Far from a starter, Reilly has a start

YAKIMA, Wash. — He has gotten his foot in the door, if not on the playing field.

But then Mike Reilly has been down this competitive road before, and has been undeterred by such speed bumps.

“No playing time yet,” the former Central Washington quarterback said of his first NFL season, which consisted of three weeks as a Green Bay practice squad member and four on the St. Louis active roster. “But I spent four weeks with the Rams learning the offense and taking on the role of emergency backup. So at least I was suited up and standing on the sidelines, ready to go in.”

Reilly and his wife, Jessica, had recently returned to their home in Kennewick when contacted by yours truly. Their 1,900-mile drive had been complicated by harsh conditions in the Midwest — “there were maybe 125 to 150 cars off the road and there were semis upside down in the medians,” Reilly reported — and his football year had been an emotional roller coaster.

It started on a down note when Reilly wasn’t chosen in April’s NFL draft, but reversed itself when he was signed as a free agent by defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.

Reilly was cut by the Steelers just prior to the start of the regular season, however, and returned to Kennewick where he put his CWU engineering degree to work.

He and Jessica bought a house, and while Reilly settled into something of a 9-to-5 routine, he continued to work out, wait and hope.

In November, the Packers called and signed him to their practice squad. And while he wasn’t an active member of the team, he at least was in an NFL camp. Then the Rams, whose quarterback ranks had been thinned by injuries to starter Marc Bulger and backup Kyle Boller, signed Reilly to their active roster.

That meant wearing a uniform on game day. It also meant substantially more money, from the $5,200 (with no benefits) practice players earn weekly to approximately $18,000 as a full-fledged roster member.

So for his seven weeks as an NFL player, including three as a practice squad member, Reilly banked close to $90,000, according to the league’s pay schedule.

He is also signed through the 2010 season, for which the minimum NFL salary will be $325,000.

So the move from Washington State, where Reilly became convinced he would not get to play, to Central, where he started every game for four years, turned out golden.

It’s true that the Rams were abysmal, finishing 1-15, but from such rubble can be found opportunity for a comparative unknown like Reilly.

“When a team goes 1-15, there are obviously issues and you figure there will be a lot of changes during the offseason,” he said. “From what I’ve heard from my agent, and some other people, the GM (Billy Devaney) is pretty high on me. That they signed me through 2010 shows they hopefully have some sort of plan for me.”

And if the Rams don’t have a plan for him, Reilly does for them.

“My thing is to go out and win the starting job for next year,” he said, “and that should always been your approach whether you’re a freshman in high school or a senior in college or whatever.”

Now that he has a functional grasp of the West Coast offense deployed by St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo — and also by Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy — Reilly figures he’s worth more.

“The reason Brett Favre was able to come to Minnesota in the middle of training camp and take over is because the Vikings run the West Coast offense,” he said. “A lot of teams run it. So if you know it, it makes you more valuable as a quarterback.”

And even if Reilly has yet to take his first NFL snap, his seven-week career has enriched him personally.

“In Green Bay, to be on the sideline in Lambeau (Field) and see the crowd and watch guys do the Lambeau leap — that was great,” he said. “And to be in St. Louis, to suit up and wear the jersey and pads and go through pregame warmups knowing, OK, if something happens, I’m going to go in the game.

“It was good to get that feeling back. It had been awhile.”

And for Mike Reilly, maybe the next such period will not last nearly as long.

Yaks on target against Treasure Valley

YAKIMA, Wash. — Maybe next time they’ll replace the jump ball with a starter’s pistol as the beginning point for a Yakima Valley men’s game.

Because the Yaks were clearly wearing their running shoes Saturday against Treasure Valley in Sherar Gym, blowing past the Chukars 125-91 in Eastern Region play.

YVCC’s third-ranked women, meanwhile, were similarly successful if less prolific, using 79-62 victory to complete the first half of region play 7-0 while improving to 15-4 overall.

Yakima Valley’s men, who improved to 4-3 and 10-9, wrapped up a back-to-back sweep of Blue Mountain and Treasure Valley with an eye-popping total of 239 points.

And while Friday night’s opponent was physically overmatched, the Chukars came in as an open-court juggernaut, averaging 98.8 points en route to records of 4-2 and 10-6.

“Coach told us they like to run, that they were averaging a hundred points a game,” said YVCC’s Willie Blodgett. “But we like to run, too.”

So they did.

Yakima Valley led 34-23 with 8:17 left in the first half, held a 66-37 bulge at halftime and hit the century mark with 8:15 to play.

Blodgett, continuing his improved play, led six Yaks scorers in double figures with 16 points. He was 5-for-8 from the field including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, and added three rebounds, three assists and three steals in 25 minutes.

“The thing with Willie,” coach Ray Funk said, “was at the start of the year he was sort of deferring to others and sometimes over-passing. He was being less than his total self. Now he’s gotten more comfortable, and obviously more confident.”

Starting backcourt-mate Caden Skelton, Jordan Kidd and 6-foot-10 reserve Jonathan Kirvin scored 14 points apiece, Derrick January came off the bench for 12 and Terrell Evans, another reserve, added 10 on 5-for-5 shooting.

YVCC scored 44 points off 31 Treasure Valley turnovers and connected on 11 of 22 3-pointers while shooting 58 percent from the field.

Yakima Valley’s women, with sharpshooter Nicole DeRosier picking up where she left off in the Yaks’ 119-65 vaporization of Blue Mountain, produced perhaps their best 16 minutes of the season while building a 39-15 lead.

