Marchbanks scores 32 in losing cause ||

KENNEWICK, Wash. — It had everything you’d want in a championship game.

There were six lead changes. There were truly spectacular performances, and the game wasn’t decided until the final buzzer.

Yes, Tuesday’s NWAACC women’s title game had it all — except, unfortunately for Yakima Valley, a title itself.

Though the Yaks led Walla Walla by two with 1:14 to play, they succumbed to five last-minute free throws and fell to the Warriors, 75-72, in the Toyota Center.

And how ironic was it that Anna Marchbanks, who had nearly willed YVCC to victory with 32 points and 14 rebounds, was forced to take a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner that missed?

“She’s so good,” said Walla Walla coach Bobbi Hazeltine, who was celebrating her second championship in 11 years with the Warriors and a triumphant end to a 28-1 season.

The loss, which came at YVCC on Jan. 20, was followed by 18 consecutive wins.

“She’s an outstanding player,” Hazeltine continued, regarding Marchbanks. “But we have some girls who played pretty well, too.”

Especially Kati Isham (pronounced EYE-sham).

Already a two-time Eastern Region most valuable player, the 5-foot-8 sophomore transfer from the Air Force Academy scored 15 of her 20 points in the second half and afterward was named the tournament’s MVP.

And her nothing-but-net, score-tying 3-point shot with 2:18 to play was described by both Hazeltine and Yakima Valley coach Cody Butler as the game’s biggest.

“Huge, probably the turning point of the game,” said a clearly disappointed Butler. “We tried to deny her the ball as much as we could, but she made some tough shots. So did their team. They just made big plays and big shots.”

As did the Yaks, who were down 55-45 with 11:07 to play.

But with the relentless, 5-11 Marchbanks and cat-quick point guard Rosetta Adzasu scoring 17 of YVCC’s final 22 points, Yakima Valley (24-6, with three losses coming to Walla Walla) gave itself a chance to win the school’s first women’s title since 1991.

Adzasu’s 3-pointer, on an assist from Lacie French, put the Yaks ahead 66-65 with 5:24 to play. And after French converted inside off a pass from Kate Urquhart and Marchbanks struck from the lane with the help of an Adzasu dish, YVCC led 70-67.

But Isham’s 3-ball, from left of the key, followed.

“She earned that,” Hazeltine said. “She made a really hard cut off a screen to get open, and then knocked the shot down.”

Marchbanks was called for a charge on the ensuing possession, and Isham, fouled at 0:59.7, made one of two free throws to put Walla Walla ahead 71-70.

After an Adzasu miss, the Warriors’ Jamie Berghammer was fouled while rebounding and, in the double bonus, made both at 0:34. Jocelyn Jones’ errant 3-pointer then went out of bounds off Marchbanks, and Walla Walla’s Layne Tucker was fouled with 10.9 seconds left. She made both.

“What we wanted to do on the last play was get a three for Nicole (DeRosier) or Lacie (who had hit two in the first half),” Butler said. “We were supposed to skip the ball to Nicole but didn’t, and I’m not sure why.”

Isham, bound for Boise State, also had a team-high eight rebounds and two assists despite the unremitting defense of Adzasu, who totaled seven assists and two steals.

Nancy Johnson also had 20 points for the Warriors, with 14 coming in a first half that saw WW lead 33-29.

Of Walla Walla’s 21-for-27 totals from the foul line compared with the Yaks’ 8 for 12, Hazeltine said, “Yakima plays very aggressively, and that’s how they win. But also when you play that way, you sacrifice fouls for steals, and they foul. We knew they would, and we knew we’d have to make free throws.”

Said Butler, “We had a great season. We won another Eastern Region championship (shared with the Warriors), we made it to the NWAACC title game and most of our sophomores are going on to play at four-year schools. So we can be proud of that.”

Marchbanks and Adzasu, who transferred from Central Arizona, have both received multiple NCAA Division I offers, Butler said, but neither has decided which to accept.

Through four tournament games, Marchbanks averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds.

WALLA WALLA — Tucker 2-5 3-4 8, Kati Isham 7-15 5-6 20, Nancy Johnson 8-11 4-4 20, Hutcheson 1-4 1-3 3, Berghammer 2-4 5-6 9, Dreadfulwater 3-6 0-0 6, Wolff 1-1 0-0 2, S. Isham 0-1 1-2 1, VanderEsch 1-2 0-0 2, Silverthorn 1-4 2-2 4. Totals 26-53 21-27 75.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Anna Marchbanks 14-21 4-6 32, Rosetta Adzasu 10-23 1-2 22, DeRosier 2-7 0-0 5, Urquhart 0-4 2-2 2, Fenumiai 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 0-1 0-0 0, French 3-6 1-2 9, Hull 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-65 8-12 72.

