ELLENSBURG, Wash. — You know how, when a team loses an absolutely critical player to injury for a chunk of the season, it’s supposed to make all of the rest of the players on the team better? Because they have to, as one so often hears in athletics, “step up”?

Well, it didn’t work quite that way for the Ellensburg Bulldogs.

And then, in the end, it did.

Ellensburg's Nick Gigstead shoot over Grandview defenders Bryce Carpenter, left, and Sal Escobedo in Ellensburg, Wash. Friday, Feb. 10, 2011. Ellensburg won 55-41. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic)

What happened to the Bulldogs — eventually — showed up in their convincing 55-41 dismantling of a very good Grandview team on Friday night. The victory lifted Ellensburg into a second-place CWAC tie with the Greyhounds but, more importantly, gave them the No. 2 seed into district and the first-round bye and the second-round home game that goes with it.

“That’s a much better deal. Much better,” Ellensburg coach Pat Fitterer said after his Bulldogs (14-4 CWAC, 16-4 overall) rallied from an 11-point first-quarter deficit and dominated the final 3 1/2 quarters.

Friday’s victory was in some ways a testament to the improvement of some of the Bulldogs’ role players — notably freshman Garrett Hull and junior Garrett Doebler — when their roles expanded after star guard Reece Ravet went down with an illness and then an injury.

“I think it definitely made us better,” said 6-4 senior forward Nick Gigstead, whose 19-point, seven-rebound night helped the Bulldogs overcome their rocky start. “It was maybe a hard time there for a while — we lost a couple of games there — but I think it made us stronger. We developed so many options and now, going into the postseason, it’s like it was a blessing in disguise.”

Any blessing, though, was certainly well-disguised at the time.

“The first seven games (of the season) looked so easy. Reece was there, and we were just playing exceptionally well,” Fitterer said. “Then when Reece was out, we thought people would pick it up, and nobody did. We tried must’ve been nine different lineups — well, not that many, (Ravet) was only out seven games — but we kept trying to find somebody to step up offensively.”

Defensively, though, there was never a problem. The Bulldogs, equally adept at playing zone or man, used their man-to-man defense to cool off Grandview (14-4, 14-6) after the Greyhounds’ hot start. After Kiki Mendoza scored 11 first-quarter points, hitting three of four 3-pointers, Fitterer stuck Doebler on him and Mendoza scored three points the rest of the way.

And not only that, Doebler hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the third quarter that turned a slim 31-29 lead into the beginning of the end for Grandview.

“Those (3-pointers) were real big,” Fitterer said. “All I told him to do was go stop Kiki, and I think he was so focused on defense that he just relaxed on offense — and he hit those two big shots.”

The player whose role really expanded when Ravet was out was Hull, who plays nothing like a freshman. His all-around game on Friday — eight points, six assists, six rebounds and some great, ball-hawking defense — looked like that of a star in the making.

And now, with Ravet back — he had nine points on Friday — the Bulldogs are definitely stepping up.

Photos from Friday night’s CWAC basketball doubleheader between Grandview and Ellensburg at Ellensburg High School in Ellensburg, Wash. All photos by Andy Sawyer of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

EV stymies Wapato to claim conference title ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — With its first loss of the season just a week ago, East Valley’s girls basketball team knew it had to heal in a hurry with the CWAC championship on the line Friday night.

But by the look of things when Wapato invaded EV’s gym for a conference-ending rematch, the Red Devils made good use of that late setback.

Leading wire-to-wire in much the same fashion as the first meeting last month, third-ranked East Valley used its inside-outside offense and vicious defense to beat No. 6 Wapato 43-30 and claim the CWAC title outright.

East Valley's Karlee Ward goes up for a shot past Wapato's Myleah Nason, left, and Justine Sosa during the first half of their game on Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. (Sara Gettys/Yakima Herald-Republic)

And on senior night it was especially sweet for a team rebounding from last week’s loss at Toppenish.

“I think we needed it because it made us work so much harder in practice,” said senior post Jamie Hodgson, who scored six of her 11 points in the first quarter and grabbed eight rebounds. “We had to put it together quick because Wapato is always tough.”

Hodgson’s three early field goals were part of a 12-3 start that forced Wapato into chase mode for the rest of the night.

Yasi Mohsenian, one of EV’s four senior starters, canned two of her three 3-pointers in the second period to push the margin to 25-16 at halftime.

Wapato was within eight points heading into the final period, but that’s when East Valley squeezed its defense even tighter. The Wolves missed their first seven shots of the quarter and went scoreless for over five minutes.

“It was a tremendous defensive effort,” said EV coach Robi Raab. “Wapato is a very, very good team but we get enough from our guards and inside game to be a tough matchup for them. We had some early nerves tonight, but our intensity was there.”

Mohsenian hit her third 3-pointer for the first points of the fourth quarter and Mikaela Zimmer, Hodgson’s low-post twin, scored on the next possession for a 38-25 lead with 3:45 left.

