Prosser heads to final after handing West Valley of Spokane its first loss ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — It started on the game’s very first play, when Prosser’s Tayshia Hunt made an on-the-way-up block of a shot by West Valley’s Shanique Nilles.

It ended with — gulp — reserves for both teams running out the clock.

What happened in between was the Mustangs doing something to the Spokane-based Eagles that no team had done all season — beat them.

Prosser's Tamara Jones, left, and Tayshia Hunt, right, react to their semifinal game win over West Valley (Spokane) at the 2A state basketball tournament Friday, March 12, 2010 at the SunDome in Yakima, Wash. (Sara Gettys/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Prosser’s 55-41 victory in the Class 2A state semifinals Friday night, as impressive as it was decisive, planted coach Mark Little’s team opposite top-ranked River Ridge (24-1) in tonight’s 9 o’clock championship game in the SunDome.

It will be the Mustangs’ first such appearance since 1997. They will seek the school’s first girls basketball title since 1989, when Kelly Blair powered Prosser to the Class 1A crown.

“Fantastic, just a remarkable performance by these kids,” Little enthused afterward. “They’ve worked really, really hard all season. And tonight they played so well — they really have earned this.”

Tamara Jones, a tower of strength all game, produced game-high totals of 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the winners. She also generated an ear-to-ear grin afterward.

“This is so great after getting to the semifinals for three years (and falling short the previous two),” the 5-foot-11 junior said. “We really wanted this.”

Hunt added 11 points and joined other Mustangs in seemingly taking turns making big plays.

“Tayshia was great,” Jones said, “Helen (Petersen) was playing awesome … we were playing great defense, making good passes and we weren’t turning the ball over.”

Nilles, a multitalented 6-0 junior, led the Eagles (24-1) with 23 points and six boards. She displayed no ill effects from taking a hard fall on her right knee the night before against Ellensburg, but struggled wire to wire against timely double teams from Prosser’s aggressive but controlled man-to-man defense.

No other West Valley player scored more than Mallorie Schoesler’s seven points, and Schoesler, Torrie Finn and 6-0 Hannah Love all fouled out trying to contain the offensively assertive Mustangs.

Despite a substantial height disadvantage, Prosser outrebounded the Eagles 43-33.

The seventh-ranked Mustangs (22-3) began with a 9-3 run that saw Rachel Anderson score on a putback, Hunt hit two free throws and then a 3-pointer and Jones add two more from the foul line.

They led 11-6 at the break, 24-17 at halftime and 37-31 after three quarters with Jones scoring 12 of her team’s 14 points during a portion of the second half.

In the final period, Prosser steadily added to its lead, then got a 3-ball from Anderson, who followed with a transition bucket off a feed from Petersen for a 46-35 advantage with 5:16 left.

West Valley was still within 48-41 after Nilles’ driving banker with 2:36 to play, but the Mustangs finished with a 7-0 burst punctuated by Hunt’s steal and ensuing layup.

“I’d say this would have to at least be one of our best games of the year, if not the best,” Little said. “But we’d like to play an even better one tomorrow night.”

Greyhounds have earned trophy in every state appearance since 1988 ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — After a while, Grandview’s boys just had to take it on faith. There was a bigger picture to consider, so deal with the relentless grunt work even if it hurts like blazes.

“Coach always said it’s not punishment,” senior Derek Newhouse said of Roy Garcia’s high-stress practices meant to hone late-game situations under pressure. “Believe me, he’d always say, it will make you better. He killed us, but he was right.”

Never more than when the Greyhounds needed it most.

Grandview High School's Christian Schrank, left, and Derek Newhouse, right, battle with Wapato High School's Jacoby Howe for a rebound in their March 12, 2010 game in the state class 2A basketball tournament. Grandview edged Wapato 64-63 in a game in which Newhouse scored 13 points and Howe had 11. (Gordon King/Yakima Herald-Republic)

After swapping leads with Wapato nine times in the second half, Grandview made a decisive break on both ends of the floor over the final six minutes and held on for a 64-63 loser-out victory Friday morning to clinch the program’s 13th consecutive state appearance in which it earned a trophy.

Daniel Nielsen’s 3-pointer with 5:24 left triggered an 8-1 run, and the junior guard coolly sank four free throws in the final 12 seconds to send the Greyhounds into today’s 8:30 a.m. trophy game against Mount Baker for fifth and eighth place.