DeRosier scored 11 of her 17 points during that span, hitting 3 long balls, and reserve Mariah Roe was active in YVCC’s 2-3 zone defense and on the boards.

“We might have gotten out of that defense a little earlier if the game had been closer,” coach Cody Butler said. “But they were running a really good zone offense, so that helped us learn.”

After Anna Marchbanks rolled up 10 of her game-high 24 points during a 5:02 portion of the second half for a 69-51 Yaks lead, Treasure Valley (4-3, 12-6) staged a 6-0 run. But Rosetta Adzasu’s putback followed by Lacie French’s basket made it 73-57 with 2:16 to play.

Adzasu finished with 12 points, four assists and five steals. Nicole Tolman led the Chukars with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

“The pieces of the puzzle are coming together,” said Roe, a 5-7 freshman from Boise, Idaho. “What we want to eventually do is put together a masterpiece, meaning an NWAACC championship.”

Yakima Valley, which hosts Wenatchee Valley on Wednesday night, has won 24 straight Eastern Region women’s games.

YAKIMA VALLEY MEN 125, TREASURE VALLEY 91

TREASURE VALLEY — Terriel Thomas 6-13 5-6 17, Nick Brothers 6-17 5-6 20, Lopez 4-6 1-2 9, Tyler McKee 7-8 2-3 16, Jason Mumm 4-8 6-7 14, Bird 3-10 1-1 8, Perry 0-1 2-2 2, Callahan 1-1 0-4 2, Snooks 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 0-5 1-2 1, Burns 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-71 23-33 91.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Caden Skelton 5-8 0-0 14, Willie Blodgett 5-8 4-5 16, Da. Wilson 3-9 0-0 6, Jordan Kidd 5-10 4-5 14, Dornik 3-7 0-0 8, May 3-4 1-2 9, De. Wilson 4-5 0-0 9, Terrell Evans 5-5 0-0 10, Woods 2-5 1-4 5, Derrick January 5-9 2-2 12, Jonathan Kirvin 6-10 2-4 14, Gream 4-7 0-2 8. Totals 50-87 14-24 125.

Halftime — YVCC 66, TVCC 37. 3-point goals — TVCC 4-21 (Thomas 0-3, Bird 1-3, Brothers 3-9, Snooks 0-1, Jones 0-5); YVCC 11-22 (Skelton 4-5, May 2-2, Blodgett 2-4, De. Wilson 1-2, Kidd 0-2, Woods 0-1, Dornik 2-5, Gream 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — TVCC 38 (McKee 13); YVCC 43 (Da. Wilson 7). Assists — TVCC not available, YVCC 16 (Skelton 3, Blodgett 3). Turnovers — TVCC 31, YVCC 19. Total fouls — TVCC 20, YVCC 27. Technical fouls — Bird.

YAKIMA VALLEY WOMEN 79, TREASURE VALLEY 62

TREASURE VALLEY — Greenwood 0-0 0-0 0, Burnside 0-3 0-0 0, O’Connor 2-8 1-2 6, Dzhidzhiyeshvili 2-5 1-3 7, Driscoll 1-4 0-0 3, Clark 3-11 1-2 9, LaPierre 1-7 1-1 3, Schmidt 0-4 0-0 0, Alicia Johnson 6-7 2-2 14, Nicole Tolman 9-14 2-2 20. Totals 24-63 8-12 62.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Anna Marchbanks 10-16 3-4 24, Rosetta Adzasu 5-9 2-2 12, Nicole DeRosier 6-14 0-0 17, Urquhart 1-5 0-0 2, Fenumiai 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 2-3 1-4 5, French 4-10 0-0 8, Roe 2-6 2-2 6, Gray 1-2 0-0 3, Azurin 0-0 0-0 0, , Hull 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-68 8-12 79.

Halftime — YVCC 44, TVCC 26. 3-point goals — TVCC 6-15 (Dzhidzhiyeshvili 2-4, Clark 2-7, O’Connor 1-1, Driscoll 1-3), YVCC 7-19 (DeRosier 5-8, Marchbanks 1-1, Gray 1-2, Adzasu 0-1, Hull 0-1, French 0-3, Roe 0-3). Fouled out — none.  Rebounds — TVCC 41 (Tolman 12), YVCC 37 (Fenumiai 8). Assists — TVCC not available, YVCC 10 (Azurin 4). Turnovers —TVCC 27, YVCC 20. Total fouls—TVCC 11, YVCC 18.

Short-handed Selah falls short

Ephrata tops Viks, takes sole control of first in CWAC ||

SELAH, Wash. — For starters, Selah was without two of them.

And complicating the 10th-ranked Vikings’ plight regarding their Friday night CWAC showdown with No. 3 Ephrata was that illness and injury had not only cost Selah players who had averaged a combined 43.1 points, they were also perhaps the team’s best ballhandlers and passers.

No wonder, then, that the Viks’ locker room was hardly morgue-like after the 70-54 loss in Carl Kellman Gym.

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“I thought our guys played well,” said Selah coach Kip Harris after his team’s eight-game winning streak had ended. “You learn two days before a game like this that you won’t have Nick Longmire, that’s huge. And of course And Ephrata played well and shot well.”

To be sure, the Tigers looked the part of a Class 2A state title contender and 6-foot-9 senior Patrick Simon — with 27 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four blocks — played as you’d expect of someone who committed to Washington State as a freshman.

They also played like a team that had lost last weekend at Wapato.

Still, the Vikings fought an exemplary fight even though Longmire and his league-best 25.2 scoring average were home with mononucleosis and Drew Washut (17.9) was bench bound by a bothersome foot.