Zimmer finished with a game-high 10 rebounds as EV won the battle on the boards by the same score, 43-30.

“We call ourselves PICs — partners in crime,” said Hodgson, who broke loose for a career-high 23 points on Tuesday against Selah. “If teams key on Mikaela inside, I try to take advantage. And it works the other way around.”

Mohsenian finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, and Kellie Ross came off the bench to hit two of EV’s five treys.

Just like the first meeting, Wapato’s shooters had difficulty against EV’s zone defense, hitting just 12 of 54 attempts (22 percent). The Wolves’ 44 points in the Jan. 14 loss to EV was their previous season low.

The six-team CWAC district tournament opens Tuesday with first-round games, but East Valley (17-1, 19-1) and Wapato (16-2, 18-2) can rest up for semifinals that each hosts on Friday.

Photos from Saturday’s Wapato at East Valley CWAC girls basketball game at East Valley High School in Yakima, Wash. All photos by Sara Gettys of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

PROSSER, Wash. — Randy Isadore scored 26 points, hitting four 3-pointers in the second half, as Toppenish claimed its first league basketball championship in 25 years Friday night with a 62-52 triumph over Prosser.

The Wildcats’ victory, combined with Ellensburg’s homecourt defeat of defending CWAC champion Grandview, left Top-Hi atop the standings at 15-3 — one game ahead of both the Bulldogs and Greyhounds.

Toppenish (16-4), which advances to Thursday’s district semifinals, trailed by 13 points with about 3:30 left in the third quarter before rallying behind Isadore, Kyle Jamison and Wes Williams.

Isadore hit three long balls in the third period and another in the fourth. Jamison, meanwhile, scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half and Williams tallied eight of his 12 after intermission.

Shannon Isadore managed four points, six rebounds and four assists despite being slowed by foul trouble. Williams also had six boards and six assists.

Wade French scored 16 points and Andrew Flores 11 for Prosser (11-7 league, 11-9 overall).

WAPATO 65, EAST VALLEY 58: At Yakima, Wash., Ozzie George and Shawn Craig combined for 48 points to lead Wapato, which will host a first-round district game on Monday.

George had a game-high 26 points and Craig added 22 for the Wolves, who built a 32-19 halftime lead and hung on.

Victor Davila had 13 points and 12 rebounds for East Valley.

SELAH 53, QUINCY 34: At Selah, Wash., Nick Towery had 13 points and five rebounds and Klayton Fleming added 11 points as the Vikings closed out their season with a victory.

CBBN 4A DISTRICT

DAVIS TO HOST WA-HI: Fifth-seeded Walla Walla knocked off No. 4 Moses Lake 56-54 in a first-round game on Friday and will play at No. 1 Davis in 7 p.m. semifinal today.

Chiawana, the No. 3 seed, ousted Wenatchee 65-42 and will play in today’s other semifinal at Richland.

CBBN 3A DISTRICT

WEST VALLEY 64, EASTMONT 22: At Yakima, Wash., the Rams flew out to a 25-0 lead and cruised in the opening-round, loser-out game.

Jason Dresker scored 16 points with three 3-pointers and Austin Strock made 6 of 9 shots for 14 points for the Rams, who outrebounded Eastmont 34-19.

West Valley (13-7) advances to the semifinals and will play at Kennewick tonight at 7. The Rams avoided top-ranked Kamiakin when sixth-seeded Southridge upset third-seeded Hanford 64-61 Friday.

NORTH CENTRAL 2B

RIVERSIDE CHRISTIAN 52, ENTIAT 16: At Entiat, Wash., Nate Van Tuinen scored 14 points as the Crusaders ended their regular season.

Riverside Christian, the South’s No. 2 district seed, opens district tournament play at 5:30 p.m. Monday against Oroville in Wenatchee.

GC 1B DISTRICT

SUNNYSIDE CHRISTIAN 70, BICKLETON 28: At Goldendale, Wash., Brandon Broersma had 21 points, Trevor Wagenaar 19 and Alex Brouwer 13 as fifth-ranked Sunnyside Christian rolled in its district opener.

The Knights will meet Lyle-Wishram at 6:30 p.m. today. Bickleton, which got 10 points from Justin Roberts, plays Trout Lake-Glenwood at 3:30 today.

LYLE-WISHRAM 49, TROUT LAKE-GLENWOOD 40: At Goldendale, Wash.,  Jonathan Von Ahn had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Justin Mutch had 11 points as Lyle-Wishram advanced to face Sunnyside Christian today.

Slater Modrich had 13 points for Trout Lake-Glenwood, which will play Bickleton today.

SUNNYSIDE, Wash. — Their overall free-throw numbers weren’t pretty, but when it mattered most, the Sunnyside Grizzlies knocked them down.

Sunnyside made just five free throws in the game, but four came in the final two minutes to help the Grizzlies hang on for a 50-44 victory over West Valley in the CBBN 3A loser-out district girls basketball game Friday.