In winning its fourth loser-out contest in the last five games, Grandview went to its bread-and-butter to make the crucial break. After Nielsen’s triple from the corner for the lead, junior point guard Tony Vela scored on the next two possessions on slashing drives to the basket.

That gave Garcia’s crew a 58-52 lead — the biggest of the hard-fought game by either team – with four minutes to go. The Greyhounds then went to work on defense, holding Wapato to a single missed shot on its next five possessions.

After that it became a matter of free throws, and while Grandview did miss four straight in the final minute to leave the door open a crack Nielsen kept it a two-possession game with his foul shots at the :12 and :05 marks.

After an agonizing 0-for-9 stretch from the field, Wapato made three field goals in the last 14 seconds, including two 3-pointers.

“I just blocked out the noise and tried to think of shooting free throws in practice,” said Nielsen, who led four players in double figures with 18 points. “Every time we play Wapato it’s like this, a tough, tough game.”

In a rivalry game with so much on the line, Grandview’s shooting touch was unhindered at a brisk 52.2-percent clip. Garcia’s three other players in doubles — Vela, Newhouse and Christian Schrank — were a combined 15-for-24.

“We do put the boys under a lot of strain in practice, working on executing things in game situations,” said Garcia, smiling in response to Newhouse’s comment. “It really paid off today. We had a nice inside-outside balance and that shooting (24-for-46) is a real credit to the kids and their poise.”

Wapato’s accuracy was just as good until the late dry spell. The Wolves shot 52 percent in the first half and led after three quarters, 48-46, on Rigo Alvarado’s back-to-back 3-pointers.

“Offensively we didn’t hit enough timely shots and they did,” said Wapato coach Adam Strom, whose team finished 18-7. “That quick stretch with five minutes left was key. Neilsen’s 3-pointer and Vela’s dribble penetration. That’s typical Grandview and two things we needed to stop.”

Alvarado scored a game-high 20 points in his career finale, adding five rebounds and three steals. Greg Strom, Jacoby Howe and Matt Guevara also hit double figures, and Guevara — another of Wapato’s five seniors — hauled down eight rebounds.

“Emotionally this was very tough, and I thanked them for their tremendous dedication,” Strom said. “We’d definitely like to play on Saturday, but it’s heartwarming thinking of all that they accomplished.”

Grandview (18-9) will carry on a trophy streak that started in 1988.

“I’ve dreamed about this as a kid,” said Newhouse, who added four blocks to his 12 points. “It’s a Grandview tradition — 13 years — and it’s a motivation to keep that going. It’s never about one player — that’s another tradition that keeps the streak going.”

Ellensburg rebounds from defeat to earn shot at fourth place ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — There were no shortage of motivations infusing energy into Ellensburg’s girls basketball team Friday afternoon.

Surviving a loser-out, winner-to-trophy game.

Getting revenge for a state loss to Elma a year ago.

Making amends for a sub-par performance the night before.

From left, Ellensburg's Bailey Carlson, Andrea Bland and Shannon Bland celebrate their win over Elma during the 2A state basketball tournament Friday, March 12, 2010 at the SunDome in Yakima, Wash. (Andy Sawyer/Yakima Herald-Republic)

Faced with this list of inspirations, the Bulldogs answered the call with an offensive breakout, staying alive in the Class 2A state tournament with a 74-64 victory over the Eagles and charging into today’s trophy game for fourth and seventh place.

It was an impressively collective response for Ellensburg, which was still fuming about its 28-point performance in Thursday’s quarterfinal loss to West Valley of Spokane.

But one player seemed to take the whole thing personally.

All Andrea Bland did was produce a career game on the SunDome stage, nearly tripling her season average with a 29-point binge that accompanied 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The 5-foot-8 guard blended a perimeter threat — three 3-pointers — with consistently beating defenders off the dribble for layins or fouls. Bland made 8 of 10 free throws.

“I had no idea, 29, really?,” she said. “I just wanted to win so bad. I had to do my part, whatever it took to help get us this win. We had a lot of reasons to win this and that gave us the drive to do it.”

A day after shooting 17 percent with just eight field goals, the Bulldogs surpassed Thursday’s 28 points midway through the second quarter.

“I guess we saved it up for today because we sure didn’t use it yesterday,” said Ellensburg coach Craig Faire. “We could have been down because that loss (to West Valley) was very frustrating. But this team plays to the level of its competition and they definitely picked it up today.”