With 3:42 left in the first half, in fact, back-to-back buckets by Mark Valencourt had Selah leading 29-27.

Ephrata had recovered for a 38-30 advantage, using an 11-1 burst in which Simon hit a 3-pointer, tipped in a fast-break miss and dropped a mid-range jumper, when another Viking starter, Shawn Thompson, left with a shoulder injury.

“I probably stopped breathing for about two minutes,” Harris said.

Thompson returned, and Selah (9-2 league, 10-3 overall) was within 59-50 until the last of Simon’s five 3-balls triggered an 11-4 closing run.

Valencourt, a 6-2 senior, totaled 19 points, five rebounds and two steals for and Brady Hutchison, a 5-9 junior, added 12 points and five boards. He also nailed three successive 3-pointers and scored 12 consecutive Selah points to spark the hosts’ second-period surge.

Ross Buchert, a 6-3 senior guard, scored 16 points for the Tigers (10-1, 12-1), but the player of the evening was clearly Simon.

“You figure you’re playing good defense when you get a hand in his face,” said Harris, who marveled at Simon’s 5-for-12 marksmanship from long range. “Then again, someone his size, I guess you try to get a hand in his belly.

“What we have to do now is take things one day at a time and just play as hard as we can with the guys we have available.”

Harris said a timetable had not been established for the return of either Longmire or Washut.

Western Forces the Issue

Western controls Central in front of large crowd ||

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The fans were into it early and out of it early.

Not a good pattern for Central Washington, which had hoped to send its biggest crowd of the season away savoring its biggest win of the season.

Instead, many of an announced 2,417 were seeking the Nicholson Pavilion exits Saturday night well before the Wildcats’ 84-70 loss to 15th-ranked Western Washington had gone final.

 

 

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Again, not a good pattern for the Wildcats.

Not only has Central (9-6 overall) lost its last two after a 3-0 GNAC getaway, it has been manhandled on its own court in its last two matchups with its cross-mountain nemesis by a combined 34 points. Western has also won the last three and 14 of 21 in the Wildcats’ oldest rivalry.

Coach Greg Sparling, asked his primary source of displeasure after a longer-than-usual postgame meeting, said, “They were more aggressive than we were. They forced the issue, and they controlled the tempo and the game.”

Though not wire to wire, given the Wildcats’ 16-5 advantage after the first 6:32, a burst in which Humberto Perez’s eight points were punctuated by two crowd-pleasing 3-pointers.

Western (17-3, 4-2), however, scored the last 10 points of the half for a 38-34 intermission lead. Then after Central scrambled to within a point on five different occasions, Morris Anderson’s 3-pointer sparked an 8-0 Viking run from which CWU would not recover.

“One thing that was big was getting the lead before halftime,” said Brad Jackson, who’s in his 25th season as Western’s coach. “That gave our kids a boost. And I can never remember coming over here and committing only six turnovers.”

To be sure, Western’s patience and offensive efficiency loomed large on a night when the Viks shot only 41 percent. But they attacked the rim well enough to earn 44 free throws, of which they made 32.

WWU also identified and maximized an unexpectedly hot hand, with senior guard Andrew Ready nailing 4 of 5 long balls en route to a career-high 23 points.

“This was a tough, physical game, as it always is,” Jackson said, “and Andrew’s a city kid from Chicago. This was right down his alley.”

And while Central outrebounded the Vikings 51-38, it was never able to develop the fullcourt pace in which it thrives. Also, several of  the Wildcats’ 15 turnovers were unforced.

“We didn’t take care of the ball, obviously,” Sparling said. “And we didn’t push the ball. We have to attack and get to the foul line like Western did so we can set our presses and do the things we need to do.”

Perez, hitting 6 of 9 shots before fouling out with 1:49 to play, led CWU with 16 points. Toussaint Tyler came off the bench for 12 and 6-foot-9 center Chris Sprinker had 11, although forward Roby Clyde was the team’s most assertive inside presence with nine points and a game-high 15 boards.

“It all starts with our post players,” Sparling said. “If they establish themselves inside, it opens things up for everyone else.”

Season scoring leader J.C. Cook, who hurt his right knee during Central’s Jan. 7 conference opener against Western Oregon, returned to score five points in 16 reserve minutes but was clearly not his usual 15.5 point-per-game self.

The Wildcats, who played four of their first five conference games at home, will play seven of their next nine on the road.

WESTERN WASHINGTON — Derrick Webb 2-9 9-11 13, Bruce 3-8 2-5 8, Vanderjagt 0-2 0-0 0, Morris Anderson 5-13 6-6 18, Andrew Ready 8-11 3-4 23, McAllister 0-1 7-7 7, Blanche 2-2 3-3 7, Woodworth 1-4 0-0 2, Severson 0-2 0-0 0, Mitchell 2-4 2-8 6. Totals 23-56 32-44 84.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON — Clyde 4-8 1-2 9, Sivak 2-7 0-1 4, Chris Sprinker 5-12 1-1 11, Clift 1-5 2-2 4, Humberto Perez 6-9 0-0 16, Snowden 0-0 0-0 0, Miller 1-3 3-4 5, Cook 2-7 0-0 5, Shelton 0-1 0-0 0, Gibler 1-3 2-5 4, Toussaint Tyler 5-16 2-5 12, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-71 11-19 70.

