Friday, Jan. 18, 2008

Boys notebook: Prosser making noise on hardwood

By Mark McKenna, Herald staff writer

Prosser is not just about football.

The Mustangs play a nice brand of basketball, too.

Coach Joe Prior's team finds itself sitting atop the conference standings as the midpoint of the CWAC boys basketball season hits this weekend. The Mustangs are 8-2 overall, 8-0 in conference play and appeared in the seventh spot when the first AP state rankings came out this week.

"We still have a long way to go, but to be undefeated and leading the league is a great way to start," said Prior, whose team plays home games this weekend against Selah (3-5 CWAC) and Quincy (2-6). "But you never know what's going to happen. From top to bottom, this is the strongest our league has been in a long time."

The high point of the season to date came Jan. 4, when the Mustangs surprised conference favorite Ephrata 75-60 in Prosser. Since then, they've won three straight, including victories over Grandview and Ellensburg.

"The Ephrata game was definitely a big confidence booster for our kids," Prior said. "They came in undefeated and we took it to them in the second half. It showed us that we can play with anybody in the league."

The Mustangs are led by seniors Cody Bruns and Kellen Crawford. Bruns, who will play football at the University of Washington next year, is averaging a team-leading 16.4 points, while Crawford is averaging 15.7 points and 12 rebounds.

"We all know Cody is a great athlete, but this year he has improved his shooting and is really taking care of the basketball," Prior said. "And Kellen gives us a double-double every night. He's shooting about 70 percent from the field and is doing a great job of cleaning the glass."

Prior said the Mustangs have two primary goals every time they take the court. The first is to outrebound their opponent, which they have accomplished in every game this season. The second is to hold their opponent below 45-percent field goal shooting, something they did not do in their two losses -- 56-52 at Connell and 63-47 at Southridge.

Prior expects even more difficult games down the stretch.

"We've got some big wins, but it looks like our schedule gets a lot tougher in the second half," he said. "We've still got to play at Ephrata (ranked eighth), at East Valley (ranked ninth) and at Grandview."

The ultimate goal, however, is to reach the state tournament. Prosser has not made it to state since 1997, when it dropped its first two games at the 3A tournament at the Tacoma Dome.

But for now, the Mustangs are not worrying about state. They're just enjoying the ride.

"Everybody is getting into the basketball team," Prior said. "The gym has been packed the last few games and the students are painting their faces in red and white ... it's been a lot of fun."

The CBL 4A race grows more muddled every week. Entering tonight's games, Wenatchee leads the way with a 4-1 league mark. Walla Walla, Pasco, Richland and Davis are one game back in the loss column. And watch out for Eisenhower, which has three league losses but is coming off a 40-point victory over Walla Walla on Tuesday night. There are several big games on the schedule tonight, highlighted by Walla Walla (9-4, 3-2) at Pasco (9-3, 2-2).

The CBL 3A race also is jumbled, with Eastmont, Southridge, West Valley and Kamiakin in contention. The big game of the night is Eastmont (9-1, 3-0) at West Valley (6-5, 2-1).

River View has reached the peak. The Panthers (13-0, 5-0) are ranked No. 1 in the first AP state poll. Tonight, they get a team on the opposite end of the spectrum as Warden (1-12, 0-5) visits Finley.

Liberty Christian is continuing its winning ways. The Patriots are 10-4 overall, 8-0 in league and have won their first two division games. The Pats are led by the 1-2 punch of junior Jeremy Siefken (17.6 ppg) and sophomore Mark Wilson (15.4).

* Mark McKenna: 582-1508; mmckenna@tricityherald.com