Especially on the boards against an Elma team with 6-0, 6-1 height across the front. The Bulldogs battled for a 48-37 rebounding advantage, 22 of those on the offensive glass.

Alongside Bland’s double-double, Deaira Gordon contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds and also went 8-for-10 at the foul line. Kim Kelly kicked in 13 points with three 3-pointers.

It took that amount of heavy lifting to offset Elma’s formidable Brandi Thomas and Katie Colard, who scored 56 of the Eagles’ 64 points. Last year they had 17 each in Elma’s 52-46 win over Ellensburg for fourth and seventh place.

“We knew from experience who to go after,” Faire said. “We tried to double Colard when we could or else she’ll sit out there, rock back and fire. Kim stayed in front of her and did a nice job.”

Even with most of the offense limited to those two, Elma made a second-half charge, erasing a 13-point deficit and drawing even at 55-55 with 5:02 left.

With no intention of wilting, Gordon immediately responded with a 3-pointer and added a putback basket the next time down to push the margin back to 60-55. Gordon’s putback and another by Bland 52 seconds later came after two offensive rebounds.

“At halftime we told the girls they’ll make a comeback, so we have to keep hustling after the boards,” Faire said. “Those offensive rebounds — that’s huge against their height.”

Kelly drained her third trey with 1:57 to go, and Ellensburg made 9 of 10 free throws down the stretch.

The strong finish earned Ellensburg (20-7) and 1:30 p.m. game today against Pullman (18-7) for fourth and seventh place. The Greyhounds ousted Eatonville 71-46 in their loser-out game.

“I’m proud of the way we all did our part,” Bland said. “When Elma came back and tied it, we came together. We just couldn’t lose that game.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — For its first one and a half games, the girls on East Valley’s basketball team looked like what they needed more than anything else was some shooting practice — just to sit out at the 3-point line and fire away for, say, an hour and a half or so.

On Friday morning, that’s just what they did.  In a game. And it was a thing of beauty.

With Clarkston camped in a zone defense, the Red Devils came out firing away from beyond the arc and couldn’t seem to miss, burying a tournament-record-tying 12 3-pointers out of 20 attempts — a sizzling 60 percent — en route to a 66-52 triumph that clinched a berth in today’s 10 a.m. fifth-place game against Archbishop Murphy.

Clarkston High School's Ashley Meyers is defended by East Valley High School's Karlee Ward in the first quarter of their March 12, 2010 game in the state class 2A basketball tournament. East Valley won 66-52. (Gordon King/Yakima Herald-Republic)

“We were just making our shots today,” said Yasamin Mohsenian, who found nothing but net on every shot she attempted on Friday — four 3-pointers, a 10-footer off a shifty baseline move and both of her free throws. “I don’t know why, we were just on a roll today. For me, it felt like it just came natural. Kaylah (Gonzales) always makes her 3-pointers, but today, everybody did.”

Perhaps it’s because their alarm went off.

With the players in the locker room a half-hour prior to their 9 a.m. tipoff, coach Robi Raab’s cell-phone alarm went off, a ploy he had timed to take the nervous edge off his players. “OK, the lids are coming off the basket now,” he announced, inducing grins from the Red Devils.

“I felt like they needed to relax and just play,” Raab said after the game. “The first couple of days they came out very tight and anxious. But then today Yasi (Mohsenian) got a couple of big ones early, Kaylah played well, and it was infectious.”

The Red Devils (20-5) had shot a cumulative 11-for-75 (14.7 percent) over their first six quarters at the 2A tournament, but Raab — who can appear to be quite the firebrand at courtside — was nothing but supportive with his team.

“He wasn’t an ogre the last couple of days at all with us,” Mohsenian said. “He just told us to keep our heads up and we’d be OK.”

That unwavering faith in his players and his alarm strategum paid off. Gonzales and Mohsenian each hit a pair of 3-pointers in the opening quarter, but the Bantams matched them point for point. With East Valley’s lead still a tenuous 52-45 entering the fourth quarter, Mary Orthmann swished back-to-back treys that triggered an 11-0 run, removing any remaining suspense.

“We just wanted to have fun today — we were definitely going to make sure this wasn’t our last game,” said Orthmann, who made all three of her 3-point attempts and scored 10 points, joining Mohsenian (a career-high 16 points), Gonzales (14) and Annie Martinez (13) in double figures.

