Tri-Cities golfer earns spot at U.S. Senior Open tournament

Kennewick’s Lionel Kunka got the call this past week that he’s in the U.S. Senior Open, which runs July 8-11 at the Omaha Country Club in Nebraska.

Kunka, the general manager of Golf Universe in Kennewick, finished as the first alternate in May in a qualifying tournament in Portland.

A few players who already qualified for the tournament proper dropped out, and Kunka was near the top of the list to get in.

He will get three practice rounds next week with his caddy, Dave Retter, before next Thursday’s first round.

Prep basketball

▪ Congratulations to the Kamiakin boys and Pasco girls for winning their Mid-Columbia Conference district basketball championships a few weeks ago.

The Braves boys defeated Walla Walla 57-47 in the district title game, as junior Tyler Bilodeau scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Kamiakin in the win.

Teammate Trey Arland added 22 points, while Diego Jaques led led Wa-Hi with 23 points.

In the girls title game, Mya Groce scored 17 points, had 8 rebounds and added 5 assists to lead Pasco over Kamiakin 62-51.

Bulldogs teammate Taija Mackey — a double-double machine — added 16 points and 24 (that’s right, 24) rebounds.

Mia Howard paced Kamiakin with 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Here are the final boys standings for the shortened spring season: Kamiakin 13-1; Walla Walla 12-2; Chiawana and Richland, both at 10-4; Kennewick 8-6; Hanford 6-8; Southridge 2-12; and Pasco and Hermiston both at 1-13.

In the girls standings, Pasco and Kamiakin both finish at 12-2; Richland 10-4; Hanford, Chiawana, Hermiston and Kennewick all at 6-8; Southridge at 4-10; and Walla Walla was 1-13.

▪ Kamiakin’s Tyler Bilodeau was named the Mid-Columbia Conference boys basketball Player of the Year, while his coach, Brian Meneely, was named MCC Coach of the Year.

Bilodeau, a junior, was the second-leading scorer in the MCC, with 21.5 points a game.

Joining Bilodeau on the first team are Chiawana senior Kobe Young, Walla Walla senior Michael Cornia, and two Kamiakin teammates — senior Messiah Jones and junior Trey Arland.

Young led the league in scoring at 22.14 points, and he’s already on campus at Boise State University, working out with the men’s basketball team.

Jones is in Cheney already, working out with the Eastern Washington University football team; and Cornia — who was the MCC’s third-leading scorer at 20.36 points — is going to walk on at Utah Valley University this fall for men’s basketball.

The MCC second team consists of Richland freshman Josh Woodard, Walla Walla junior Diego Jaques, Hanford senior Tyson Caufield, Kennewick junior Daniel Dickinson, and Walla Walla senior Jacob Coram.

Kamiakin’s Arland was named the MCC Defensive Player of the Year.

Joining him on the all-defensive team are Richland senior Ben Fewel, Kamiakin’s Jones, Chiawana’s Young and Wa-Hi’s Cornia complete the defensive team.

▪ Richland sophomore Kylee Fox was named the MCC girls basketball Player of the Year, while Kamiakin’s Lane Schumacher was named MCC girls basketball Coach of the Year.

Joining Fox on the MCC first team are Richland senior Jayda Clark, Chiawana senior Delaney Pink, Kennewick senior Madeline Gebers, and Pasco junior Mya Groce.

Fox was the No. 2 scorer in the MCC at 20.0 points a game.

Clark — the No. 3 scorer in the MCC this spring at 18.5 points a game — is already at Boise State University, where she’ll play for the women’s basketball team.

Pink was the league’s top scorer at 20.6 points a contest. She’ll play women’s soccer and basketball next year at Providence in Montana.

Gebers will compete in three different sports — volleyball, basketball and track — for Spokane Community College starting this fall.

The MCC second team consists of Pasco junior Taija Mackey, Kamiakin senior Regan Clark, Hanford junior Iliana Moran, Kamiakin sophomore Nikole Thomas, and Hermiston senior Jayden Ray.

Kamiakin’s Thomas was named the MCC Defensive Player of the Year.

Joining her on the Defensive team is Richland’s Fox, Chiawana senior Brooke Thorne, Kennewick’s Gebers, and Pasco’s Groce.