Halftime — WWCC 33, YVCC 29. 3-point goals — WWCC 2-7 (S. Isham 0-1, Tucker 1-2, K. Isham 1-3, Silverthorn 0-1); YVCC 4-24 (French 2-4, Marchbanks 0-4, Adzasu 1-8, DeRosier 1-6, Hull 0-1, Fenumiai 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — WWCC 40 (K. Isham 8); YVCC 27 (Marchbanks 14). Assists — WWCC 14 (Tucker 4); YVCC 12 (Adzasu 7). Turnovers — WWCC 18, YVCC 11. Total fouls — WWCC 12, YVCC 22.

KENNEWICK, Wash. — Unlike last year, when Yakima Valley’s men bounced back from a tough semifinal loss in the NWAACC Tournament to finish third, the Yaks on Tuesday suffered yet another narrow defeat.

After Ryan Dornik’s two free throws with 14.8 seconds left put the Yaks in overtime, YVCC committed some untimely turnovers in the extra session and fell to Tacoma, 81-79 in the Toyota Center.

The defeat left Yakima Valley 17-13 and sixth in the tournament. Third-place Tacoma, which came into the tourney ranked second, finished 25-4.

Freshman guard Jordan Kidd, who capped a stellar tournament performance with a game-high 23 points, scored the first basket of overtime but fouled out with 1:36 left.

After the Titans snapped a 74-74 tie by scoring four of the next six points to take the lead, they left YVCC with a chance when Royal Tee Lexing missed two free throws with 12.7 seconds left. Caden Skelton’s deep 3-pointer missed, however, just prior to the buzzer.

“It’s always disappointing when you lose your last game,” Yaks coach Ray Funk said, “but it’s especially disappointing when you lose your last two by two points each.”

Yakima Valley had lost a Monday semifinal to Lower Columbia 72-70.

Terrell Evans came off the bench to score 20 points for the Yaks while Willie Blodgett had 12 and Dornik 11. Chris Holmes led Tacoma with 15 points and 13 boards.

“When you consider where we were at different stages of the season,” Funk said, “sixth in the NWAACC isn’t all bad. And we have some solid guys to build around next year.”

YAKIMA VALLEY — Willie Blodgett 4-8 2-2 12, Da. Wilson 0-4 0-0 0, Jordan Kidd 9-18 5-7 23, Ryan Dornik 3-13 4-4 11, Kirvin 3-5 1-4 7, Skelton 0-2 1-2 1, May 0-1 0-0 0, De. Wilson 2-4 0-2 5, Terrell Evans 9-14 2-2 20, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, January 0-4 0-0 0, Gream 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-74 15-23 79.
TACOMA — Enriquez 4-12 1-4 9, Royal Tee Lexing 3-6 5-8 14, Chris Holmes 5-11 5-5 15, Rasmussen 1-2 0-0 3, Darius Walker 3-8 9-12 15, Coby 3-5 0-0 7, Johnson 1-4 0-0 2, Hill 0-1 0-0 0,  Wilson 1-3 2-2 4, Derick Davis 5-13 2-5 12. Totals 26-65 24-36 81.
Halftime — YVCC 36, TCC 30. Regulation — YVCC 70, TCC 70. 3-point goals — YVCC 4-15 (Skelton 0-1, May 0-1, Blodgett 2-5, De. Wilson 1-2, Evans 0-1, Dornik 1-5); TCC 5-11 (Enriquez 0-1, Lexing 3-4, Coby 1-3, Wilson 0-1, Rasmussen 1-2). Fouled out — Kidd, Davis. Rebounds — YVCC 50 (Kirvin 10); TCC 42 (Holmes 13). Assists — YVCC 14 (Kidd 4); TCC 18 (Johnson 4). Turnovers — YVCC 20, TCC 14. Total fouls — YVCC 22, TCC 14.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Central Washington and Western Washington have a long and storied men’s basketball rivalry, but Friday night, they’ll do something they’ve never done before.

Friday’s NCAA Division II West Region quarterfinal game will mark the first time these programs will face each other in a D-II postseason game.

The 7:30 p.m. contest at Sam Carver Gymnasium in Bellingham will mark the 241st meeting between the schools, but the last time they met in the postseason was 1998, when Central defeated the Vikings 88-84 to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament.

The next season, both teams made the jump to D-II.