That balanced attack more than offset the 26-point performance by Clarkston’s Kellie McCann-Smith, a University of Nebraska recruit, whose four 3-pointers included a couple of 25-foot bombs.

“One after another she was burying,” Raab said. “She was very impressive.”

But on a day when they scored more points than they had in both of their first two games — scored, in fact, more than any girls team did over the tourney’s first two days — the Red Devils were the most impressive of all.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Entering this Class 2A state boys tournament, the conventional wisdom was that a rematch of last season’s title clash was almost inevitable.

Friday afternoon in the SunDome, Burlington-Edison easily punched their third straight trip to the championship game, cruising past Lynden 72-51, and leaving it up to Squalicum to seal the deal.

And not even a spectacular effort by Ephrata’s Patrick Simon could prevent that repeat performance tonight.

The Tigers’ 6-foot-9 forward electrified an already boisterous SunDome crowd with a tournament-record, 48-point performance, punctuated by a 33-point second half.

Simon got almost no help, however, and Ephrata couldn’t overcome a nine-minute drought in which Squalicum outscored them 27-0, as the Storm rolled to a 77-62 victory.

“To do that to the number-two ranked team in the state is quite an accomplishment,” Squalicum coach Dave Dickson said of the run that turned an early 6-2 Ephrata lead at the 6:42 mark into a 29-6 Storm advantage with 6 minutes left in the second quarter.

But that defensive wasn’t invincible, as Simon hit 13 of 27 shots from the field (7 of 16 3-pointers) and all 15 free-throw attempts to shatter the record of 38 points set by Wapato’s Willie Blodgett against Clarkston in last season’s tournament.

“Patrick was amazing,” Ephrata coach Brandon Evenson said.

But Squalicum countered that one-man show with a three-pronged attack, led by guard Derek Dickerson, who poured in 28 points, featuring eight 3-pointers. Patrick Voeut and Michael Greene added 14 points each, with Greene grabbing 14 rebounds — including seven of the Storm’s 17 offensive rebounds that produced 26 second-chance points.

Now the only thing preventing the Storm from becoming the first back-to-back 2A state champion since Blaine in 1999 and 2000 is another clash with Burlington-Edison, which got 21 points from Evan Coulter and 19 from Colin Stewart in Friday’s victory.

Burlington-Edison has come up empty in its last two title-game appearances, and in two prior outings against the Storm this season, but those results aren’t important to coach Rick Skeen.

“Regardless of what happens (tonight),” he said, “you can’t take anything away from what these kids have accomplished the last three years and the last three days.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — As expected, River Ridge will take the floor for tonight’s 9 o’clock Class 2A state girls championship game in the SunDome. The Lacey-based Hawks were one of the favorites coming in, and have thus far lived up to their billing.

Joining them, however, will be Prosser’s under-the-radar Mustangs.

That is, Prosser was perhaps taken a bit less seriously than, say River Ridge, before it dealt West Valley of Spokane its first loss of the season, 55-41, in a Friday night semifinal.

“It was supposed to be River Ridge and West Valley,” Prosser standout Tamara Jones said. “We couldn’t let that happen.”

The seventh-ranked Mustangs are 22-3 and riding both momentum and waves of local support.

Top-ranked River Ridge, 25-1, punched its title-game ticket by fending off fifth-ranked Burlington-Edison, 47-43, in Friday’s early semi.

For the Hawks, the title-game experience will be new to some, including second-year coach Tom Kelly, but not all.

Two years ago the Hawks edged Kayla Standish-led Ellensburg 43-42 for the title, and the year prior they beat Tumwater 40-25 for their first crown.

Last season River Ridge made it to state, but didn’t place.

And Kelly, who presided over victories that he estimated were attained at a 30-point-plus average, was grateful for the increased competition here.

“Absolutely,” he said, dispensing kudos to Burlington-Edison, which rallied from a 17-point deficit to tie it at 43. “That was a gutsy performance by those kids. But the thing I was happy with was that our kids didn’t get rattled when they came at us. And they came at us.”

YAKIMA, Wash. — There by the grace of a fortuitous late run go us.

That was the respectful undercurrent accompanying Grandview’s jubilation at beating Wapato in Friday’s loser-out round in the Class 2A state tournament.

Dating back for decades and including a split of two hotly contested CWAC meetings this season, the Wapato-Grandview rivalry always produces an especially sweet feeling for the winner.