Halftime — WWU 38, CWU 34. 3-point goals — WWU 6-15 (Webb 0-2, Anderson 2-6, Ready 4-5, Woodworth 0-1, Mitchell 0-1); CWU 5-17 (Sprinker 0-1, Clift 0-2, Perez 4-7, Cook 1-3, Tyler 0-4). Fouled out — Clyde, Perez. Rebounds — WWU 38 (Webb 10); CWU 51 (Clyde 15). Assists — WWU 12 (Anderson 4); CWU 9 (Clift 4). Turnovers: WWU 6, CWU 15. Total fouls — WWU 18, CWU 27.

Plenty in Reserves

Davis super-subs Mendoza, Carter key division win versus Sunnyside ||

SUNNYSIDE, Wash. — One was a not-so-secret weapon, since Herman Mendoza had gone for big numbers before. The other, James Carter, could at least have been considered a surprise weapon since two weeks earlier he thought his season might have been over.

Friday night, they came off Davis’ bench to combine for 42 points as the Pirates fought off Sunnyside 75-69 to remain alone atop the CBBN Columbia Division.

Mendoza, a 5-foot-9 senior, posted 16 of his game-high 25 points in the first half while Carter, a 6-0 senior, rolled up 15 of his 17 points while grabbing all six of his rebounds in the second.

Behind those two, along with David Trimble’s 17 points and 11 boards, Davis improved to 6-0 in league play and 11-3 overall. The Grizzlies, who fell 59-56 at Davis on Dec. 18 before winning seven straight, slipped to 5-2 and 8-4, but remained firmly in control of the CBBN’s top Class 3A playoff position.

“We’re maturing,” Pirates coach Eli Juarez said. “We matured last year, with so many young players, and we’re maturing still. We won a tough one on the road (in overtime at Moses Lake) Tuesday night, and these types of games will hopefully help us when we get on toward district.”

Especially with such reserve firepower as Mendoza and Carter displayed in this one.

Having been slowed by a sore hamstring, Mendoza scored 20 in a reserve role Tuesday night. Carter, meanwhile, missed his second straight game with a knee injury.

“They told me I could be done for the season,” said the sturdily-built and sure-handed Carter. “I’m like, dang, that can’t be right. So they gave me some medicine and I did a lot of icing, and then the X-rays showed nothing was broken or torn.”

Sunnyside, buoyed by six 3-pointers, led 38-34 late in the second quarter before the Pirates scored the last six points of the half for a 39-38 intermission edge.

The Grizzlies had controlled the boards 21-16, but over the final two periods Davis amassed a 25-9 advantage on the glass. And with Sunnyside cooling from beyond the arc against a 1-3-1 zone defense, the Pirates built a 69-56 cushion with 4:37 to play before the Grizzlies staged one last surge.

With its lead twice reduced to four in the final minute, Davis got an inside bucket from Carter and then two free throws from Trimble to close it out.

Mendoza, meanwhile, had dazzled with a variety of inside buckets — some over and others seemingly around the taller Grizzlies.

“He just sort of slithers through the defense,” Juarez said. “He’s amazing.”

Asked if he preferred starting or coming off the bench, Mendoza said, “Not really. When I don’t start, the other guys are tired when I come in and after awhile they get even more tired. So that’s OK.”

James Sanchez, who hit five 3-balls, led Sunnyside with 19 points while Israel Manzo had 15 and inside mainstay Alfredo De La Barrera 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

The Grizzlies, however, shot only 31 percent (9 for 29) during the second half.

Legendary CWU coach Nicholson will be inducted into state Hall of Fame

YAKIMA, Wash. — Dean Nicholson went swimming Thursday, in the rain.

“It’s pouring outside,” he said in a telephone conversation from his home in Concord, Calif., which is east of Oakland. “But I like to swim to keep the heart pumpin’. And the pool’s warm, so that helps.”

On June 3, the 83-year-old Nicholson will become part of an elite pool. He will be inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Tacoma. His class will include former Mariner Edgar Martinez, longtime Seattle sports columnist Emmett Watson and mountaineers Jim and Lou Whittaker.

“It’s an honor,” said Nicholson, already familiar with such acclaim. He was previously enshrined by the NAIA, the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association and Central Washington University, where he starred for his father, Leo, and later as coach won 609 games from 1965-90.

Nicholson also was the first coach of the Yakima Sun Kings and concluded his career in 1998 at Yakima Valley Community College.

“I loved reading Emmett Watson and I loved watching Edgar swing a baseball bat,” said Nicholson. “This is very special.”

He remains an avid sports fan and continues to closely monitor events in the Northwest from Concord, where he lives with his wife, Charlene, and where sons Joel and Gary and multiple grandchildren live nearby. In June, Dean and Charlene will celebrate their 62nd anniversary.

Nicholson was pleased with the M’s signing of ace Felix Hernandez, thinks Pete Carroll is deserving of a chance to resurrect the Seahawks and was aware that on Saturday night, the pavilion that bears his father’s name, and sits on a street that carries his own, will host CWU’s archrival Western Washington.

“That’ll be huge,” he said.

And of course Nicholson continues to maintain contact with the legions of players he coached, noting proudly that Richland’s Dylan Radliff is the son of  Reese Radliff, a standout CWU point guard from the 1980s.

There was a down note, though. On Wednesday, before attending a Denver-Golden State game, Nicholson learned of former Gonzaga coach Dan Fitzgerald’s death.

“Dan was a good friend,” he said. “We coached against each other — they beat us one year and we beat them the next — and we worked together in a basketball camp in Santa Barbara. Great guy.”

