CBC men’s team opens NWAC basketball tournament Thursday morning

It’s been a rollercoaster ride this season for Anthony Owens and his Columbia Basin College men’s basketball team.

And as the Northwest Athletic Conference community college men’s basketball tournament started on the CBC campus on Wednesday, Owens is hoping his Hawks are making the right steps forward.

“We practiced this morning, and we did well this morning,” said Owens. “But this is not a typical team of mine. This team has been very inconsistent, and throughout the year they’ve been undisciplined at times.”

As would befit a squad that has a 14-14 record, for every step the Hawks take forward, there has been an equal step backward. Or vice versa.

It can be frustrating at times, says Owens.

But when things are going well, everything is great.

“I like that these guys have no quit in them,” said Owens. “When they actually want to defend, they can be hard to score on.”

And then comes the kicker.

“As close as my Final Four team was (in 2023 to winning the tournament), this team could be closer,” added Owens. “It’s going to take a lot of believing in each other. It’ll take a lot of us being more consistent.”

The Hawks open tourney play against Skagit Valley (26-3) at 10 a.m. on Thursday at CBC.

Levi Pepper (Selah) led the Hawks in scoring at 15.9 points a game. Pepper, a redshirt freshman, also averaged 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and he had 29 steals.

Freshman Alex Wells (Phoenix, Ariz., Prep) averaged 15.6 points and 3.3 assists; while Zadkiel Rodarte (Bozeman, Mont., Gallatin) has 12.6 points and 2.4 assists per contests.

Zander Kamai (Phoenix, Ariz., Prep) is also in double-figure scoring, with 10.3 points. He also led the Hawks with 4.0 assists and 48 steals.

Other contributors include Kaden Bethel (Phoenix, Ariz., Prep) at 6.3 rebounds, and Cade Washington (Camas) with 3.4 rebounds.

While the men’s tournament runs through Friday, the women’s tournament begins Friday and goes through Sunday.

The top four teams for both men and women will return to CBC on Friday, March 13, for the semifinals. The finals for both tournaments will be held on Sunday, March 15.

Tickets for the event are available online at the NWAC website, and they can also be purchased at the CBC box office gymnasium.

The event is cashless.

NWAC all-stars

Treasure Valley dominated the NWAC East region this season in men’s basketball, which is why Jeremiah Williams was named East MVP, and Eric Holbrook was named East Coach of the Year.

Being named to the East Region first-team all-star squad was CBC’s Alex Wells and Spokane’s Grant Olsen (Hermiston); while Yakima Valley’s Koby McClure (Prosser) and Blue Mountain’s Jessie Tijerina (Southridge) made the second team.

Blue Mountain’s Dionte Hill is the East Region Defensive Player of the Year. CBC’s Zander Kamai was named to the all-defensive team.

Men’s tournament

Loser out games

Wednesday, March 4

Game 1, Clark (17-12) vs. Lower Columbia (20-6), 12 p.m.

Game 2, Peninsula (7-22) vs. Treasure Valley (16-9), 2 p.m.

Game 3, Yakima Valley (11-13) vs. Bellevue (27-2), 4 p.m.

Game 4, South Puget Sound (21-8) vs. Southwestern Oregon (23-6), 6 p.m.

Thursday, March 5

Game 5, Columbia Basin (14-14) vs. Skagit Valley (26-3), 10 a.m.

Game 6, Centralia (18-11) vs. Umpqua (25-4), 12 p.m.

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

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

Game 7, Lane (14-14) vs. Green River (23-6), 6 p.m.

Game 8, Edmonds (18-11) vs. Blue Mountain (18-9), 8 p.m.

Friday, March 6

Game 11, Quarterfinal, winner 5 vs. winner 6, 2 p.m.

Game 12, Quarterfinal, winner 7 vs. winner 8, 4 p.m.

Friday, March 13

Game 13, Semifinal, winner 9 vs. winner 10, 12 p.m.

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

Sunday, March 15

Game 15, Championship, winner 13 vs. winner 14, 12 p.m.

Final NWAC Men’s Coaches Poll (March 2): 1, Bellevue 228 points (19 first-place votes); 2. Green River 163 points; 3. Skagit Valley 160 points; 4. Umpqua 138 points.

Mid-Columbia connections in tournament

Men: CBC’s Dacio Barbosa, redshirt soph, Chiawana; CBC’s Braxton Couch, freshman, Columbia-Burbank; CBC’s Sammy Garcia, redshirt soph, Hanford; CBC’s Keano Harwell, redshirt freshman, Pasco; CBC’s Kory McCure, redshirt, Prosser; CBC’s Mahad Muse, redshirt, Kennewick; BMCC’s Jessie Tijerina, redshirt freshman, Southridge; YVC’s Marcelino Armendariz, fr., Grandview; Mavryk Bently, fr, Grandview; and Koby McClure, fr., Prosser.

Final NWAC East Men Standings

1. Treasure Valley 13-1 East, 16-9 overall

2. Blue Mountain 11-3, 18-9

3. Columbia Basin 7-7, 14-14

3. Yakima Valley 7-7, 11-13

5. Spokane 6-8, 18-11

5. Big Bend 6-8, 13-16

7. Walla Walla 5-9, 13-16

8. Wenatchee Valley 1-13, 5-24

-Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.