But the Greyhounds didn’t enjoy keeping Wapato out of today’s trophy round. It was like seeing a well-liked neighbor get evicted.

“I feel for them because they’re good guys,” said Grandview senior Derek Newhouse. “They wanted it just as a much as we did; we just had a little more at the end. It’s a great, great rivalry.”

One reason for the high level of respect between the two teams is how similar they are. They appreciate and understand what each other is going through.

“It’s a great match-up — we’re both quick, both like a fast tempo and both can shoot,” said Greyhounds’ junior Daniel Nielsen. “It always feels good to beat Wapato, but it’s bad they don’t get a trophy. They deserve one.”

Friday’s 9 a.m. loser-out game was exceptionally well-played, especially considering the edgy circumstances and early start. Combining for nearly 50-percent shooting, both teams had 24 field goals, both made eight free throws and Grandview had one more 3-pointer.

“It was a typical Wapato-Grandview game, very well-played and intense,” noted Wapato coach Adam Strom. “Our kids respect their hard effort because that’s what they give, too. We hope they win tomorrow.”

“With Coach Strom you always get a class act and a real battle,” added Grandview coach Roy Garcia. “It’s a real chess match playing Wapato. Both teams play so hard. We all wish they could be playing tomorrow also.”

TROPHY STREAKS: Grandview’s boys and East Valley’s girls both resumed impressive trophy streaks Friday with victories in the loser-out round.

Grandview’s 64-63 win over Wapato extended the program’s hardware streak to 13 consecutive appearances dating back to its first trip in 1988.

At the same time on Friday, East Valley’s 66-52 elimination win over Clarkston pushed its run of trophies to 17 straight appearances going back to 1992. In 19 total appearances, the Red Devils have missed a trophy only once.

• With East Valley and Ellensburg both winning loser-out games Friday on the girls court, the CWAC clinched its fourth straight year with all three girls entries earning trophies. Prosser and Ellensburg have trophied each of those years.

DISTRICT SHOWDOWN: This week’s 2A tournament is providing yet another strong performance by teams from the District 1 and the vaunted Northwest Conference, another underwhelming showing for the Southwest (District 4) and another none-too-shabby effort by the CWAC.

Here are the district-by-district win-loss records and trophy totals heading into Friday night’s semifinals, ranked by total win-loss percentage:

Districts 5/6 (CWAC): 6-2 girls, 5-3 boys, 11-5 total, five trophies in six entries.

District 1 (Northwest, Cascade): 5-5 girls, 7-2 boys, 14-7 total, six trophies in eight entries.

District 7 (Great Northern): 5-3 girls, 3-6 boys, 8-9 total, two trophies in six entries.

Districts 2/3 (Nisqually, Olympic): 1-4 girls, 2-3 boys, 3-7 total, one trophy in four entries.

District 4 (Evergreen, Greater St. Helens): 3-6 girls, 2-7 boys, 5-13 total, two trophies in eight entries.

WAKE-UP CALL: Early-morning loser-out games may be played to echoes in cavernous emptiness at some state tournaments, but the energy was buzzing for the 9 a.m. games at the SunDome. A lot of that was because all four teams playing — Wapato and Grandview on the boys’ end, East Valley and Clarkston on the girls’ side — were supported by its pep band, and the place was rocking out.

Then you had the fact that the first two boys’ games were both close throughout, and the Wapato-Grandview game was an absolute classic right up to the final buzzer of the Greyhounds’ 64-63 victory, giving fans the kind of back-and-forth intensity typically reserved for championship games.

SHORT JUMPERS: East Valley’s Yasi Mohsenian had one of those rare days for a basketball player on Friday. Every time she took a shot — five times from the field (including four times from 3-point territory) and two times from the foul line, her shots found nothing but net. She also had six rebounds and four assists while committing just one turnover. … Biggest shot nobody will remember? Maybe the 3-pointer hit by Deer Park’s Uconn Peone, with his team down by five points with 40 seconds remaining in the game and one second left on the shot clock. A teammate, unaware the shot clock was ticking down, passed the ball to Peone, who had a man in his face, ducked down under the defender’s arm, somehow managed to put up an off-balance shot and drain the trey, pulling the Stags within two points. Why will no one remember? Deer Park still lost the game. … What has happened with Andrea Bland? At midseason, the Ellensburg senior had a run of five games in which she scored 4, 4, 1, 8 and 5 points. In postseason play, she has scored 15, 11, 14 and 15 in district play and 13, 8 (in a low-scoring defensive game) and finally 29 in the Bulldogs’ trophy-clinching victory Friday over Elma. … Away from the court, the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association will be naming Joe Harris of Chelan as its “Mister Basketball” for the state, for all classifications.