Ellensburg's Trew Tucker jumps into a hug from teammate Gese Gruber as the Bulldogs celebrate their one-point win over Grandview in Ellensburg, Wash. Friday, Feb. 10, 2011. The win earned them the final sport in the district tournament. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Sunnyside, which will play at Kamiakin in a district semifinal at 5 p.m. today, was led by the 16 points of freshman Jordan Rodriguez. Vanessa Alvarez added 12 points, and Natalia Bazan had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

West Valley, which got 13 points from Paige Albrecht, whittled the Grizzlies lead to two points with about two minutes remaining, but Sunnyside made all four of its free throws after that to hang on.

In Friday’s other district opener, Hanford ousted Kennewick 53-39.

CBBN 4A DISTRICT

RICHLAND 53, DAVIS 34: At Richland, Wash., Brittany Pringle scored 20 points and Richland steadily pulled away from Davis in the loser-out district game.

Sophomore Alexis Perez had 11 points and seven rebounds to pace the Pirates, who finished the season 7-13.

CWAC

PROSSER 51, TOPPENISH 37: At Prosser, Wash., Sydney Mercer had a huge game with 22 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks, four steals and three assists to help Prosser secure the No. 4 district seed and a home game Tuesday against No. 5 Toppenish.

Helen Petersen added eight points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four blocks, and four steals for the Mustangs, who broke away with a 20-7 fourth quarter.

Tara Bremer led Toppenish with 12 points.

ELLENSBURG 41, GRANDVIEW 40: At Ellensburg, Wash., Gese Gruber hit the go-ahead shot in the closing seconds, and Ellensburg survived a last-second shot attempt by Grandview to clinch the final district berth.

Gruber, who had 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, scored with about 15 seconds left.

Trew Tucker added 12 points for the Bulldogs, who play at Ephrata on Tuesday in a first-round game, while Payton Parrish had 16 points to lead Grandview.

SELAH 50, QUINCY 36: At Selah, Wash., Kailee Wood scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Vikings ended their season on a winning note. Cheyenne Merritt added 10 points and four steals for Selah.

SCAC DISTRICT

LA SALLE 49, MABTON 30: At Yakima, Wash., Deanna Avalos scored 14 points and Dani Kaschmitter had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds as the fourth-ranked Lightning advanced.

La Salle (18-2) will meet Connell at 8 p.m. today at Toppenish Middle School in the semifinals.

GRANGER 59, RIVER VIEW 36: At Granger, Wash., Lyndsay Oswalt and Fantasia Reyes combined to score 30 points as the sixth-ranked Spartans advanced to a 6 p.m. game today against Kiona-Benton at Wapato High School.

Oswalt finished with 17 points and Reyes had 13 for Granger (18-3).

CONNELL 59, GOLDENDALE 37: At Connell, Wash., Lexi Cameron had a game-high 14 points, but it wasn’t enough to offset Connell’s balance in the first-round game.

Goldendale will face Mabton at 6 p.m. today at Toppenish Middle School.

KIONA-BENTON 58, ZILLAH 53: At Benton City, Wash., Monica Villegas’ 21 points weren’t enough as the Leopards fell to the Bears.

Zillah will play River View in a loser-out game at 2 p.m. today at Wapato High School.

NORTH CENTRAL 2B

RIVERSIDE CHRISTIAN 56, ENTIAT 43: At Entiat, Wash., Tori Carpenter had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds to help the Crusaders lock up the South’s No. 2 district seed.

Kendra Staymates had 12 points and nine rebounds for RC.

GC 1B DISTRICT

SUNNYSIDE CHRISTIAN 70, KLICKITAT 9: At Goldendale, Wash., Marisa Broersma scored 15 points and Rita Dalrymple grabbed eight rebounds for the third-ranked Knights (20-1), who play Trout Lake-Glenwood today at 5 p.m.

TROUT LAKE-GLENWOOD 52, LYLE-WISHRAM 34: At Goldendale, Wash., freshman Ashley Sampson scored 13 points to lead TLG, which pulled away with a 23-point third period in the first-round game.

UPDATED THROUGH FRIDAY FEB. 10

CBBN 4A BOYS
Friday, Feb. 10
Game 1: Chiawana 65, Wenatchee 42, loser out.
Game 2: Walla Walla 56, Moses Lake 54, loser out.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Game 3: Chiawana (11-10) at Richland (12-8), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Walla Walla (10-11) at Davis (17-2), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 17
Game 5: Winner 3 vs. Winner 4, championship, winner to state.
Game 6: Loser 3 vs. Loser 4, loser out.
Saturday, Feb. 18
Game 7: Winner 6 vs. Loser 5, loser out, winner vs. GSL No. 2 on Feb. 21 for state berth.