Central (16-10) will also be trying to end Western’s recent run of dominance in the series. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 151-89, but they have lost nine of the past 12 meetings, and 10 of the past 11 games played in Bellingham.

That includes two losses to the Vikings (25-5) this season — 84-70 on Jan. 23 in Ellensburg, and 90-86 on Feb. 28 in Bellingham.

Friday’s winner will play the winner of the 5:30 p.m. quarterfinal featuring Cal Poly Pomona (22-6) and Dixie State (20-5) in one of Saturday’s semifinals. The region championship is at 7 p.m. Monday.

The other first-round pairings have GNAC champion Seattle Pacific (22-5) facing Pacific West Conference co-champion Brigham Young-Hawaii (20-5) at 12:30 p.m., and California Collegiate Athletic Association foes Cal State San Bernardino (22-7) and Humboldt State (22-7) meeting at 2:30 p.m.

NCAA DIVISION II WEST REGION

Friday’s games

Seattle Pacific (22-5) vs. Brigham Young-Hawaii (20-5), 12:30 p.m.

Cal State San Bernardino (22-7) vs. Humboldt State (22-7), 2:30 p.m.

Cal Poly Pomona (22-6) vs. Dixie State (20-5), 5:30 p.m.

Western Washington (25-5) vs. Central Washington (16-10), 7:30 p.m.

Saturday’s games

Seattle Pacific–BYU-Hawaii winner vs. Cal State San Bernardino-Humboldt State winner, 5 p.m.

Cal Poly Pomona-Dixie State winner vs. Western-Central winner, 7 p.m.

Monday’s game

Regional Championship, semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Former Ellensburg High standout Sarah McNamee, playing at Montana State Billings, shared GNAC newcomer of the year honors with Alaska Anchorage’s Kelsie Gourdin as part of the all-GNAC women’s basketball team that was announced Tuesday.

Central Washington sophomore Sophie Russell was named honorable mention.

Russell led the Wildcats in scoring with a 13.9 per-game average, and their third-leading rebounder (4.5 per game). She started all 26 games, and led the GNAC in minutes played (34.2).

In other honors, Seattle Pacific’s Daesha Henderson was named player of the year, Northwest Nazarene’s Heather Adams was freshman of the year, and Julie van Beek was coach of the year.

WOMEN’S ALL-GNAC TEAMS

Player of the Year: Daesha Henderson, Seattle Pacific.

Newcomer of the Year: (tie) Kelsie Gourdin, Alaska Anchorage and Sarah McNamee, Montana State Billings.

Freshman of the Year: Heather Adams, Northwest Nazarene

Coach of the Year: Julie van Beek, Seattle Pacific.

First Team

Lindsay Brady, Sr., Northwest Nazarene; Amanda Dunbar, Jr., Western Washington; Daesha Henderson, Sr., Seattle Pacific; Nicci Miller, Sr., Alaska Anchorage; Jessica Summers, Sr., Western Washington; Katie Torland, Sr., Western Oregon.

Second Team

Willow Cabe, Sr., Western Washington; Tamar Gruwell, Sr., Alaska Anchorage; Megan Hoisington, Sr., Seattle Pacific; Kayla Ryan, Jr., Montana State Billings; Dara Zack, Jr., Saint Martin’s.

Honorable Mention

Kelsie Gourdin, Jr., Alaska Anchorage; Kristin Hein, Sr., Northwest Nazarene; Hanna Johansson, So., Alaska Anchorage; Janee Olds, Sr., Northwest Nazarene; Sophie Russell, So., Central Washington.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Eisenhower’s Ashlyn Keller is one of seven high school seniors signing letters of intent to play soccer at Central Washington University starting this fall.

The other signees are Cedarcrest’s Kori Butterfield, Tumwater’s Caitlin Calnan, Tahoma’s Tarah Duty and Kaylee Osterman, Montesano’s Rebecca Lane, and Kentwood’s Mackenzie Meyers.

“We have found girls who have either played in systems similar to ours, have played together for a long time, or have ties to Central through their coaches,” coach Michael Farrand said.

Keller, an outside midfielder, was a first team all-Columbia Basin selection this past season when she collected 14 goals and 12 assists.

“I have always liked her desire to compete, Farrand said. “She is fast, tenacious, and will bring added depth and competition to the outside midfielder position.”

KENNEWICK — Nicole DeRosier has a secret.

And she’d like to keep it for the next 24 hours.

The Yakima Valley sophomore, whose second-half marksmanship keyed the Yaks’ 75-64 defeat of Clackamas in an NWAACC semifinal Monday night in the Toyota Center, was asked afterward if she had a favorite location from which to launch her laser-like 3-pointers.

