaired last spring.

First year players, meanwhile, represent perhaps the most substantial influx of talent the program has seen in several years.

Kevin Davis, a 6-8 sophomore from Tacoma Community College, has anchored the middle while 6-4 swingman Brandon Magee, 6-1 guard Jordan Coby and 6-1 point guard Lacy Haddock have been impressive.

Trey Gross, a 6-3 transfer from Eastern Washington, redshirted last season after an Achilles injury and is still rounding into shape, 6-4 sophomore Philipp Lieser provides backcourt size and depth, and Jordan Starr, a 5-10 former Davis standout, has averaged 8.7 points in three reserve appearances.

“Eventually, I think this will be a very good defensive team,” Sparling said. “But also I think scoring will be a strength because we have so many different ways to score. Last year, our Achilles heel was shooting and everybody zoned us. This year we have a bunch of guys who can shoot the three and a handful of guys who can break people down with fouls.”

ROSTER

Player Yr. Ht. Pos. HS/previous college

Trey Gross Jr. 6-3 G Edison (Stockton, Calif.)/E. Wash.

Lacy Haddock So. 6-1 G Sierra Vista (LVegas)/S. Idaho/Yavapai Col.

Jordan Starr Jr. 5-10 G Davis/Bellevue CC

Jody Johnson Sr. 6-4 F Franklin/Yakima Valley

Jordan Coby Jr. 6-1 G Wilson/Tacoma CC

Chris Holmes Jr. 6-3 G Franklin/Tacoma CC

Philipp Lieser So. 6-4 G Berlin, Germany

Roby Clyde Sr. 6-5 F-C Pasco/Snow College

Brandon Magee Jr. 6-4 G-F Bethel/Tacoma CC

Kevin Davis So. 6-8 F-C Todd Beamer/Tacoma CC

Ted Nelson Sr. 7-0 C Hoquiam

Toussaint Tyler Sr. 6-1 G Kentwood/Bellevue CC/Tacoma CC

*Derrick Davis Sr. 6-7 F Clover Park, Tacoma CC/Martin Meth.

*Skyler Dumas Jr. 6-2 G Colville, Whatcom CC

*Joey Roppo Fr. 6-2 G Monroe

* — Will redshirt

Head coach: Greg Sparling. Associate head coach: G.E. Coleman. Assistants: Jon Clift, Tyson Sturza.

2011-12 SCHEDULE

November: 26, Quest, B.C., 7 p.m.

December: 1, *Western Oregon, 7 p.m.; 3, *Saint Martin’s, 7 p.m.; 12, Dominican (Calif.), 7 p.m.; 15, %Alabama-Huntsville; 16, %Rollins; 29 *at Alaska Anchorage; 31, *at Alaska Fairbanks.

January: 7, *Northwest Nazarene, 7 p.m.; 12, *Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m.; 14, *Montana State Billings, 7 p.m.; 19 *at Western Washington; 21, *at Simon Fraser; 26, *Alaska Fairbanks, 7 p.m.; 28, *Alaska Anchorage, 7 p.m.

February: 4, *at Northwest Nazarene; 9, *at Montana State Billings; 11, *at Seattle Pacific; 16, *Simon Fraser, 7 p.m.; 18, *Western Washington, 7 p.m.; 23, *at Saint Martin’s; 25, *at Western Oregon; 29, GNAC Tournament.

March: 2-3, GNAC Tournament.

* — GNAC game. # — Sodexo Tip-Off Classic, Seattle; % — Great Western Shootout, Las Vegas.

Central women begin new era

First-year coach Nelson seeks to revive program||

ELLENSBURG — Although it’s become a cliche, Shawn Nelson was not reluctant to use it.

Because in his opinion, it fits the situation with which he is dealing.

“Yes, that is the contemporary term, but the fact is we need to change the culture here with Central Washington women’s basketball,” the first-year coach said. “We need to change the environment and create an atmosphere that’s conducive to winning. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

While the Wildcats did in fact post nine consecutive winning seasons under Nelson’s predecessor, Jeff Whitney, they compiled a 115-127 conference record during Whitney’s 14-year tenure.

Whitney’s contract was not renewed after last season’s 7-18 overall mark and 2-16 record in the GNAC. It completed a three-year decline that saw CWU go a collective 21-57 and 10-40 in conference play.