CBBN 3A BOYS
Friday, Feb. 10
Game 1: Southridge 64, Hanford 61, loser out.
Game 2: West Valley 64, Eastmont 22, loser out.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Game 3: West Valley (13-7) at Kennewick (17-3), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Southridge (8-14) at Kamiakin (19-1), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 17
Game 5: Winner 3 vs. Winner 4, championship, winner to state, loser vs. GSL for playoff.
Game 6: Loser 3 vs. Loser 4, loser out. winner vs. GSL for playoff.

CBBN 4A GIRLS
Friday, Feb. 10
Game 1: Wenatchee 45, Moses Lake 31, loser out.
Game 2: Richland 53, Davis 34, loser out.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Game 3: Wenatchee (14-7) at Walla Walla (14-6), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Richland (12-9) at Chiawana (15-3), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 17
Game 5: Winner 3 vs. Winner 4, championship, winner to state.
Game 6: Loser 3 vs. Loser 4, loser out.
Saturday, Feb. 18
Game 7: Winner 6 vs. Loser 5, loser out, winner vs. GSL No. 2 on Feb. 21 for state berth.

CBBN 3A GIRLS
Friday, Feb. 10
Game 1: Hanford 53, Kennewick 39, loser out.
Game 2: Sunnyside 50, West Valley 44, loser out.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Game 3: Hanford (10-11) at Eastmont (15-5), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Sunnyside (11-10) at Kamiakin (20-0), semifinal, 5 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 17
Game 5: Winner 3 vs. Winner 4, championship, winner to state, loser vs. GSL for playoff.
Game 6: Loser 3 vs. Loser 4, loser out. winner vs. GSL for playoff.

CWAC BOYS
Monday, Feb. 13
Game 1: Ephrata (9-11) at Grandview (14-6), loser out, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Prosser (11-9) at Wapato (14-6), loser out, 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 16
Game 3: Winner 1 at Ellensburg (16-4), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Winner 2 at Toppenish (16-4), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 18
At West Valley
Game 5: Loser 3 vs. Loser 4, winner to regionals, loser out, 1 p.m.
Game 6: Winner 3 vs. Winner 4, championship, both to regionals, 5 p.m.

CWAC GIRLS
Tuesday, Feb. 14
Game 1: Ellensburg (10-10) at Ephrata (14-6), loser out, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Toppenish (12-8) at Prosser (12-8), loser out, 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 17
Game 3: Winner 1 at Wapato (18-2), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Winner 2 at East Valley (19-1), semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 18
At West Valley
Game 5: Loser 3 vs. Loser 4, winner to regionals, loser out, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Winner 3 vs. Winner 4, championship, both to regionals, 7 p.m.

SCAC BOYS
Thursday, Feb. 9
Game 1: Naches Valley 75, Mabton 52.
Game 2: Kiona-Benton 46, Goldendale 40.
Game 3: Granger 58, Royal 51.
Game 4: Zillah 52, Burbank 40.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Game 5: Mabton (8-13) vs. Goldendale (13-7) at Toppenish MS, loser out, 4 p.m.
Game 6: Royal (10-11) vs. Burbank (9-13) at Toppenish MS, loser out, 2 p.m.
Game 7: Naches Valley (19-2) vs. Kiona-Benton (17-4) at Wapato HS, semifinal, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Granger (17-4) vs. Zillah (19-2) at Wapato HS, semifinal, 8 p.m.

SCAC GIRLS
Friday, Feb. 10
Game 1: Granger 59, River View 36.
Game 2: Kiona-Benton 58, Zillah 53.
Game 3: Connell 59, Goldendale 37.
Game 4: La Salle 49, Mabton 30.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Game 5: River View (12-9) vs. Zillah (10-11) at Wapato HS, loser out, 2 p.m.
Game 6: Goldendale (14-6) vs. Mabton (9-12) at Toppenish MS, loser out, 6 p.m.
Game 7: Granger (18-3) vs. Kiona-Benton (17-4) at Wapato HS, semifinal, 6 p.m.
Game 8: Connell (16-4) vs. La Salle (18-2) at Toppenish MS, semifinal, 8 p.m.

GREATER COLUMBIA 1B BOYS
Friday, Feb. 10
At Goldendale
Game 2: Lyle-Wishram 49, Trout Lake-Glenwood 40.
Game 4: Sunnyside Christian 70, Bickleton 28.
Saturday, Feb. 11
At Goldendale
Game 6: Trout Lake-Glenwood vs. Bickleton, loser out, 3:30 p.m.
Game 8: Lyle-Wishram vs. Sunnyside Christian, semifinal, 6:30 p.m.

GREATER COLUMBIA 1B GIRLS
Friday, Feb. 10
At Goldendale
Game 1: Trout Lake-Glenwood 52, Lyle-Wishram 34.
Game 3: Sunnyside Christian 70, Klickitat 9.
Saturday, Feb. 11
At Goldendale
Game 5: Lyle-Wishram vs. Klickitat, loser out, 2 p.m.
Game 7: Trout Lake-Glenwood vs. Sunnyside Christian, semifinal, 5 p.m.

A preview of all the weekend’s basketball action, highlighted by the CWAC boys and girls regular season titles up for grabs.