— Scott Sandsberry and Scott Spruill/Yakima Herald-Republic

YAKIMA, Wash. — This may well be Class 2A’s week to be in the headlines, but there’s some big news brewing over in Class 1A and the South Central Athletic Conference. Mitchell Zapien — the SCAC West’s player of the year after scoring 18.0 points per game during Granger’s regular season and then a first-team all-tournament selection at last week’s Class 1A tourney at the SunDome — is no longer at Granger.

He’s at Zillah.

Officials from both schools confirmed Friday that Zapien, a junior, has transferred to Zillah, roughly eight miles away, and has begun attending classes there. He won’t be eligible to play sports unless or until he’s living with family members within the Zillah School district, but one source told the Herald-Republic that Zapien’s father intends to move to Zillah.

Granger placed seventh in last week’s 1A tournament and was expected to lose only one starter, while Zillah was eliminated prior to district play, but Zapien’s move could quickly impact the SCAC West’s balance of power.

Zillah graduates only two seniors, and in addition to Zapien — if this transfer does indeed become permanent — the Leopards will also have the services of Robert Slack, a gifted point guard who was expected to be the starting point guard this season as a freshman until he broke his leg late in the football season.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — After getting run over at the outset, Central Washington had one spectacular run in them in Friday’s NCAA Division II West Region game.

Too bad the Wildcats needed another one.

Erasing an early 20-point deficit against rival Western Washington on the Vikings’ home floor, the Wildcats clawed back to actually take the lead late in the second half.

But Western’s Morris Anderson halted that run with five straight points, sparking a 7-0 surge that put the top-seeded Vikings back in front to stay en route to an 84-70 victory in the quarterfinal game at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

“We battled back and I couldn’t be more happy for the guys,” Central coach Greg Sparling said. “But they (Western) found a gear. Morris Anderson did some great things down the stretch.”

Central, which finishes 16-11, used a 17-2 run over a 41/2-minute span in the second half to take a 59-57 lead with 7:48 remaining. Toussaint Tyler sparked the rally with seven of his 18 points, while Jon Clift added five of his 14, including two free throws that gave Central the brief lead.

Anderson, who led all scorers with 23 points, responded with a basket and a three-point play, and Dave Vanderjagt added two free throws for a 64-59 lead. Clift hit two free throws, getting the Wildcats back within three but that was as close as they’d get as Western scored the next four points and 12 of 14 to open a 74-63 advantage with 2:10 left.

Clift scored five points in a 7-2 surge to get Central within 76-70 with 1:26 left, but the Wildcats were forced to foul from there, and Western made 8 of its final 10 free throws to secure the victory.

Western charged out quickly, opening a 28-8 lead and held a 38-23 halftime lead. The Vikings shot 60 percent in the half, compared to Central’s 23 percent (8 of 35).

“We shot horribly,” said Sparling, adding that Central missed so many shots in the paint that “it was ridiculous. We missed a lot of open shots.”

JC Cook added 11 points and eight rebounds, and Riley Sivak 10 points for Central.

Derrick Webb scored 14 points, and Andrew Ready had 13 for the Vikings (26-5), who advances to tonight’s semifinal against Cal Poly Pomona, a 71-62 winner over Dixie State.

“It’s tough to play up here,” Sparling said. “The big thing is that when you do fall behind by 20 in this gym, teams roll over. We didn’t. We came back.

“We just didn’t have enough at the end.”

In Friday’s other games, Brigham Young-Hawaii upset Seattle Pacific 76-73, and Cal State San Bernardino beat Humboldt State 75-66.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON — Toussaint Tyler 7-17 2-6 18, Jon Clift 3-7 7-7 14, JC Cook 3-14 5-6 11, Riley Sivak 2-6 6-6 10, Sprinker 3-9 0-0 6, Shelton 1-3 2-2 5, Snowden 1-8 2-2 4, Clyde 1-5 0-2 2, Gibler 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 21-70 24-31 70.

