CBC women pull off upset at NWAC community college basketball tournament

The Columbia Basin College women’s basketball team used a 9-0 run in the second quarter to take the lead for good, defeating Lower Columbia 69-46 at the Northwest Athletic Conference women’s basketball championships at CBC on Thursday.

Amy Sokaitis’ Hawks entered the tournament as the No. 4 East Region seed, while the Red Devils entered the tourney as the No. 1 West seed.

Didn’t matter, as Amber Swan led CBC (15-11) with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Swan scored 5 of those points in the 9-0 run.

Sadie Tanner, recently named to the East Region all-defensive team, had an overall strong game for CBC. Tanner scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and had 5 steals.

Baylee Voile added 11 points for the Hawks, while teammate Analyssa Maldonado had 10 points and 8 rebounds.

CBC now plays in the Elite 8 against Umpqua (27-2). That game is set for 2 p.m., Friday, at CBC.

Meanwhile, Bobbi Hazeltine’s Walla Walla Community College women’s team had an easy time in its first-round game, beating Centralia 63-29 on Thursday.

Walla Walla jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back.

Addy Laible scored 12 points for the 23-5 Warriors, but she also added an impressive 22 rebounds.

Brielle Magnuson led WWCC in scoring with 22 points. She also added 7 rebounds.

The Warriors meet Clackamas at 4 p.m. Friday in another quarterfinal game.

The NWAC men’s tournament begins Friday at CBC also.

NWAC men’s tournament

Friday, March 7

Game 1, Lane (20-7) vs. Spokane (23-6), 10 a.m.

Game 2, Highline (19-10) vs. Skagit Valley (28-1), 12 p.m.

Game 3, Shoreline (11-14) vs. Lower Columbia (25-4), 6 p.m.

Game 4, Treasure Valley (12-14) vs. Clark (20-8), 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 8

Game 5, Edmonds (19-10) vs. South Puget Sound (23-6), 10 a.m.

Game 6, Columbia Basin (15-11) vs. Portland (19-9), 12 p.m.

Game 9, Winner 1 vs. winner 2, 2 p.m.

Game 10, Winner 3 vs. winner 4, 4 p.m.

Game 7, Southwestern Oregon (21-8) vs. Walla Walla (23-5), 6 p.m.

Game 8, Green River (24-5) vs. Bellevue (15-14), 8 p.m.

Sunday, March 9

Game 11 — Winner 5 vs. winner 6, 2 p.m.

Game 12 — Winner 7 vs. winner 8, 4 p.m.

NWAC women’s tournament

Thursday, March 6

Game 5, Umpqua 74, Olympic 70

Game 6, Columbia Basin 69, Lower Columbia 46

Game 9, Peninsula 79, South Puget Sound 55

Game 10, Lane 75, Green River 50

Game 7, Walla Walla 63, Centralia 29

Game 8, Clackamas 82, Skagit Valley 58

Friday, March 7

Game 11, Umpqua (27-2) vs. Columbia Basin (15-11), 2 p.m.

Game 12, Walla Walla (24-5) vs. Clackamas (21-8), 4 p.m.

Saturday, March 15

Game 13, Peninsula (24-2) vs. Lane (31-0), 12 p.m.

Game 14, Winner 11 vs. winner 12, 2 p.m.

Soccer

Northwest Nazarene senior defender Kobe Avila (CBC) was named to the second team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s soccer team this past fall.

Avila led the 6-8-4 Nighthawks in minutes played with 1,617.

Meanwhile senior midfielder Johnny Ramirez (CBC) was an honorable mention GNAC selection.

Ramirez had four assists to lead NNU in that category.

▪ Three seniors from Pasco — Adrian Arangure and Julian Rodriguez, both from Chiawana; and Pasco High’s Alvaro Gonzalez — are committed to playing this coming fall for the Walla Walla Community College men’s soccer team.

▪ Luis Candido, a Kamiakin senior, has signed a letter of intent to play next fall for the Blue Mountain Community College men’s soccer team.

▪ Walla Walla Community College’s women’s soccer program already has five local commits for the fall of 2025 season. They include two seniors from Prosser in Tessa Halfmoon and Emma Merrick. Also signing are Richland’s Payton Anderson, Hanford’s Abbagial Gaudreault, and Chiawana’s Josie Jamieson.

Hockey

Tomas Suchanek played goalie for the Tri-City Americans during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Western Hockey League seasons.

He never got drafted by a National Hockey League team, but he signed a 1-year deal before the 2023-24 with the San Diego Gulls — the American Hockey League affiliate for the NHL Anaheim Ducks.

He impressed the Gulls (and the Ducks) that season while playing in 29 games and compiling a 14-10 record, that the Ducks signed him to the three-year, entry-level NHL contract last March.

Unfortunately, Suchanek ended up having to have surgery on a ruptured ACL last September, and it will take him 6 to 8 months to recover.

He still will have two years left on his deal with the Ducks when he begins his comeback.

Baseball

Owen Godinez, a senior at Walla Walla High School, has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Columbia Basin College for the 2025-26 season.