Nelson, meanwhile, went 201-70 over eight seasons at NAIA affiliate Carroll College of Helena, Mont. And he’s hoping to transplant his winning ways — the culture, if you will — in Ellensburg.

For starters he has eight players who saw action for CWU last season, including Sophie Russell, a 5-foot-10 guard-forward who led last year’s squad with a 10.4 scoring average. Russell is the team’s only senior.

The team’s top rebounder and shot-blocker is also back in the person of Stacy Albrecht, a 6-2 junior who averaged 9.7 points.

Three newcomers, meanwhile, will be counted on to start the program’s reversal. Point guard Alex Dunn, a 5-7 junior, and shooting guard Jessica VanDyke, a 5-9 sophomore, came with Nelson from Carroll and will join true freshman Courtney Johnson from Kentwood High School as mainstays on Nelson’s first CWU squad.

“Jessica, as a true freshman, made 63 threes for us at Carroll,” Nelson said, “and she also led us in rebounding (8.4 average). She brings a sense of toughness and is very, very physical — just relentless on the boards. Those are two areas we needed to improve in.”

Through three games, in which CWU was 2-1, Albrecht, Russell, VanDyke, Dunn and Johnson were all scoring in double figures.

“Courtney is very similar to Jessica athletically in that she can shoot it, bounce it, pass it and is tough physically,” Nelson said. “And Jessica knows how hard I expect our players to play. She’s leading by example and helping us get to where I want us quicker.”

Returners Kelsi Jacobson, Daisy Burke and Ellensburg sophomore Deaira Gordon all figure into Nelson’s rotation. Another local player, 6-3 sophomore Annie Martinez from East Valley, has played in one of Central’s first three games.

“We want to play super hard, spread the floor and shoot a bunch of threes and rebound,” said Nelson, who successfully taught and deployed the 3-ball at Carroll. “We don’t have a true five (center) — Stacy’s really a four (power forward). But we’re going to work hard and improve, and hopefully get moving in the right direction.”

ROSTER

Player Yr. Ht. Pos. HS/previous college

Olivia Rethwell Fr. 5-7 G Olympia

Alex Dunn Jr. 5-7 G W.Val. City, Utah/Hunter/Carroll Col.

Kelsi Jacobson So. 5-10 G University

Daisy Burke So. 5-6 G Lewis and Clark

Deaira Gordon So. 5-11 F Ellensburg

Jessica VanDyke So. 5-9 G Chester, Mont./Inverness/Carroll Col.

Stacy Albrecht Jr. 6-2 F-C Thomas Jefferson

Sophie Russell Sr. 5-10 G-F River Ridge

Courtney Johnson Fr. 5-11 F Kentwood

Tayler Fettig Fr. 5-10 G Olympia

Amber Moser So. 6-0 F Willamina, Ore./Sheridan

Annie Martinez So. 6-3 C East Valley-Yakima

Marissa Pratt So. 6-4 C Redmond

*Shannon Bland Fr. 5-5 G Ellensburg

*Kelsey Russell Fr. 5-8 G River Ridge

*Hannah Shine Fr. 5-11 F Lynden

*Melanie Valdez Fr. 5-4 G Chiawana

* — Will redshirt.

Head coach: Shawn Nelson. Assistants: Carly VanDyke, Liz Lewis, Janie Rayback.

2011-12 SCHEDULE

December: 1, *at Western Oregon; 3, *at Saint Martin’s; 9, BYU-Hawaii, 7 p.m.; 10, BYU-Hawaii; 15, %Drury; 16, %Central Oklahoma; 29, *Alaska Anchorage; 31, *Alaska Fairbanks.

January: 7, *at Northwest Nazarene; 12, *at Seattle Pacific; 14, *at Montana State Billings; 19, *Western Washington, 7 p.m.; 21, *Simon Fraser, 7 p.m.; 26, *at Alaska Fairbanks; 28, *at Alaska Anchorage.

February: 4, *Northwest Nazarene, 2 p.m.; 9, *Montana State Billings, 7 p.m.; 11, *Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m.; 12, Walla Walla University, 6 p.m.; 16, *at Simon Fraser; 18, *at Western Washington; 23, *Saint Martin’s, 7 p.m.; 25, *Western Oregon, 7 p.m.

March: 1-3 GNAC Tournament, Lacey.

* — GNAC game. # — Sodexo Tip-Off Classic, Seattle. % — Great Western Shootout, Las Vegas.

« Previous Page — Next Page »