WESTERN WASHINGTON — Morris Anderson 7-13 7-9 23, Derrick Webb 4-10 5-7 14, Andrew Ready 2-5 8-8 13, Rory Blanche 4-4 2-4 10, Dave Vanderjagt 2-5 3-4 7, Zach Bruce 3-5 1-10 7, Severson 2-2 2-2 6, McAllister 1-2 2-4 4, Woodworth 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-46 30-48 84.

Halftime—WWU 38, CWU 23. 3-point goals—CWU 4-16 (Tyler 2-5, Clift 1-4, Shelton 1-2, Snowden 0-2, Cook 0-3), WWU 4-6 (Anderson 2-2, Ready 1-2, Webb 1-2). Fouled out—CWU-Sivak. WWU-None. Rebounds—CWU 39 (Cook,JC 8), WWU 42 (Webb,Derrick 13). Assists—CWU 6 (Clift,Jon 4), WWU 10 (Webb,Derrick 3, Vanderjagt,Dave 3). Total fouls—CWU 30, WWU 23. Technical fouls—CWU-None, WWU-Vanderjagt, McAllister. Att—2,312.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Last year they shocked the college wrestling world.

Yakima Valley’s first women’s wrestling team even shocked one of its co-coaches, Mike Schmitt.

And if the Yaks win another National Collegiate Wrestling Association championship at Hampton, Va., Schmitt will no doubt experience pride, reward, exhilaration and other emotions that accompany being part of a team that’s best in the entire nation.

But he won’t be shocked.

“I think we’re going to do pretty well,” Schmitt said Wednesday night while he, co-coach Tito Pimentel and their 12-wrestler contingent were headed to the airport. “I’m confident we’ll finish in the top three.

“But I wouldn’t be shocked if we won it again. Last year I was.”

The tournament runs today through Tuesday at Hampton, University.

Among the reasons for his optimism are that he, Pimentel and their wrestlers — five of whom earned All-American status by finishing in the top three in their weight classes — will be more familiar with the national stage. Another is that the Yaks compare favorably with top national competition according to a coaching staff that has seen much of it.

“Simon Fraser has a lot of money, and they travel all over the country and wrestle top teams,” Schmitt said. “Tito and I are good friends with their coaching staff, and they’ve told us we stack up against the top teams they’ve gone against.”

An NCWA coaches poll released Monday had YVCC fifth behind Simon Fraser, Pacific University, Texas-Arlington and San Jose State. The Yaks were No. 2 in the previous poll.

However, they also had the first six individuals and eight of the top 10, although one of them didn’t qualify for nationals.

Ranked No. 1 is Ashlee Phy, a 121-pounder from Deming who was voted the outstanding wrestler at last year’s national tournament after winning her weight class.

Second is Stephanie Geltmacher, (139) a freshman from Kalaheo, Hawaii. Nelly Aramburo, (176) a freshman from Spanaway, is third, and another freshman, Anna Sauceda (130) from Puyallup, is fourth.

Defending 105 national champion Tamika Jones from Columbia, S.C., is fifth, national runner-up Cady Chambers (112), a sophomore from Roy is eighth, and Monique Dilliner, a defending titlist at 159, is ranked ninth.

Unranked is Rachael Segura (130), a sophomore from Yakima, but Segura was an All-American last year after finishing third in her weight class.

Completing YVCC’s national contingent are freshman Shantel Allstot (112) from Buckley; Samantha Mount (121), a freshman from Deming; Drrue Partridge (148), a freshman from Graham; and Lizzie Salcedo (159), a freshman from Santa Maria, Calif.

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Three was indeed the magic number for Central Washington’s Keola Rubin in the first game of a baseball doubleheader against Northwest Nazarene.

In the 7-4 CWU victory, Rubin had three hits, three RBI and a triple. CWU’s Kevin Schneider chipped in with a pair of hits, including a home run, and two RBI.

In the second game, Northwest Nazarene (7-11 overall, 1-4 GNAC) jumped out to a four-run lead in the first inning and never trailed, winning 9-4.

Schneider led the way for the Wildcats (3-11, 1-1) with another two more hits, including another homer.

Joel Oliver had three RBI for NNU, while Cameron Louie drove in two additional runs.

The games were the conference openers for Central Washington.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Samantha Smith pitched and then helped hit Yakima Valley Community College to a doubleheader sweep against Big Bend on Friday at Dunbar Field.

The Yaks won the opener 5-3 and followed that with an 8-5 victory in the second contest.