“I can’t tell you that,” she said, smiling, “because then everyone would know.”

For the record, it didn’t seem to matter once DeRosier got going.

Scoring 17 of her 18 points in the second half, the 5-foot-8 guard led fourth-ranked YVCC’s surge into today’s 4:30 p.m. championship game against second-ranked Walla Walla.

Point guard Rosetta Adzasu was her typical mercurial self with 20 points and five assists, and forward-center Anna Marchbanks had a third straight standout game with 17 points, 11 rebounds and six steals.

But DeRosier, hitting five 3-balls and adding a pair of free throws over the final 20 minutes, made the Yaks (24-5) an equation which the third-ranked Cougars (23-5) were unable to solve.

With YVCC leading 26-24 at halftime, DeRosier connected from the top of the key for a 29-24 advantage.

And while Clackamas led 42-40 with 11:46 to play, Yakima Valley took the lead for good in the see-saw affair with an 8-2 run punctuated by an emphatic Marchbanks swat of a Cougar layup attempt.

The Yaks steadily increased their edge until the 1:50 mark, when DeRosier got nothing but net with a 3-ball from the corner.

“She was right in front of me when she took that shot,” coach Cody Butler said. “And I told her, hit that and the game’s over.”

And it was, essentially, since the shot put YVCC up 66-57.

“You can tell the shots are having an effect on the other team,” DeRosier said. “After awhile they were bickering among themselves. That’s when I knew we had them on the run.”

Providing ample help in Yakima Valley’s first title game berth with Butler — the Yaks are making their fourth final four appearance in six years under his tutelage — was 6-2 Highland sophomore Kate Urquhart, who totaled seven points and six rebounds as YVCC amassed a 41-28 advantage on the glass.

“Kate got a lot of really big boards for us,” Butler said. “She was active and real strong in there. Down the stretch she pretty much limited them to one shot.”

Melair Holterhoff and Rylee Peterson, two of the Cougars’ top regular-season threats, scored 15 points each.

Yakima Valley, which shot only 37 percent during the first half, hit at a 58 percent clip over the final 20 minutes.

More of the same will probably be needed to subdue Eastern Region rival Walla Walla (27-1), which one two of three regular-season meetings with the Yaks. The teams shared the region title with 13-1 records.

“They have two of the best players in the NWAACC,” Butler said. “We’ll have to try limit Kati Isham’s touches and keep Nancy Johnson off the boards.

“It feels good to have gotten to this point. But I told the girls to not celebrate too much, because we’ve still got more work to do.”

And a secret for Nicole DeRosier to keep.

CLACKAMAS — Meyer 0-2 0-0 0, Peterson 7-12 1-2 15, St. Paul 2-4 0-0 4, Kapua 4-8 0-0 11, Holterhoff 5-8 3-5 15, Powell 3-8 1-2 8, Filipetti 0-0 2-3 2, Martine 1-3 0-0 3, Ball 3-10 0-0 6. Totals 25-55 7-12 64.
YAKIMA VALLEY — Jones 2-4 2-3 6, French 1-6 0-0 3, Marchbanks 8-14 1-2 17, Adzasu 7-13 5-8 20, DeRosier 5-11 3-4 18, Urquhart 1-3 5-6 7, Hull 0-0 0-0 0, Fenumiai 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 26-56 16-23 75.
Halftime—Yakima Valley 26, Clackamas 24. 3-point goals—Clackamas 7-24 (Kapua 3-5, Holterhoff 2-5, Powell 1-3, Martine 1-3, Mayer 0-1, St. Paul 0-2, Ball 0-2, Peterson 0-3), Yakima Valley 7-16 (DeRosier 5-9, French 1-2, Adzasu 1-4, Marchbanks 0-1). Fouled out—Peterson. Rebounds—Clackamas 28 (Peterson 7), Yakima Valley 41 (Marchbanks 11). Assists—Clackamas 14 (Ball 5), Yakima Valley 12 (Adzasu 5). Total fouls—Clackamas 18, Yakima Valley 17. Turnovers—Clackamas 23, Yakima Valley 24.

KENNEWICK — During the second half of Yakima Valley’s NWAACC Tournament semifinal with Lower Columbia on Monday night, Red Devils coach Jim Roffler shouted, “Marcus — stay home!”

Though the coach wanted Marcus Bell to stay near the basket on defense, YVCC’s Yaks no doubt wished the instructions regarding the Red Devils’ 6-foot-7 freshman center had been literal.

