CBC among the women’s teams with a shot at NWAC basketball title
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Columbia Basin enters NWAC tournament as East No. 3 with a 20-7 record.
- Clackamas is unbeaten at 29-0; nine teams have 20+ wins.
- Tournament runs Mar 6–15 at CBC with top four returning for Mar 13 semifinals.
The NWAC women’s tournament kicks off Friday with four games, including Amy Sokaitis’ Columbia Basin women.
The Hawks have a 20-7 record and are the East Region’s No. 3 seed.
They’ll meet Skagit Valley (15-13) at 8 p.m. Friday.
The Hawks have a nucleus of four players who have led this team.
Amber Swan (Neah Bay) averages 15.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and has 55 assists and 48 steals.
Nekha Roehl (Yakima Eisenhower) is next with 14.9 points, 69 assists and 66 steals.
Sophomore Sadie Tanner (North Thurston) had 12.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. She has also compiled 140 assists and 93 steals. That steals total leads the entire NWAC.
Finally, Ezrah Ray (Neah Bay) averages 10.1 points and 6.4 rebounds.
“We have a bit of experience,” said Sokaitis. “I’m excited to see what happens when the lights go on for this tournament.”
Clackamas might be the tournament favorite, entering the event with a 29-0 record.
But there are nine teams in the tournament that have at least 20 wins this season.
“I think it’s anybody’s tournament,” said Sokaitis, including CBC’s. “I like our ability to play in open space. I love how we can get up and down the court, and our defensive pressure.”
Among those nine teams with 20 wins are Bobbi Hazeltine’s Walla Walla Warriors, who won last year’s tournament, and they return a lot of firepower.
Freshman Logan Sailors (Rocky Mountain, Idaho) was named NWAC East Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, and she averaged 16.5 points and 1.8 steals during the regular season.
Hadley Fraas (Cole Valley Christian, Idaho) averages 12.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Sophomore Macie Milum (Richland) scored 12.1 points, grabbed 6.0 rebounds, had 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals this season; while Addy Laible (Boise Bishop Kelly) contributes 6.3 rebounds; and Averee Osterhout (Rocky Mountain, Idaho) has 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
The women’s tournament runs Friday through Sunday at CBC. The men’s tournament began Wednesday and runs through Friday.
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 tournament are available online at the NWAC website, and they can also be purchased at the CBC gymnasium. The event is cashless.
NWAC all-stars
Walla Walla’s Logan Sailors was named MVP and Freshman of the Year for the East Region on Monday, and Bobbi Hazeltine earned East Coach of the Year.
Walla Walla’s Hadley Fraas and CBC’s Amber Swan were named first-team East Region all-stars.
Spokane sophomore Camia Howard (Kamiakin), and CBC’s Nekha Roehl and Sadie Tanner were second team members.
CBC’s Tanner was named East Defensive Player of the Year. Spokane’s Howard, CBC’s Hailey Jamison (Burbank) and Walla Walla’s Averee Osterhout were East Region all-defensive team members.
Women’s tournament
Loser out games
Friday, March 6
Game 1, Bellevue (15-13) vs. Big Bend (26-3), 10 a.m.
Game 2, Highline (9-14) vs. Clackamas (29–0), 12 p.m.
Game 3, Chemeketa (20-9) vs. Lower Columbia (23-4), 6 p.m.
Game 4, Columbia Basin (20-7) vs. Skagit Valley (15-13), 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 7
Game 5, Umpqua (21-8) vs. South Puget Sound (19-7), 10 a.m.
Game 6, Treasure Valley (18-10) vs. Peninsula (22-4), 12 p.m.
Game 9, Quarterfinal, winner 1 vs. winner, 2 p.m.
Game 10, Quarterfinal, winner 3 vs. winner 4, 4 p.m.
Game 7, Olympic (18-10) vs. Walla Walla (25-4), 6 p.m.
Game 8, Green River (15-12) vs. Lane (25-4), 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 8
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, 5 p.m.
Game 14, Semifinal, winner 11 vs. winner 12, 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 15
Game 15, Championship, winner 13 vs. winner 14, 3 p.m.
Final NWAC Women’s Coaches Poll (March 2): 1, Clackamas 132 points (11 first-place votes); 2. Walla Walla 93 points; 3. Big Bend 79 points; 3. Lane 79 points; 3. Peninsula 79 points; 8. CBC 36 points.
Mid-Columbia connections in tournament
CBC’s Tayler Adams, sophomore, Kennewick; CBC’s Olivia Davis, sophomore, Hanford; CBC’s Hailey Jamison, freshman, Columbia-Burbank; Lower Columbia freshman Crimson Childs, fr., Kamiakin; WWCC’s Marisela Contreras, fr., Chiawana; and Macie Milum, sophomore, Richland.
Final NWAC East Women standings
1. Walla Walla 12-2 East, 25-4 overall
1. Big Bend 12-2, 26-3
3. Columbia Basin 10-4, 20-7
4. Treasure Valley 9-5, 18-10
5. Wenatchee Valley 5-9, 14-12
5. Yakima Valley 5-9, 14-13
7. Spokane 2-12, 12-16
8. Blue Mountain 1-13, 5-19
-Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.