Trimble prefers distributing over scoring but excels at both ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — David Trimble is not as conflicted as you might think. And not nearly as much as some would like him to be.

Look to score.

Look to pass.

David Trimble of Davis shoots while defended by Chiawana's Josue Torres Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic file)

Trimble’s oldest and most trusted inner voice tells him to pass — it’s ingrained in his very bones — and he will without regard to personal opportunity or circumstance. No matter his versatility in any offense and his ability to score from any range, this Davis senior is at heart a point guard.

“I’d rather be a distributor than a scorer, anytime, and I’d rather get an assist than a point — that’s just my personality,” Trimble says with an easy conviction. “I’ve always seen myself as a point guard, creating for my teammates.”

Trimble says these things, knowing what’s coming. In fact, he eventually goes there himself.

“If somebody’s having a tough game I’ll try to get them going, even if we’re only up by one,” he adds, starting to laugh. “People sometimes get mad at me for that.”

Mostly because they want to see the Pirates’ two-time all-state star look to score more and his 14.4-point scoring average this season suggests he might be overly generous.

Is coach Eli Juarez concerned about that?

“David has always been our playmaker, but he understands the value of everyone else on the floor,” says Juarez, who has coached Trimble through all four years of his prep career. “He wants to get others involved but he knows when to step up his scoring. He’s always had that.”

As Davis has built its 17-2 record, including a 12-0 campaign in league play, and ascended to No. 1 in the Class 4A state poll, the Pirates have done so with a crucial balance that Trimble helped create. In five of its last six games and nine times this season, Davis has had four players score in double figures.

That’s the template Trimble and the Pirates know produces results as they seek a trip to Tacoma for the third straight year.

“We know what we have to do because we’ve been there,” Trimble says. “It’s the little things — like understanding every possession is crucial — that gets you back to the Tacoma Dome. Everybody knows they have a job to do and that everybody contributes.”

The Pirates know they can win with their two-time CBBN player of the year averaging fewer than 15 points, as their 11-game win streak illustrates. But there’s something about the big stage that opens up Trimble’s game into a dominating force.

In last year’s state quarterfinal against Jackson, Trimble unleashed the triple-double of his life with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. He shot 61 percent in three games in Tacoma, averaging 18 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists and even blocked six shots to guide Davis to a fifth-place trophy.

Fortified by two years of playing for the Friends of Hoop AAU program in Seattle, Trimble is at ease playing under bright lights against the best competition. Those springs and summers, commuting to practices and traveling to tournaments, are also good for perspective.

“I love playing guys who have different styles and moves from all over the country,” he says. “I think I’m OK, but then I matchup with a point guard who’s 10 times better than me. I see that and know I have a lot of room to improve.”

If Trimble is not conflicted about the type of player he is, he does occasionally wonder about his shot selection. He’s a slashing driver who attacks seams with two objectives — drawing defenses to create uncovered teammates and, if he opts to shoot, finding his favorite mid-range space.

But Trimble is also very effective from 3-point range, if he would just stay out there more often.

“I’ve always had an inside-type game because driving comes naturally to me,” he explains. “I like the mid-range more than anything because of what it opens up — I got that from my dad (who played with Shag Williams at Davis and currently coaches the JV). I should probably shoot more 3-pointers but I’ve always had these tendencies — oh, look, there’s a lane — to go to the basket.”

If there are those who would like to see Trimble score more, then his 1,348 career points — fourth-most in school history — are the quietest points ever scored. Just like his trademark shooting touch in heavy traffic — quiet and soft.

But the 6-foot-2 floor leader knows the occasion and has a history of rising to it. His final postseason starts Saturday at home with a district semifinal.

“It’s surreal to think these are my last games in here,” he says, looking around at the tight walls of the Pirates’ den. “I’m excited because of what it means now. I want to make the key plays that team needs, maybe make the one play that sets the game apart. That’s what a point guard does.”

The point guard who drives like a power forward, doesn’t hesitate to post up and who makes his best plays off the ground.

“That’s the type of player and person he is,” Juarez says with a smiling appreciation. “Whenever you need David, he’s there.”

NACHES VALLEY, Wash. — Cameron Walker’s 18 points led four players in double figures as Naches Valley’s fourth-ranked boys opened the postseason Thursday with a 75-52 win over Mabton in the first round of the SCAC district tournament.

Thane Pierson contributed 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists and Jeremy Gaudette added 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Rangers (19-2).

Naches Valley will take on Kiona-Benton in Saturday’s semifinals at either Wapato High School or Toppenish Middle School.

Josh Sanchez scored a game-high 22 points for Mabton, which will play Goldendale in Saturday’s loser-out round.

ZILLAH 52, BURBANK 40: At Zillah, Wash., Ricky Cuellar tallied 15 points and Robert Slack and Derrell Pascal chipped in 12 apiece for the second-ranked Leopards (19-2).