The State of Washington Hall of Fame was started in 1960. Its members are selected by sportswriters and sportscasters from throughout the state, and  the class of 2010 will swell its ranks to 168.

Back in step — Davis grad Perez moving past injury to become better than ever

YAKIMA, Wash. — Surely you remember the old Humberto Perez.

You recall the slender, 6-foot-2 Davis scoring machine who would light up foes from beyond the 3-point arc or, if challenged in that neighborhood, would slice and dice en route to the rim.

He was the Big Nine’s Player of the Year as a 2005 senior, then took his considerable talents first to the Community Colleges of Spokane and later North Idaho College.

Perez took a year off in between, then during his year at North Idaho incurred a stress fracture in his right leg. He was continuing his recovery when, in November of 2008, he chose to continue his career at Central Washington.

“He can do it all,” Wildcats coach Greg Sparling said on the day of Perez’s signing. “He can shoot it, he can get to the rim and I think he guards it pretty well. I watched him play at North Idaho, and he gets in there and rebounds, too.”

Now meet the new Humberto.

At the much more competitive NCAA Division II level, Perez is still getting past his injury. But he is also getting past defenders, blowing by some as if they were motionless, and he’s still draining long 3-balls and complementing a young Wildcats team with his explosiveness and versatility.

The new Humberto has started six of 14 games going into Saturday night’s Nicholson Pavilion showdown with Western Washington, averaging 11 points, 3.4 rebounds and is shooting 48 percent from the floor including 42 from 3-point range.

And here’s the best part.

There will be a yet-newer Humberto, once he fully recovers the stamina, confidence and other competitive factors lost during his lengthy layoff.

“There’s another gear for him,” said Sparling recently, impressed thus far by what Perez has provided and encouraged by what he will likely add. “We haven’t seen everything he has.”

For his part, Perez acknowledged that he is still developing. He is gradually getting his wind back, along with his cloud-level leaping ability and dynamic first-step acceleration.

Meanwhile, the pain that still surfaces when he sometimes plants his leg or makes a hard cut is slowly subsiding.

And of course a byproduct of such progress is confidence.

“At first I was a little scared,” Perez said. “I didn’t know if I could do this, to play at this pace. When we were doing our conditioning and were running a couple of miles a day, it would hurt.

“I was sort of tentative, thinking, man, I don’t know.”

There were early struggles, as one would expect of most any player making the precipitous jump from junior college hoops to D-II. But also there were glimpses of the old Perez, such as a 14-point, five-rebound, four assist outing in a narrow loss to then-No. 1 BYU-Hawaii.

In Central’s GNAC opener against Western Oregon, Perez was a major factor with 12 points and seven boards, and produced two plays reminiscent of the old player while also previewing the new.

During the first half he flew in for a mid-air putback of a missed 3-pointer that drew strong reaction from the Nicholson crowd. Then with CWU fending off a Wolves rally in the second half, Perez rose above a perfectly-positioned defender for a shot clock-beating 3-ball that restored his team’s momentum.

More recently he produced career-highs of 22 points and seven assists in a 120-103 rout of Alaska Fairbanks.

“We had a good little show that night,” Perez said. “We’re playing fun basketball right now, and it reminds me of high school.”

A far cry from Perez’s early days of recovery, when the best thing he could do for his leg was nothing.

“That was one of the hardest times of my career,” he said. “I was five or six months in a (walking) boot, and I couldn’t really do anything at all. It was like, get this thing fixed or be done for my career. The only thing I could do was rest and let it heal.”

And heal it apparently has, periodic twinges notwithstanding. So the door appears wide open for the newer-still Humberto to come barging through.

“Early in the season, especially during the conditioning part, you could see the frustration in his face,” assistant coach G.E. Coleman said. “I just told him that by the first or second week of January, he’d be one of the best players in our league. And now we’re seeing that. We’re seeing the Humberto we all love and remember.”

Next season, with perhaps the newer-still Humberto and all but two seniors from this squad returning, could involve great things for him and them.

Afterward, Perez plans to use a law and justice degree to help youth — perhaps in Yakima.

“There are so many things you can do with the degree,” he said, “counseling, working with kids in a juvenile detention center, that type of thing. The first thing is to get the degree, then I’ll focus on something I want to do. There might even be a little coaching involved.”

Some of his students might well have heard of the old Humberto. Others may have been familiar with the new Humberto.

More still might marvel at being tutored by a player yet to be seen but anxiously anticipated — the newer-still Humberto.

“I saw him at Davis,” Sparling said, “and I saw him at North Idaho. I still think there’s another gear for him.”

YVCC women upend No. 1 Walla Walla; Yak men also win

YAKIMA, Wash. — Everyone was waiting, it seemed, for something to happen.

With the clock winding down and the score staying close, even Yakima Valley and Walla Walla seemed to pause, along with a sizable crowd in Sherar Gym, for a turning point in Wednesday night’s key Eastern Region women’s game.

So the Yaks’ Rosetta Adzasu and Anna Marchbanks took matters into their own hands, producing timely steals and ensuing hoops in YVCC’s 54-48 conquest of the previously unbeaten and top-ranked Warriors.

The victory was Yakima Valley’s 21st straight in region play, and left the sixth-ranked Yaks alone atop the standings at 4-0 with a 12-4 overall record.

YVCC’s men were triumphant, too, riding Jordan Kidd’s 27 points and solid all-around play from Willie Blodgett to a much-needed 90-70 rout. It squared Yakima Valley at 2-2 in the region and 8-8 for the season, and breathed life into playoff hopes jeopardized by a two-game losing streak.