Smith pitched a complete game in the opener, giving up no earned runs and striking out seven. Shalane Scott provided some of the offense, going 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI.

In the second game, Smith went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI as YVCC jumped out to an 8-1 lead through four innings.

Chelsey Ganuelas was 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI, and Shalane Scott went 2-for-2 with two runs for the Yaks.

Yakima Valley (3-1) hosts Green River on Sunday at Dunbar Field for a doubleheader starting at noon.

YAKIMA, Wash. — West Valley’s Anna Elofson tied for seventh in Friday’s 20-team Hanford Invitational at Horn Rapinds Golf Course.

Elofson shot 89 for the Rams. Eisenhower placed 12th as the top local team.

Team scores: Richland 269, Gonzaga Prep 269, Hanford 276, Mt. Spokane 277, Richland 286, Eastmont 295, Ephrata 298, Chiawana 300, Wenatchee 300, Kamiakin 303, Othello 314, Eisenhower 314, Southridge 317, West Valley-Yakima 330, Warden 339, Moses Lake 348, West Valley blue 354, Walla Walla 378, Pasco 418.

Top 10: 1, Savannah Bezdicek (MS) 78; 2, Jenna Speltz (GP) 83; 3, Mary McDonald (Richland) 85; T4, Elaine Whaley (GP), Kristin Strankman (Rich), Tia Snyder (Eastmont) 88; T7, Madison Hamm (Rich), Anna Elofson (WV) 89; T9, Amy Verderber (Kam), Kelsey Aiello (Han) 90; T11, Hayley Hammonds (Chia), Gina Ojeda (Rich), Taylor Kain-Godoy (Han), 92.

Prosser Girls Down Elma in Familiar Fashion ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Same day, same time, same court, same opponent, same consequences.

And for Prosser’s girls, parallel events were taken even further with the same victory — one point away from the same score.

Prosser's Helen Petersen goes up for a shot past Elma's Katie Colard during the first half of thier 2A state basketball tournament game on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at the SunDome in Yakima, Wash. (Sara Gettys/Yakima Herald-Republic)

A year after defeating Elma 61-56 in the Class 2A state quarterfinals, the Mustangs sent the Eagles packing again Thursday night, 62-56, to reach the semifinals for the third year in a row.

These two also met in the 2008 trophy game for third and sixth, and Prosser won that one, too, 79-51.

“We’ve played them the last two years and we’ve figured out exactly what they like to do,” said junior Tamara Jones, who scored 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. “They’ve got some great players but we played another great defensive game.”

Elma’s college-bound standouts were definitely a handful as 6-foot Brandi Thomas, a WSU recruit, put together 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Western Washington signee Katie Colard had 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

But with the streaky Colard connecting on just 3 of 19 shots — a defensive job credited mostly to senior Kelli Wilson — the Eagles shot 34 percent from the field while Prosser shot 45.5, including an even 13-for-26 in the second half.

“We remembered them real well from last year and that gave us a lot of confidence,” said sophomore Helen Petersen, who made 3 of 4 free throws in the last 37 seconds and finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. “We stuck with our tough man-to-man and doubled when we could on the big girls. Everybody did their job.”

Including a feisty freshman, Sydney Mercer, who came off the bench to score four field goals in the middle two quarters and grab four rebounds in 14 big minutes of support. He two baskets in the third quarter came in the final minute after Elma had trimmed an eight-point deficit to 42-41.

“That’s Syd the kid,” smiled coach Mark Little, whose team extended its win streak to 13. “She was ready when it was her turn.”

“She’s a kick, a real spark plug,” Petersen added. “Sydney came up huge for us.”

The Eagles were within 54-51 and had the ball with three minutes left but over their next five possessions came away with two turnovers and two missed shots without an offensive rebound.

“Elma can do some damage and you can’t stop them, just make it as tough as you can,” Little said. “The kids did a fantasic job and everybody chipped in. They worked very hard for this.”

Even with Elma’s 6-0, 6-1 front line, the Mustangs owned a 41-30 advantage on the boards. In addition to her defense on Colard, who didn’t hit her first field goal until late in the third period, Wilson collected five assists.

Prosser (21-3) will now turn its attention to another familiar state opponent — West Valley of Spokane — in tonight’s 9 p.m. semifinal. The unbeaten Eagles (24-0), who outlasted Ellensburg in Thursday’s late quarterfinal, defeated the Mustangs 63-49 in last year’s trophy game for third and sixth.