That sets up a third meeting with rival Granger in Saturday’s semifinals at either Wapato High School or Toppenish Middle School.

GRANGER 58, ROYAL 51: At Royal City, Wash., Andrew Reddout amassed 10 points, six rebounds and six assists and topped 1,000 career points and Brandon Castro led all scorers with 24 points to get within one point of the 1,000 milestone for the eighth-ranked Spartans (17-4).

KIONA-BENTON 46, GOLDENDALE 40: At Benton City, Wash., after scoring just 22 points in the first three periods, the Bears scored 24 in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Brady Conway and Jordan Foley combined for 26 points and 22 rebounds for Goldendale (13-7), which plays Mabton in Saturday’s loser-out round.

NORTH CENTRAL 2B

WHITE SWAN 79, ENTIAT 43: At Entiat, Wash., Lawrence Fiander struck for 27 points and five assists and Jonny Zuniga collected 17 points and six assists for the fourth-ranked Cougars (10-1, 17-2), who host the same team Saturday night.

KITTITAS 54, SOAP LAKE 37: At Soap Lake, Wash., Isaac Johnson’s 17 points and Michael Dohrman’s 10 rebounds led the Coyotes to victory in their regular-season finale.

Kittitas (5-7, 8-12) will play Columbia Basin Secondary on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Wahluke for the South’s No. 4 seed to district.

GIRLS

NORTH CENTRAL 2B

WHITE SWAN 60, ENTIAT 50: At Entiat, Wash., Emily Botkins had 15 points and 17 rebounds, Amber Jones had 15 points, and Cayla Jones had 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals to lead fourth-ranked White Swan.

The Cougars (11-0, 17-2) will play Entiat again on Saturday at home to finish the regular season.

KITTITAS 60, SOAP LAKE 43: At Soap Lake, Wash., Ashley Hayes had 22 points, Caitlyn Steiner 13, and Tori O’Shaughnessy 10 to help Kittitas close its regular season with a victory.

CLASS 4A

At Moses Lake

Saturday, 10 a.m.

TOP THREE TO STATE

Local qualifiers

Davis: Juan Lopez, jr., 113; Romero Ortiz, fr., 113; Jose Belman, jr., 138; Austin Wagner, sr., 145; Jorge Alcala, jr., 152; Tony Lopez, sr., 182; Octavious Tookes, sr., 195.

Eisenhower: Cameron Manjarrez, jr., 106; Marco Gonzalez, sr., 132; Enrique Gudino, sr., 138; Roger Andrade, sr., 145; Humberto Acevedo, sr., 160.

CLASS 3A

At University HS, Spokane

Saturday, 10 a.m.

TOP THREE TO STATE

Local qualifiers

Sunnyside: Jesse Barajas, so., 106; Homer Romero, so., 106; Santos Guerrero, jr., 113; *Jesse Torres, fr., 113; Anthony Chavez, fr., 120; Nathan Gonzalez, sr., 126; Christian Ruiz, jr., 126; Isaac Guerrero, sr., 132; Isidro Ramirez, sr., 138; David Vidales, sr., 145; Omar Cantu, sr., 145; Ramon Hernandez, jr., 152; Sam Romero, jr., 160; Daniel Avalos, so., 182; Josue Pinedo, sr., 195; Austin Carman, so., 220.

West Valley: Lane Bruland, so., 113; Preston Baich, sr., 145; Mark Bradley, so., 160; Robert Koch, jr., 220; Lukas Smith, jr., 220; Colton Gurney, jr., 285; Justin Wilkins, sr., 285.

* — qualified for pigtail.

CLASS 2A

At West Valley HS, Spokane

Today, 4 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m.

TOP FOUR TO STATE

Local qualifiers

Ellensburg: Wyatt Scribner, so., 113; Dillon Dompier, jr., 126; Allyn Burvee, fr., 132; Blake Haberman, sr., 138; Kamal Qteishat, sr., 145; Austin Lyman, jr., 152; Brian Timme, so., 160; Tyler Coates, sr., 170; Perry Simpson, sr., 182; *Robert Jones, so., 182; Corbin Richardson, jr., 195; Jason Glenn, so., 195; Parker Berman, so., 220; Travis Endreson, jr., 285.

Selah: Kyle Anson, jr., 106; Jason Telles, sr., 120; Edwin Rodriguez, sr., 126; Jon Cruz, sr., 132; Kody Ergeson, jr., 138; Andrew Au, jr., 152; Ethan Smith, jr., 152; *Felipe Duarte, jr., 170; Zach Goodpaster, jr., 182; Joey Rocha, sr., 195; Jay Skeen, jr., 220; Pedro Recondo, jr., 285.

Toppenish: *Daniel Jaurez, fr., 106; Sergio Morales, so., 113; Carlos Hernandez, jr., 113; Steven Martinez, so., 120; Carlos Galvez, jr., 120; David Godinez, so., 126; Aaron Arredondo, sr., 132; Ernesto Martinez, sr., 145; Raul Pech, jr., 220.