Because while Yakima Valley had found an answer to nearly everything third-ranked LCC had done en route to an early 17-point lead, it did not find one for Bell in a 72-70 loss in the Toyota Center.

“What happened,” said YVCC coach Ray Funk, “was we dug ourselves such a big hole early (the Yaks trailed 20-3 with 13:12 left in the first half) that we had to go to a smaller lineup.

“We were able to handle their other guys. But we weren’t able to handle him.”

Bell, the NWAACC’s regular-season rebounding leader at 12.8 per game while also scoring 15.7, totaled 24 points and 12 boards on this occasion.

His relentless inside play dropped Yakima Valley (17-12), playing in its third straight final four, into a 2 p.m. game today with Tacoma (24-4) for third and sixth places.

YVCC, which won the title in 2008, was third last year.

In spite of Bell’s heroics, and 36 LCC free throws of which the third-ranked Devils (25-3) made 22, the Yaks had a shot at victory.

Down 72-66 with 34.6 seconds to play, Yakima Valley got two free throws from Damar Wilson and a putback by Derrick January to make it 72-70 with 7.5 seconds left.

LCC’s Kekoa Carvalho missed two foul shots with 5.2 to go, and after a timeout YVCC’s Caden Skelton hustled the ball into frontcourt and handed off to Willie Blodgett for a deep and hurried three that was well short at the buzzer.

Jordan Kidd led the Yaks with 18 points while Ryan Dornik had 15 and January came off the bench for 13.

Guard Jeray Key backed Bell with 19 points and eight boards.

“We would have liked a different outcome,” Funk said, “but I’m really proud of the way our guys battled. Coach Roffler said afterward he was really impressed with how hard our team played, especially after getting down that much early. So we’ll just try to come back tomorrow and win one more.”

YAKIMA VALLEY — Skelton 3-7 1-2 8, Blodgett 0-5 0-0 0, De. Wilson 0-5 0-0 0, Da. Wilson 1-8 4-4 6, Evans 2-6 0-2 4, Kidd 3-5 10-14 18, Brown 1-1 0-0 2, Dornik 6-13 1-1 15, January 5-14 3-5 13, Kirvin 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 23-66 19-28 70.
LOWER COLUMBIA — Hoff 0-1 0-0 0, Key 5-19 8-11 19, Burgoyne 3-9 0-0 8, Ritchie 1-4 1-4 4, DeGraaff 0-0 0-0 0, Stores 3-5 4-6 10, Bell 10-16 4-8 24, Carvalho 1-5 4-5 6, Moreland 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 23-60 22-36 72.
Halftime—Lower Columbia 32, Yakima Valley 26. 3-point goals—Yakima Valley 5-25 (Kidd 2-4, Dornik 2-8, Skelton 1-3, January 0-2, Blodgett 0-4, De. Wilson 0-4), Lower Columbia 4-15 (Burgoyne 2-6, Ritchie 1-4, Key 1-5). Fouled out—Da. Wilson, Kidd, Stores. Rebounds—Yakima Valley 46 (January 9), Lower Columbia 45 (Bell 12). Assists—Yakima Valley 5, Lower Columbia 13 (Stores 6). Total fouls—Yakima Valley 27, Lower Columbia 19. Turnovers—Yakima Valley 16, Lower Columbia 13.

Junior guard JC Cook was named the newcomer of the year and joined two Central Washington University teammates on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s men’s basketball all-conference team announced Monday.

Cook averaged 14.7 points during the regular season, ranked ninth in conference scoring and eighth in 3-pointers with a team-high 50.

Cook was also named to the all-conference second team along with Central’s junior center Chris Sprinker. Senior point guard Jon Clift earned honorable mention.

The Wildcats begin play in the NCAA Division II West Region tournament on Friday in Bellingham against an opponent to be announced.

Seattle Pacific’s Chris Banchero was named the GNAC’s player of the year.

Player of the Year: Chris Banchero, Jr., Seattle Pacific.

Newcomer of the Year: JC Cook, Jr., Central Washington.

Freshman of the Year: Tarance Glynn, Western Oregon

Coach of the Year: Ryan Looney, Seattle Pacific

First team

Morris Anderson, Sr., Western Washington; Chris Banchero, Jr., Seattle Pacific; Brandon Larrieu, Sr., Seattle Pacific; Blake Poole, Jr., Saint Martin’s; Brandon Walker, Jr., Alaska Anchorage; Derrick Webb, Sr., Western Washington.