Point guard Adzasu and power forward Marchbanks scored 18 and 16 points, respectively, for Yakima Valley’s women in a game that evolved into a half-court defensive struggle.

After successive Marchbanks buckets put YVCC ahead 49-47 with 1:57 to play, the 5-foot-11 sophomore came up with a backcourt steal and passed ahead to Adzasu, who in turn fed Marchbanks for a layup and a 51-47 lead.

Following a free throw by Walla Walla standout Kati Isham, who came into the game with an NWAACC-best 24.4 scoring average, Adzasu produced another theft with 42 seconds left and maintained her dribble despite slipping to the floor.

Isham was then called for an intentional foul on an inbounds pass to Adzasu — to the vehement dispute of Warriors coach Bobbi Hazeltine — and Adzasu made one of two free throws at 27.5.

YVCC then turned the ball over, but Adzasu tied up Isham and the Yaks got the ball via the possession arrow. She then closed the game out with two free throws at 16.8.

“I called time and told our girls it was time for someone to make a play,” YVCC coach Cody Butler said. “I told them there was nothing I could draw on my clipboard that would help them. Someone just needed to make some plays, and those two did.”

Said Adzasu, who helped hold Walla Walla (3-1, 14-1) scoreless for the final 1:09 and without a field goal over the last 7:10, “Anna hadn’t been having her best game and neither had Nicole (DeRosier), because she was being double-teamed all the time. I got in foul trouble guarding their player (Isham), and we had a bunch of players step up. It was definitely a team win.”

Isham, the reigning region MVP, finished with a team-high 13 points, but Walla Walla committed 32 turnovers.

Coach Ray Funk’s men, meanwhile, started the second half with a 10-4 burst punctuated by Damar Wilson’s steal and backboard-bounce assist to a trailing Kenneth Woods for a flying dunk.

Derrick January scored 17 points, Wilson 12 and Blodgett 11 for the Yaks, who closed with an 11-3 run.
“Willie has been steadily, quietly improving and he was really solid for us tonight,” Funk said of the 5-10 Wapato grad who garnished his scoring with three rebounds, three assists and a steal. “And I keep thinking and hoping that this thing is eventually going to come together for us, and tonight was a step forward.”
Reserve forward Aaron Corsi led the Warriors (2-2, 10-3) with 26 points while ex-Eisenhower standout Nate Gibson scored Walla Walla’s first eight points and finished with 11.

YAKIMA VALLEY WOMEN 54, WALLA WALLA 48

WALLA WALLA — Dreadfulwater 0-1 0-0 0, Wolff 0-0 0-0 0, S. Isham 1-3 1-2 3, VanderEsch 0-0 0-0 0, Tucker 1-6 1-2 4, Kati Isham 4-7 4-8 13, Johnson 3-12 2-3 8, Hutcheson 1-3 1-2 3, Cierra Silverthorn 4-5 2-4 11, Berghammer 3-4 0-1 6. Totals 17-41 11-22 48.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Jones 1-3 0-0 2, French 0-2 0-0 0, Roe 0-1 0-0 0, Gray 0-0 0-0 0, Anna Marchbanks 7-18 2-3 16, Rosetia Adzasu 5-15 5-6 18, DeRosier 3-12 0-0 8, Urquhart 2-5 0-0 4, Fenumiai 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 21-63 7-9 54.

Halftime — WWCC 26, YVCC 21. 3-Point Goals — WWCC 3-6 (S. Isham 0-1, Tucker 1-2, K. Isham 1-2, Silverthorn 1-1), YVCC 5-14 (French 0-1, Roe 0-1, Gray 0-1, Marchbanks 0-1, Adzasu 3-5, DeRosier 2-5). Fouled out — Marchbanks. Rebounds — WWCC 39 (Johnson 10), YVCC 27 (Jones 7). Assists — WWCC 2; YVCC 11 (DeRosier 4). Totals fouls — WWCC 13, YVCC 20. Total fouls — WWCC13, YVCC 29.

YAKIMA VALLEY MEN 90, WALLA WALLA 70

WALLA WALLA — Wright 1-4 4-5 6, Andrews 1-7 0-0 2, Nate Gibson 4-10 0-0 11, Jason Smith 4-12 0-0 10, Henning 2-9 0-1 4, Roll 2-2 3-4 8, Steele 0-0 0-0 0, Van de Graaf 0-1 0-0 0, Fullerton 0-0 0-0 0, Schultz 0-1 0-0 0, Moore 1-1 0-0 3, Aaron Corsi 8-11 10-12 26. Totals 23-58 17-22 70.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Jordan Kidd 8-13 9-11 27, Woods 4-5 0-0 8, Dornik 0-4 0-0 0, Derrick January 7-13 2-2 17, Kirvin 2-4 0-0 4, Willie Blodgett 4-7 0-0 11, De. Wilson 3-5 1-2 9, Damar Wilson 6-13 0-0 12, Brown 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 35-66 12-15 90.

Halftime — YVCC 40, WWCC 35. 3-point goals — WWCC 7-20 (Wright 0-1, Roll 1-1, Andrews 0-3, Gibson 3-5, Van de Graaf 0-1, Schulz 0-1, Smith 2-7, Moore 1-1); YVCC 8-17 (Blodgett 3-4, De. Wilson 2-3, Da. Wilson 0-1, Kidd 2-3, Dornik 0-4, January 1-2). Fouled out — Andrews, Da. Wilson, Woods. Rebounds — WWCC 29 (Andrews 8); YVCC 35 (January 6). Assists — WWCC 2; YVCC 10 (Blodgett 3). Turnovers — WWCC 16, YVCC 10. Total fouls — WWCC 14, YVCC 21.