Grandview: Fidel Medina, so., 106; Juan Tzib, so., 113; Stevie Rodriguez, so., 120; David Castaneda, so., 126; *Alex Soberanes, so., 132; Joesiah Saunders, so., 138; Eduardo Alcantar, jr., 145; Jorge Valenzuela, jr., 170; Martin Torres, sr., 285.

East Valley: *Austin Mitchell, jr., 113; Logan Merkle, so., 132; Zech Romero, so., 145; *Benji Montano, sr., 145; Anton Yates, jr., 160; Daniel Flores, jr., 170.

Prosser: Wyatt Oswalt, so., 182; *Gustavo Chavez, fr., 195; P.J. Chong, sr., 220; Tyler Renollet, jr., 285.

Wapato: *Daniel Espinoza, so., 120; Ricardo Rodriguez, jr., 170; Jacob Contreras, so., 195.

* — qualified for pigtail.

CLASS 1A

At Zillah

Saturday, 11 a.m.

TOP FOUR TO STATE

Local qualifiers

Zillah: Kasey Johnson, so., 113; Juan Diaz, sr., 120; Fidencio Nicholas, sr., 120; Jessy Gonzales, jr., 126; Angel Rodriguez, sr., 126; Cortez Hernandez, jr., 132; Kody Johnson, so., 132; Sergio Sanchez, sr., 138; Diego Hernandez, fr., 138; Shane McMurray, jr., 145; Jim Myers, jr., 160; Lasaro Ochoa, fr., 182; Luis Ochoa, jr., 182; Jesus Acosta, sr., 195; Alex Diaz, fr., 220; Josh Aho, sr., 285; Jeremiah Atkins, jr., 285.

Granger: Victor Almaguer, fr., 106; Jose Cienfuegos, so., 106; Joshua Salcedo, jr., 113; Ricky Almaguer, so., 113; Adrian Guerrero, jr., 126; Efrain Zaragoza, jr., 138; Abel Morales, jr., 145; Omar Isiordia, sr., 152; Abidan Duarte, jr., 195; Eli Galeno, so., 195; Francisco Munguia, sr., 220.

Naches Valley: Francisco Rodriguez, sr., 120; Zack Moser, sr., 138; Michael Ramsey, sr., 145; Jake Frazier, sr., 152; Tanner Warehime, so., 170; Eli Curtsinger, sr., 220; Gavin Brumley, fr., 285.

Highland: Ronay Tereza, so., 106; David Petersen, fr., 106; Oscar Morales, sr., 113; Andres Tereza, jr., 120; Angel Aguilar, jr., 145; Josue Silva, jr., 170.

Goldendale: Dean Enstad, so., 132; Nolin Bare, sr., 160; Wade Gaston, jr., 160; Braydon Ross, sr., 170; Zack Shattuck, sr., 182; Kurt Wilkins, sr., 195.

Mabton: Vicente Mireles, jr., 126; Fabian Ruiz, sr., 152; Emilio Mireles, sr., 152; Brandan Marquez, so., 160; Eric Huesca, sr., 220.

Cle Elum: Dillon Powell, jr., 132; Connor Briggs, sr., 170; Stuart Stewart, jr., 182; Brian Orndorff, sr., 285.

CLASS 2B

At Kittitas

Today, 4 p.m. Saturday, noon

TOP FIVE TO STATE

Local qualifiers

Kittitas: Paco Marin, fr., 106; Logan Weber, so., 113; Noel Espinoza, jr., 126; Seth Holden, jr., 132; J.D. Gallegos, so., 132; Jon Walling, jr., 138; Tanner Wallace, sr., 152; Nate Sorensen, sr., 220; Nate Brownlee, jr., 220.

White Swan: Arthur Martin, jr., 113; Rodrigo Alvarado, jr., 126; Hugo Barajas, jr., 138; Alvaro Gonzalez, jr., 145; Niko Nanez, jr., 182; Brian Walker, fr., 182; Derrick Nanez, sr., 220.

GIRLS

At Wahluke

Saturday, 11 a.m.

TOP THREE TO STATE

Local qualifiers

Sunnyside: Alondra Quezadas, sr., 106; Lidia Gonzales, sr., 112; Yunuenn Garcia, sr., 118; Dezma Hernandez, sr., 124; Abby Elizonda, jr., 130; Marissa Ornelias, so., 137; Jennifer Garcia, jr., 145; Jessica Cardenas, fr., 170; Sonia Romero, jr., 195.

Mabton: Marien Chavez, sr., 106; Mary Ellen Gutierrez, jr., 112; Jazmin Mendoza, jr., 118; Jesenia Meza, so., 124.

Davis: Jayd Perea, fr., 118; Crystal Cisneros, fr., 137.

Granger: Alejandra Rodriguez, fr., 145; Maria Rivera, so., 155.

Grandview: Marizza Birrueta, fr., 100.

Eisenhower: Isabell Nunez, fr., 100.

