Chiawana boys, girls pull off opening-round upsets in district basketball
The District 8 boys and girls basketball tournaments for both Class 4A and 3A got under way this past weekend, and there were a few upsets along the way.
Namely, it was the Chiawana boys and girls who went on the road to Spokane and knocked off higher seeds.
The Riverhawks boys, sitting at a 6 seed, pounded No. 3 Lewis & Clark 67-49 in 4A play on Friday night.
They got some balanced scoring, as Mason Castillo led the way with 21 points. But Donavin Young was right behind with 20 points, and Kade Smith had 18.
Chiawana jumped out to a 17-6 first-quarter lead and never looked back.
Chiawana now visits No. 2 Richland at 7 p.m., Tuesday, at Dawald Gym in Richland in a winners bracket semifinal game.
The Bombers easily handled No. 8-seeded Pasco 79-21 on Friday.
The winner of this contest qualifies for the 4A state tournament.
Richland had five players in double-digit scoring, led by freshman Landon Northrop’s 14 points.
The Bombers forced 30 Bulldogs turnovers, turning them into 30 points.
Kamiakin also won its opener — giving the Mid-Columbia Conference three of four first-round winners.
The Braves used a 17-7 second quarter outburst to take control of the game.
Keltic Merrill led Kamiakin with 14 points, while Javier Sideregts added 13.
In the other contest, Andrew Dearman led Hanford with 24 points, but it wasn’t enough as the visiting Falcons lost at Gonzaga Prep.
Here’s a look at the tournament schedule:
4A District 8 boys tournament
Games at higher seeds
Friday, Feb. 10
Game 1, (2) Richland 79, (8) Pasco 21
Game 2, (6) Chiawana 67, (3) Lewis & Clark 49
Game 3, (4) Kamiakin 60, (5) Central Valley 49
Game 4, (1) Gonzaga Prep 74, (7) Hanford 47
Tuesday, Feb. 14
Game 5, (8) Pasco at (3) Lewis & Clark (loser out), 7 p.m.
Game 6, (7) Hanford at (5) Central Valley (loser out), 7 p.m.
Game 7, (6) Chiawana at (2) Richland (winner to state), 7 p.m.
Game 8, (4) Kamiakin at (1) Gonzaga Prep (winner to state), 7 p.m.
▪ Chiawana’s girls also were a No. 6 seed, and they handled No. 3 Gonzaga Prep 50-46 on Friday night.
Mike Brown’s young team outscored G-Prep 24-18 in the first half to take control.
The Riverhawks had four players in double-digit scoring: Kaia Foster with 14, Matty Woolf with 11, and Malia Ruud and Gianna Medelez with 10 points each.
So now, the Riverhawks get another shot against No. 2-seeded Kamiakin in a winners bracket semifinal game that gives the winner a state tournament berth.
That contest is also set for Tuesday, with a 5 p.m. tipoff at Randy Dolven Gymnasium at Kamiakin.
The Braves opened tournament play on Friday with an easy 87-49 victory over No. 8 seed Pasco, forcing 31 turnovers that turned into 36 points.
Nikole Thomas led Kamiakin with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals; while Maddy Rendall added 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Mireyah Lopez led Pasco with 19 points.
Meanwhile, Richland’s girls continue to roll, beating visiting Lewis & Clark 73-51.
The Bombers forced 24 turnovers and turned them into 26 points.
Kyle Fox led the way with 32 points (she was 5-for-10 from the 3-point line), and she added 6 assists. Macie Milum added 18 points and 4 steals, while Maggie Smith dished off 10 assists.
And finally, Hanford’s girls took top-seeded Central Valley to overtime on the road before losing 71-62.
Lynnea Moran had a team-high 24 points, while teammate Kendall Meyer added 17 points.
Here’s a look at the schedule:
4A District 8 girls tournament
Games at higher seeds
Friday, Feb. 10
Game 1, (2) Kamiakin 87, (8) Pasco 49
Game 2, (6) Chiawana 50, (3) Gonzaga Prep 46
Game 3, (4) Richland 73, (5) Lewis & Clark 51
Game 4, (1) Central Valley 71, (7) Hanford 62 (OT)
Tuesday, Feb. 14
Game 5, (8) Pasco at (3) Gonzaga Prep (loser out), 5 p.m.
Game 6, (7) Hanford at (5) Lewis & Clark (loser out), 5 p.m.
Game 7, (6) Chiawana at (2) Kamiakin (winner to state), 5 p.m.
Game 8, (4) Richland at (1) Central Valley (winner to state), 5 p.m.
▪ Kennewick and Walla Walla held serve in winning their first-round, loser-out 3A District 8 tournament games on Saturday.
The Lions pounded University 75-45, as Jonah Gebers led the way with 27 points. Charlie Tipke-Henry added 15 more.
Kennewick took a 25-11 first-quarter lead and never looked back.
The Lions will play host to Ferris at 7 p.m. on Tuesday for a chance to play in the tournament title game on Thursday.
Meanwhile, host Wa-Hi held off Mead 79-68 on Saturday. Dane Gardea and Dylan Sullivan each scored 17 points for the Blue Devils.
Here is the tournament schedule:
3A District 8 boys tournament
Games at higher seeds
Saturday, Feb. 11
Game 1, (1) Kennewick 75, (7) University 45 (loser out)
Game 2, (4) Ferris 70, (5) Hermiston 57 (loser out)
Game 3, (3) Walla Walla 79, (6) Mead 68 (loser out)
Game 4, (2) Mt. Spokane 64, (8) North Central 49 (loser out)
Tuesday, Feb. 14
Game 5, (4) Ferris at (1) Kennewick, 7 p.m.
Game 6, (3) Walla Walla at (2) Mt. Spokane, 6 p.m.
▪ Kennewick and Walla Walla’s girls also won first-round, loser-out contests Saturday in the 3A District 8 tournament.
Haylee Johnson scored 28 points to lead the Lions over Ferris 63-35.
The Lions play host to Mead at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the winners bracket semifinals.
Lauryn Bergevin had 22 points as Wa-Hi edged University 62-59 on Saturday to continue on.
The Blue Devils will travel to Mead on Tuesday in a winners bracket semifinal.
Here’s the schedule:
3A District 8 girls tournament
Games at higher seeds
Saturday, Feb. 11
Game 1, (1) Kennewick 63, (7) Ferris 35 (loser out)
Game 2, (4) Mt. Spokane 71, (5) Hermiston 48 (loser out)
Game 3, (3) Walla Walla 62, (6) University 59 (loser out)
Game 4, (2) Mead 68, (8) Ridgeline 36 (loser out)
Tuesday, Feb. 14
Game 5, (4) Mt. Spokane at (1) Kennewick, 5 p.m.
Game 6, (3) Walla Walla at (2) Mead, 6 p.m.
This story was originally published February 13, 2023 at 12:57 PM.