 

Hit and Miss for Yaks

YVCC men’s rally falls short; women cruise past Big Bend ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Wouldn’t you know it?

On a night when Yakima Valley’s men had labored to make shots to overcome a 12-point second-half deficit, the Yaks made one they actually tried to miss.

Terrell Evans, fouled after missing Kenneth Woods’ errant 3-pointer with .8 seconds to play and YVCC down three, made his first free throw, after which coach Ray Funk called time and instructed him to miss the second. The hope would be that a Yak would then make a game-winning tipin.

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Evans then got a lot of the rim with his second shot, but the ball went in, and Big Bend quickly threw a long inbounds pass and exhausted the remaining time for a wild 102-101 victory Wednesday night in Sherar Gym.

YVCC’s sixth-ranked women, in the early game, needed no such rally and suffered no such ill fortune, riding the two-pronged attack of Anna Marchbanks and Nicole DeRosier to an 81-63 triumph.

The evening left Yakima Valley’s men 1-1 in Eastern Region play and 7-7 overall while the women improved to 2-0 and 9-4.

“We wanted him to miss, and he did hit the rim,” Funk said. “Heartbreaker.”

Especially considering YVCC’s 70-58 deficit with 13:00 to play following a 52-52 first-half standoff.

Led by reserves Woods, Derrick January and Willie Blodgett plus starters Jordan Kidd and Damar Wilson, the Yaks scrambled to an 85-85 tie with 4:32 left only to fall behind again.

But they lost Kidd and his team-high 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals to a left hand injury with 2:58 left and Yakima Valley down 91-87.

The Yaks trailed 97-89 with 1:45 to play but once again rallied. Ryan Dornik made two free throws at 14.6 slicing YVCC’s deficit to 101-99, after which Big Bend’s William Winn was fouled at 13.3. In the double bonus, Winn missed the first free throw but made the second.

Yakima Valley then rushed the ball upcourt for a potential game-tyer from Woods, but it missed and Evans was hacked while attempting a putback.

January had 21 points, Wilson 13 and Woods and Dornik had 10 apiece. Dominick Brumfield, a 6-foot-8 freshman, scored 27 points for the Vikings (2-0, 7-3), who were 29 for 47 from the foul line.

In the women’s game, Marchbanks totaled 24 points and 12 boards while DeRosier scored 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

The 5-8 sophomore laughed when asked about her 2-for-10, five-point outing in YVCC’s 59-44 win Saturday at Wenatchee Valley.

“Maybe it was the elevation — I’m not sure,” DeRosier said. “I can never tell during warmups whether I’ll have a good shooting night, but I do know where I’m supposed to shoot from. Sometimes I get in a hurry and rush shots, though, and that’s when I have trouble.”

She added that with Marchbanks added to the mix, missing isn’t always a bad thing.

“Even when I’m off, we’re still going to get the rebound,” DeRosier said. “The way Anna plays — if we’d had her last year, oh boy.”

Both YVCC teams travel to Spokane on Saturday.

YAKIMA VALLEY WOMEN 81, BIG BEND 63

BIG BEND — Parker 1-4 0-1 3, Bohnet 0-0 0-0 0, McGowan 1-6 2-2 4, Hirz 0-6 2-2 2, Tayler Anderson 5-7 1-2 11, Whitted 2-2 0-0 4, Canfield 3-9 0-0 8, Schwulst 3-13 3-3 9, Nordby 0-0 0-0 0, Dana Bates 4-9 1-3 10, Sarah Smith 4-6 1-4 12, Hengst 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-62 10-17 63.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Jones 4-9 0-0 8, French 0-2 0-0 0, Roe 0-3 0-0 0, Huck 0-0 0-0 0, Gray 1-3 0-0 3, Anna Marchbanks 10-17 3-5 24, Adzasu 3-9 0-0 6, Azurin 2-3 0-0 5, Nicole DeRosier 7-9 0-0 19, Urquhart 2-7 4-6 8, Hull 0-2 0-0 0, Fenumiai 4-8 0-1 8. Totals 33-72 7-12 81.

Halftime: YVCC 43, Big Bend 26. 3-point goals: Big Bend 7-23 (Smith 3-3, Canfield 2-5, Parker 1-4, Bates 1-4), YVCC 8-15 (DeRosier 5-7, Azurin 1-1, Gray 1-2, Marchbanks 1-3). Rebounds: Big Bend 48 (Bates 15, Smith 10), YVCC 40 (Marchbanks 12, Fenumiai 6, Urquhart 6). Total fouls: Big Bend 12, YVCC 19. Fouled out: None. Assists: Big Bend 2, YVCC 11 (Marchbanks 4). Turnovers: Big Bend 29, YVCC 15. Steals: Big Bend 9, YVCC 20 (Marchbanks 4, Adzasu 3).

BIG BEND MEN 102, YAKIMA VALLEY 101

BIG BEND — William Winn 6-15 5-8 19, Hatch 1-2 2-2 4, Dominick Brumfield 9-14 8-10 27, Michael Hattar 5-5 1-2 13, Jeff Ranstrom 8-20 3-8 19, Nunn 1-1 4-4 6, Alan Marsh 3-9 4-11 10, Johns 0-1 0-0 0, Brooke 0-0 0-0 0, Martin 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 34-70 29-47 102.