Second team

DeAndre Chambers, Jr., Montana State Billings; JC Cook, Jr., Central Washington; Drew Eisinger, Jr., Northwest Nazarene; Chris Sprinker, Jr., Central Washington; Blair Wheadon, So., Western Oregon; Derrick Wright, Sr., Montana State Billings.

Honorable mention

Zach Bruce, Sr., Western Washington; Jon Clift, Sr., Central Washington; Rob Diederichs, Sr., Seattle Pacific; DaVell Jackson, Sr., Montana State Billings; Emmanuel Jenkins, Sr., Alaska Fairbanks; Nashorn Maynard, Jr., Alaska Fairbanks; Rico Myles, Sr., Western Oregon; Casey Robinson, Jr., Alaska Anchorage.

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PREP GOLF

Rams 2nd at Pasco Invite

PASCO — West Valley’s Eric Gravbrot was second on a tiebreaker and led the Rams to a runner-up finish in the Pasco Invitational at Sun Willows Golf Course.

Gravbrot shot 69 for a first-place tie with Walla Walla’s Drew Reinland, who won medalist honors on a second-hole tiebreaker.

Southridge clipped West Valley by a stroke, 312-313, for the team title.

Team scores: Southridge 312, Kamiakin 313, West Valley 313, Hanford 318, Richland 324, Othello 324, Mt. Spokane 326, Walla Walla 331, Eastmont 335, Wenatchee 345, Moses Lake 351, Ferris 359, Kennewick 362, Chiawana 373, East Valley 376, Eisenhower 391.

West Valley scores: Eric Gravbrot 69, Kameron Lamb 78, Steven Snipes 82, Matt Mickelson 84, Jerrod Daily 86.

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GOLF

Woodard scores ace

Nic Woodard recorded a hole-in-one on the sixth hole at the Yakima Country Club on Sunday.

Woodard used an 8-iron on the 168-yard hole. Barry Woodard, Randy LaRiviere and Cody LaRiviere witnessed the shot.

KENNEWICK, Wash. — At this time of year, the bottom line in basketball essentially is to win and advance.

And Yakima Valley’s men did that Sunday night in the NWAACC Tournament, subduing Whatcom 60-56 to reach the final four for the third straight season under coach Ray Funk.

“I heard a college coach the other day on the radio say, ‘You don’t grade your wins at this time of the season, you just get ‘em,’” Funk said. “That was definitely the key element with this one.”

If the victory lacked the aesthetic appeal of Saturday night’s upset of top-ranked Chemeketa, it did in fact put YVCC (17-11) opposite third-ranked Lower Columbia in tonight’s 6 o’clock semifinal in the Toyota Center. The Red Devils (24-3) advanced with a 73-51 defeat of Walla Walla.

They also handed YVCC an 83-79 neutral-court loss on Dec. 29.

Against Whatcom, Yakima Valley fell behind 20-8 before rallying for a 32-29 halftime deficit.

The Orcas led 52-46 with 6:43 left on a free throw by former Eisenhower standout Matt Peterson, but Willie Blodgett’s 3-pointer with 37 seconds to play provided the game’s seventh and final lead change, putting YVCC up 57-56.

Blodgett made one of two free throws at 0:21 and Ryan Dornik made two with 10 seconds left to close it out.

Whatcom (17-10), which finished 13 for 34 from the foul line, went scoreless for the final 2:02.

“Willie’s three was obviously big, putting us up, and we hit our free throws down the stretch,” said Funk, who led YVCC to an NWAACC title in 2008. “And Dornik’s free throws were huge because they made it a two possession game.”

Jordan Kidd led all scorers with 17 points while also grabbing six rebounds and dealing three assists. Blodgett and Damar Wilson had 10 points each.

Connor Oldham was the only Whatcom player to score in double figures with 10, while Peterson and two other Orcas totaled nine.

Yakima Valley’s women have also reached the semis, marking the first time in recent memory that both squads have made the final four in the same year.

“For awhile I was wondering if it was going to happen,” Funk said. “Even when they were missing their free throws, it seemed we couldn’t get a rebound to save our lives. But we won and we’re moving on, so I guess that’s all that matters.”

WHATCOM — Jones 4-5 0-2 9, Langston 4-10 0-2 9, Nicholes 1-3 0-0 2, Bowser 1-2 3-3 5, Peters 0-3 0-0 0, Pierson 0-2 1-2 1, Brown 1-3 2-2 5, Davison 0-6 0-4 0, Welch 1-4 0-0 2, Connor Oldham 3-8 4-5 10, Perconti 2-5 0-2 4, Peterson 3-4 3-12 9. Totals 20-55 13-34 56.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Willie Blodgett 3-4 2-4 10, Damar Wilson 4-10 2-4 10, Jordan Kidd 5-12 7-10 17, Dornik 1-11 5-6 7, Kirvin 3-7 0-1 6, Skelton 0-0 0-0 0, De. Wilson 1-3 1-2 3, Evans 1-2 0-0 2, Brown 0-2 2-2 2, January 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 19-52 20-31 60.