Naches Valley: Kourtney Browning, so., 130.

Highland: Victoria Garcia, jr., 124.

Wapato: Izabel Zamora, jr., 145.

YAKIMA, Wash. — At least it can’t be a four-way tie for first. That’s some relief for the logjam at the top of the CWAC boys basketball standings, but it could still be a three-way tie for the title.

Heading into Friday’s final games, Toppenish and Grandview share the lead at 14-3 with Ellensburg a game back.

Here’s your triple-knot scenario: Toppenish loses at Prosser and Grandview loses at Ellensburg, thus three teams at 14-4. If that happens the first-round byes for district would go to Ellens-burg (No. 1) and Toppenish (No. 2) with Grandview taking the No. 3 spot based on quality wins.

If Toppenish beats Prosser and Ellensburg defeats Grandview, the Wildcats would win the title outright with Ellensburg still owning the tiebreaker criteria over Grandview for the No. 2 seed.

If both Toppenish and Grandview win, they share the title and the first-round byes. Ellensburg can’t fall any lower than a No. 3 seed because even if Wapato (12-5) moves into a tie for third the Bulldogs own the head-to-head sweep.

On the girls side, Wapato is playing at East Valley in a game that will decide the league title. Both have long since locked up the top two seeds.

Only one district berth remains up for grabs. Grandview and Ellensburg are tied for the sixth and final girls spot and they play in Ellensburg on Friday.

District starts next Monday for boys and Tuesday for girls.

Pirates get rested up

After squeezing five games into the final nine days of the regular season, Davis’ top-ranked boys basketball team has the opportunity for some serious practice time.

The Pirates (17-2) can reach the state quarterfinals in Tacoma by playing just once in each of the next three weeks — two of those games being at home. Here’s the route:

Win Saturday’s CBBN 4A district semifinal and advance.

Win the district title on Feb. 17 and advance to state.

Win a regional game on Feb. 24 at Spokane Falls Community College and that punches Davis’ ticket to Tacoma.

“We sure like having the practice time,” said coach Eli Juarez. “We can fine-tune some things and get guys healthy. Last week was kind of hectic but now we can reset things.”

The Pirates are bracketed with tonight’s Walla Walla-Moses Lake winner but Saturday’s opponent could end up being Wenatchee if the sixth-seeded Panthers upset No. 3 Chiawana tonight.

Back-to-back breakouts

So what are the chances of two girls in the same league living 10 miles apart — both juniors, no less — putting up the same blockbuster career games of 35 points and 18 rebounds?

Grandview’s Payton Parrish did exactly that, following Prosser’s Sydney Mercer less than a week later.

Parrish connected on 11 of 17 field goals and 13 of 14 free throws and grabbed 13 of her 18 rebounds on the defensive end in a 61-59 loss to Toppenish on Feb. 3.

Getting to the foul line was a common thread for Parrish and Mercer, who were a combined 24 of 27 in their big games.

They went head-to-head on Tuesday and it was nearly a draw with Parrish going for 23 and Mercer 22. Mercer’s Mustangs got the win, however, 58-50.

Parrish’s 35 points tied a school record held by Megan Buchmann (1997) and Kinzi Poteet (2009). Mercer’s tally was for a program that has produced two of the Valley’s biggest single games — Katie Hoefer’s 44 in 1992 and Kelly Blair’s 43 in 1989.

Top-Hi girls rising also

While Toppenish’s boys are close to the program’s first conference title in 25 years, the Wildcat girls have quite a turnaround going as well.

Top-Hi’s last winning season was 14 years ago — 11-10 in 1998 — but the current crew is tied for fourth in the CWAC at 10-7 and 12-7 overall heading into tonight’s conference finale at Prosser.

And, like last week’s mention here of Davis and Sunnyside and their youth, coach Akil White’s team is young. Sophomores Tara Bremer and Kaleea Zick, who combined for 39 points in a recent win over Grandview, are starters and freshmen Payton Greene and Brenda Garcia are in the rotation.

The only team to knock off East Valley this season, Toppenish is aiming for its first home district game in more than 20 years. That will be decided tonight in the Toppenish-Prosser game, a pairing that will be repeated in the first round of district on Tuesday.

Yakima vs. Mead

The juggernaut that is Mead wrestling will pose quite an intimidating presence at the 4A Region IV tournament in Moses Lake on Saturday, and Yakima’s two state-ranked wrestlers — Davis’ Austin Wagner and Eisenhower’s Humberto Acevedo — are right in the Panthers’ path.

Wagner (29-2) is bracketed opposite Mead’s Jeremy Golding, a two-time state champ, at 145 pounds while Acevedo (28-3) could meet the Panthers’ former state champ Chandler Rogers in the 160 final.

Mead rolled up 500.5 points in winning the GSL district title last week with nine champions and 23 regional qualifiers.

• Scott Spruill’s prep blog is at sportsyakima.com He can be reached at 577-7686 or sspruill@yakimaherald.com