YAKIMA VALLEY — May 3-7 3-3 9, Damar Wilson 6-10 0-1 13, Jordan Kidd 10-18 3-3 23, Ryan Dornik 3-5 2-2 10, Kirvin 1-5 2-2 4, Skelton 1-1 0-0 2, Blodgett 3-5 0-0 7, Evans 0-0 2-2 2, Kenneth Woods 4-7 2-4 10, Derrick January 5-11 9-11 21, Gream 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-69 23-28 101.

Halftime — YVCC 52, BBCC 52. 3-point goals — BBCC 5-13 (Winn 2-6, Marsh 0-1, Brumfield 1-3, Hattar 2-2, Martin 0-1); YVCC 6-11 (May 0-2, Blodgett 1-1, Wilson 1-1, Kidd 0-2, Dornik 2-2, January 2-3). Fouled out — Hattar, May, Blodgett, Wilson. Rebounds — BBCC 41 (Brumfield 9); YVCC 36 (Woods 7). Assists — BBCC 2; YVCC 8 (Kidd 3). Turnovers — BBCC 24, YVCC 23. Total fouls — BBCC 24, YVCC 32.

CWU goes deep for victory

Bench scores 38 points as Wildcats knock off Western Oregon ||

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — They came at Western Oregon in waves Thursday night, providing the Wolves with more than they could chew and a Nicholson Pavilion crowd with what Central Washington coach Greg Sparling hopes will be a preview of the GNAC season.

“Our depth,” Sparling said after the Wildcats’ 82-70 victory in the conference opener for both teams, “was a major factor tonight.”

As in 38 bench points to Western Oregon’s three.

And all you need to know about this game, and perhaps this Central team (7-4) this season, was that its two best players on this evening came off the bench.

Toussaint Tyler, whose father of the same name was perhaps the best blocking fullback in Washington history, led five double-digit-scoring Wildcats with a career-high 17 points in 20 reserve minutes.

And Humberto Perez bore strong resemblance to his old Davis High School self with 12 points, seven rebounds, two steals and an assist in 28 minutes.

“A lot of it has been just finding out about each other — learning what the other guys like to do and are best at,” said Perez, whose college career was stalled by a stress fracture to his right leg. “We have a lot of good players on this team. What I’ve been trying to do is just let the game come to me.”

The 6-foot-2 junior made an impact early, scoring on a putback that gave Central a 15-8 lead with 14:46 left in the first half. He made a momentum-sustaining 3-pointer with 6:54 to play in the game, beating both the shot clock and an up-close-and-personal defender for a 69-55 CWU advantage with 6:54 left.

And he helped Tyler punctuate the triumph with a sweet fast-break feed for a layup and an 80-66 Wildcats bulge at 1:40.

The victory was convincing over a WOU squad that was 7-4 coming in, and came despite the loss of scoring leader J.C. Cook to a hyperextended right knee with 12:48 to play. Plus, 6-9 junior center Chris Sprinker fouled out after just 17 minutes of floor time.

Cook, who produced 12 points before his exit, was to be evaluated this morning and was considered questionable for Saturday’s game at Northwest Nazarene.

Sprinker, meanwhile, threw down spectacular backdoor-lob dunks early and late, and finished with 10 points, seven boards and three blocked shots.

“When Sprinks comes with that kind of aggression, we’re going to be successful,” Sparling said. “But also, for us to be successful, we need J.C.”

Tyler, who missed two recent games with a since-resolved eligibility issue, said, “The coaches have told me to just be aggressive and not second-guess myself.”

He scored 15 points in the second half, hitting 5 of 6 shots from the field including 2 of 2 from 3-point range. Perez was 5 of 9, including 2 of 6 from deep.

“We didn’t shoot the three as well as we usually do,” Sparling said of Central’s cumulative 8 for 28 mark. “But we turned them over 22 times and scored 28 off turnovers. And when we pushed the ball offensively, we were very good.”

Guard Blair Wheadon scored 17 points to lead Western Oregon, which got 61 points from four players.

WESTERN OREGON — Matt Schmidt 5-13 2-4 14, Rico Myles 4-7 6-8 14, Mike McLaughlin 6-13 3-6 14, Blair Wheadon 4-10 6-6 16, Long 3-11 0-2 6, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Glynn 1-4 1-2 3, Nelson 0-2 0-1 0. Totals 23-61 18-29 70.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON — Clyde 3-4 0-0 6, Sivak 2-6 1-2 5, Chris Sprinker 5-9 0-2 10,  Jon Clift 3-11 3-4 11, J.C. Cook 5-12 0-0 12, Humberto Perez 5-9 0-2 12, Snowden 1-3 1-1 3, Miller 1-4 0-0 2, Shelton 1-1 0-0 2, Gibler 0-2 2-2 2, Toussaint Tyler 6-10 3-3 17, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-71 10-16 82.

Halftime — CWU 38, WOU 31. 3-point goals — WOU 6-15 (Schmidt 2-5, McLaughlin 1-2, Wheadon 3-7, Long 0-1); CWU 8-28 (Sivak 0-2, Clift 2-7, Cook 2-7, Perez 2-6, Snowden 0-1, Miller 0-2, Tyler 2-3). Fouled out — Sprinker. Rebounds — WOU 44 (McLaughlin 10); CWU 39 (Sprinker 7, Perez 7). Assists — WOU 13 (Myles 5); CWU 16 (Sivak 4). Turnovers — WOU 22, CWU 17. Total fouls — WOU 15, CWU 24. Technical fouls — WOU team, McLaughlin, Perez.

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