Halftime — YVCC 32, WCC 29. 3-point goals — WCC 3-10 (Jones 1-1, Langston 1-2, Pierson 0-2, Brown 1-2, Welch 0-2, Perconti 0-1); YVCC 2-14 (Blodgett 2-3, De. Wilson 0-2, Da. Wilson 0-1, Kidd 0-2, Dornik 0-6). Fouled out — Da. Wilson. Rebounds — WCC 43 (Peterson 6, Oldham 6); YVCC 40 (De. Wilson 9, Dornik 7). Assists — WCC 9 (Oldham 3); YVCC 10 (Kidd 3). Turnovers — WCC 20, YVCC 19. Total fouls — WCC 25, YVCC 26.

KENNEWICK, Wash. — Another monster game for Anna Marchbanks meant another with for Yakima Valley’s women Sunday night.

And that in turn meant another berth in the NWAACC Tournament’s final four, which the Yaks earned with their 87-71 defeat of Everett on Sunday night in the Toyota Center.

The win put fourth-ranked YVCC (23-5) opposite third-ranked Clackamas (23-4) in an 8 p.m. semifinal today.

“That’s going to be a tough one,” said Yaks coach Cody Butler, who will be making his fourth final four appearance in six years. “They’re very good. This might end up being a coin flip.”

Sunday night’s game wasn’t, not with Marchbanks scoring 29 points on 11-of-15 field goal shooting in which the 5-foot-11 sophomore was 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

Yakima Valley bolted to a 21-4 lead, held a 47-25 halftime advantage and was never threatened.

Point guard Rosetta Adzasu had 14 points, eight assists and seven steals as YVCC’s half-court man-to-man defense forced 31 turnovers. And Nicole DeRosier added 12 points, hitting four treys as the Yaks shot 55 percent for the first half and 49 for the game.

Marchbanks, who grabbed 18 rebounds to go with 30 points in Saturday’s win, was credited with six boards this time. Butler, however, was skeptical of that total.

“She probably had that many on putbacks alone,” he said.

Kate Urquhart had seven rebounds and five steals, and helped get Yakima Valley rolling with a game-opening layup after the Trojans (17-10) missed a shot off the opening tip.

“We just sort of rolled form there,” Butler said. “We tried to keep everyone under 25 minutes (Adzasu’s 28:04 was the most playing time of any Yak). They tried some half-court trap pressure and Rose handled it extremely well. We got a lot of open shots.”

Karissa Tri scored 18 points to lead Everett.

While YVCC will be making its fourth final four appearance in Butler’s seven years as coach, it has not reached the title game. The Yaks most recent women’s championship came in 1991.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Anna Marchbanks 11-15 4-4 29, Rosetta Adzasu 6-13 0-0 14, Nicole DeRosier 4-12 0-1 12, Urquhart 3-8 0-0 6, Fenumiai 3-6 2-3 8, Jones 2-4 0-0 4, French 3-6 1-1 7, Roe 1-2 0-0 2, Gray 1-1 0-0 3, Brawley 0-0 0-0 0, Azurin 0-0 0-0 0, Hull 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 35-71 7-9 87.

EVERETT — Thomas 1-5 1-2 4, Karissa Tri 6-8 0-0 18, Mary Ociltree 4-7 4-6 12, Housden 2-7 1-2 5, Anna Work 5-11 3-5 15, Jackman 0-0 0-0 0, Molenda 0-0 0-0 0, Edwards-Martin 0-0 0-0 0, Brittany Pierce 6-10 5-6 17. Totals 24-48 14-25 71.

Halftime — YVCC 47, EvCC 25. 3-point goals — YVCC 10-25 (Jones 0-1, French 0-1, Gray 1-1, Marchbanks 3-3, Adzasu 2-4, DeRosier 4-10, Urquhart 0-1, Hull 0-2, Fenumiai 0-2); EvCC 9-18 (Thomas 1-4, Tri 6-8, Housden -1, Work 2-5). Fouled out — None. Assists — YVCC 18 (Adzasu 8); EvCC 13 (Work 6). Turnovers — YVCC 20, EvCC 31. Total fouls — YVCC 23, EvCC 12.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — They’re not sure who they’re playing yet, but that uncertainty is of little consequence to Central Washington’s men.

