Here's a look at the 16 women's basketball teams for the Northwest Athletic Association of Community College basketball championships, set for Kennewick's Toyota Center and beginning Saturday:
Chemeketa vs. Columbia Basin, 8 a.m.
Chemeketa No. 3 South at 16-11. … Soph G Jordan Klebaum (Oregon City) team’s top player, a first-team South all-star. … Host CBC (second East at 14-12) is defending champion but has just one player back from last season, soph PF KieOsha Avery-Winchester (Connell). Rest of team is all freshmen. No players won any major awards, and no one was named to first-team all-star unit. Frosh G-F Hannah Depew (Bainbridge) was second-team all-East and all-defensive; Frosh G Sierra Higheagle (Clarkston) was second-team all-star; and frosh PF Alicia Jones (Skyline, Idaho) was all-defensive. .. Other CBC Mid-Columbia connections: G Dana Cardenas (Umatilla), G Alejandra Cuevas (Tri-Cities Prep), F Kim Harrod (Kennewick), and C Claudia Olguin (Pasco).
Bellevue vs. Tacoma, 10 a.m.
Bellevue is the top seed in the North (19-8) and ranked fourth in final RPI Index. … Bulldogs’ best player is soph F Demarea Caples (Garfield), a first-team North all-star. … Frosh F Jori Hall (Sehome) is North freshman of the year. … Tacoma is West No. 4 seed (15-9). … Top player for Tacoma is soph G Anngelina Sanchez (Sumner), a first-team West all-star. She ranks fourth in scoring at 20.6 points. Sanchez also had 72 steals this season.
Lane vs. Yakima Valley, noon
Lane is South No. 2 seed (26-2). Titans are top team in latest RPI Index. … Star is soph F Megan Shields (Sherwood, Ore.), a first-team South all-star and the region’s top defensive player. Shields averages 8.7 rebounds. … Soph G Kersey Wilcox (Mountain View, Ore.) is also a first-team South all-star. She has 82 steals this season, and ranks fourth in assists at 4.7. … Lane Mid-Columbia connection: Soph G-F Courtney Walchli (Hermiston). … Yakima Valley is East No. 3 seed (16-11). … Frosh G Angelique Williams (Union-Vancouver) is Yaks’ top player, being named first-team East all-star. … Frosh G Sammi Jo Blodgett (Wapato) averages 4.0 assists.
Centralia vs. Peninsula, 2 p.m.
Centralia is West top seed (21-5). … Centralia’s Shane Schutz is the West coach of the year. … Frosh F Kristen Schoenherr (Rainier) is the West MVP and Freshman of the year. She averages 16.4 points and 8.8 rebounds. ... Frosh G Italia Mengarelli (Granger) is a first-team West all-star. … Soph G Shanae Sauls (Black Hills) is the West defensive player of the year. … Peninsula is the North No. 4 seed (14-10). … Soph C Taylor Larson (Juneau, Alaska) is the North co-MVP. She averages 19.1 points. … Soph PG Karli Brakes (Juneau, Alaska) is the North defensive player of the year. She has 67 steals. She’s also the NWAACC leader in assists at 6.1 per game.
Lower Columbia vs. Skagit Valley, 4 p.m.
Lower Columbia is West No. 3 seed (18-10). … Frosh G Arneshia Smith (Tyee) is the team’s best player, being named a first-team West all-star. … Skagit Valley is North No. 2 seed (19-8). … Soph G-F Laken McClelland (Oak Harbor) is the North’s co-MVP. She averages 18.6 points. … Soph G-F Sophia Baetz (Kingston) is a first-team North all-star.
Southwestern Oregon vs. Walla Walla, 6 p.m.
Southwestern Oregon is No. 4 South seed (15-11). … Soph PF Quynne Eharis (Hawaii) is team’s top player and a first-team South all-star. She averages 18.8 points. She’s also the top rebounder in the NWAACC at 12.7 boards. … Frosh PG Jazmin Bembry (Sacramento) is No. 2 in the NWAACC in assists at 5.8. … Soph G Maricela Aguilera (Grants Pass, Ore.) has 73 steals. … Walla Walla is East’s top seed (23-3), and ranked third in final RPI Index. … East coach of the year Bobbi Hazeltine boasts region MVP soph G Michelle Seitz (Nezperce, Idaho). She averages 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. … Soph F Hailey Felgenhauer (Fruitland, Idaho) is a first-team East all-star. … Other Warrior Mid-Columbia connections: Soph C Gabby Anderson (Walla Walla), soph G Caitlin Duncan (DeSales), and frosh G-F Jessica Siler (Umatilla).
Clackamas vs. Spokane, 8 p.m.
Clackamas is South’s top seed (23-4), but is No. 2 in final RPI Index. … Clackamas’ Jim Martineau and Kayla Steen are co-coaches of the year in the South. … Soph G Jenny Johnson (Tualatin, Ore.) is the South MVP. She averages 15.4 points. … Soph G Ashleigh Anderson (Oregon City) is a first-team South all-star. She has 75 steals. … PG Laci Effenberger (Ketchikan, Alaska) is the South freshman of the year. … Spokane is No. 4 East seed (15-11). … Frosh G-F Riley Holsinger (North Central) is a first-team East all-star and the region’s freshman player of the year. She’s averaging 14.9 points and has 75 steals. … Sasquatch Mid-Columbia connection: Frosh C Morgan Freeman (Hanford).
Clark vs. Whatcom, 10 p.m.
Clark is No. 2 West seed (15-11). … Dominique Johnson (Southridge-Beaverton) is team’s top player, being named first-team West all-star. She ranks third in the NWAACC in scoring at 21.0 per game. She also averages 4.0 assists. … Whatcom is No. 3 seed from North (18-8). … Soph G Erika Locker (Ferndale) and soph G Bree Park (Meridian) are first-team North all-stars. Park averages 18.6 points. … Soph G Amanda Tapia (Lynden) is third in the NWAACC in assists at 5.4 per game.