The Wildcats will play in their third consecutive NCAA Division II West Region tournament, having been included in the field Sunday night.

CWU (16-10) will compete in the tournament which is scheduled for Friday, Saturday and next Monday in Bellingham. Central’s first foe will likely be host Western Washington, the region’s top seed, though opponents and seeds will not be announced until Tuesday when regular-season games that will impact regional seeding are completed in Hawaii.

In addition to Western, which swept this season’s series from Central 84-70 in Ellensburg and 90-86 in Bellingham, the only other GNAC team in the tournament will be Seattle Pacific.

“A lot of stars lined up in the last three days,” CWU coach Greg Sparling said. “But the bottom line is our kids put themselves in a position to get in by beating Saint Martin’s (Saturday night) in overtime.”

Central has made the playoffs in four of the past five years, but has not won a postseason game since 2001.

The Wildcats, having lost Humberto Perez to a broken hand five games ago, lost successive games to SPU and Western, then seemingly jeopardized their postseason hopes with a home loss to Montana State Billings. But an overtime win at home Saturday night over Saint Martin’s apparently put Central over the top.

As for playing Western again, Sparling said, “One thing is they lost in the first round last year when they were hosting, and it is tough to beat a team three times in a row. But it’s like I told the kids tonight, there will be only one D-II team that will end its season with a win.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — C.J. Ketron struck out six over six innings to help Yakima Valley beat Okanagan College 10-2 for third place Sunday in the Bill Faller Invitational at Parker Field.

Pedro Acevedo was 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Konrad Mueller and Jose Sermo also had two RBI for the Yaks (2-2), who next host Linn-Benton for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.

In the Faller championship game, Shoreline defeated Everett 12-11.

Yakima Valley            033    002    11    —    10    10    1
Okanagan College    001    000    10    —    2    7    3
C.J. Ketron, Brock Lybbert (7), Mike LaFranchice (8) and Jones, Kerns (7).
YVCC highlights: Konrad Mueller 2-5, 2b, 2 RBI; Pedro Acevedo 3-4, 2 RBI; Jose Sermo 2-4, 2 RBI; C.J. Ketron 6 IP, 6 K.

LEWISTON, Idaho — Brian Burke’s two-run homer in the fifth inning lifted Lewis-Clark State to a 3-1 win over Central Washington on Sunday at Harris Field.

Central out-hit the Warriors 9-8, but managed only a third-inning run off starter Colby Hawk en route to its eighth straight loss.

Kris Henderson singled and doubled for the Wildcats (2-10). Burke had two hits for L-C State (14-1).

Central Washington    001    000    000    —    1    9    1
Lewis-Clark State         001    020    00x    —    3    8    0
Stultz, Brown (4), Tarver (8) and Hammons; Hawk, Fassold (4), Haehl (6), Camacho (8), Clanton (9) and Georgius.
CWU highlights: Jake Hammons 2-4, Kris Henderson 2-4, 2b, Chance Plutt 3b.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Lauren Hadenfeld pitched a four-hitter in the first game and threw the final five innings of the second as Central Washington swept Saint Martin’s 8-0 and 10-5 in a GNAC fastpitch doubleheader Sunday.

Hadenfeld struck out eight and walked only two in the five-inning opener and Kelsey Haupert drove in five runs with a single and homer.

Samantha Petrich drove in three runs and was one of four players for CWU (6-2 GNAC, 6-4 overall) with two hits in the second game. Keilani Cruz homered and had two RBI for the Wildcats.

Hadenfeld came on in relief during the third inning of the second and fired five two-hit, no-run innings to get the win. She fanned four and walked one.

Game 1

Saint Martin’s                000 00 — 0 4 3
Central Washington    002 006 — 8 8 2
Eugenio, Klemm (5) and McGladrey; Hadenfeld and Kopczynski.
CWU highlights: Keilani Cruz 2-3, 2 RBI; Samantha Petrich 1-2, 2 runs; Kelsey Haupert 2-3, HR, 5 RBI.

Game 2

Saint Martin’s                140 000 0 — 5 9 1
Central Washington   005 230 x — 10 13 0
Arnzen, Klemm (3), Eugenio (6) and McGladrey; Reime, Baxter (2), Hadenfeld (3) and Kopczynski.
CWU highlights: Danielle Monson 2-4, 2 runs, RBI; Keilani Cruz 2-2, 3 runs, HR, 2 RBI; Samantha Petrich 2-3, 3 RBI; Ashley Fix 2-4, RBI.