This Kennewick High player broke the 1,000-point scoring mark

Kennewick senior Ayoni Benavidez reached the career 1,000-point mark on Tuesday night, as the host Lions defeated Hermiston 83-35 in Mid-Columbia Conference boys basketball play.

Benavidez entered the game with 993 career points, and he needed just a couple of minutes to get the 7 he needed for the milestone.

He finished the game with 26 points, as the Lions snapped a three-game losing streak.

Kennewick is now 6-3 in MCC play, and 8-4 overall.

Hermiston, which falls to 1-8 in MCC play and 2-11 overall, was led by Chase Elliott’s 13 points.

▪ CHIAWANA 88, HANFORD 60: The host Riverhawks improved to 9-0 in MCC play (13-0 overall), as Connor Mendez came off the bench to score a game-high 25 points.

Teammate Jayden Martinez added 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals, while Cooper DeWitt had 17 points and 8 rebounds.

Tyson Caufield led Hanford (1-8, 2-10) with 20 points and 6 rebounds.

▪ WALLA WALLA 78, PASCO 43: Michael Cornia had a monster game for the host Blue Devils, scoring 33 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking 8 shots, in an MCC win over Pasco.

Wa-Hi jumps up into second place in the MCC with a 7-2 record (11-2 overall).

Pasco, now 1-8 and 2-11, was led by Ethan Legard’s 13 points.

Tuesday’s MCC girls basketball

▪ KENNEWICK 68, HERMISTON 40: Madeline Gebers and MeiLani McBee each scored 17 points to lead Kennewick (8-1 MCC, 11-1 overall) past Hermiston.

Mia Hernandez led Hermiston (4-5, 7-6) with 13 points.

▪ CHIAWANA 65, HANFORD 29: Talia von Oelhoffen scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had 4 assists to lead the Riverhawks (8-1, 11-2) over Hanford (2-7, 3-9).

Kylie Thorne added 10 points and 9 rebounds for Chiawana.

▪ WALLA WALLA 61, PASCO 50: Rian Clear scored 23 points to lead the Blue Devils (5-4, 9-4) over the Bulldogs (6-3, 9-4).

Mya Groce led Pasco with 23 points.

Notes

▪ Clare Eubanks (Chiawana) scored 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting performance from the floor, plus 3-for-5 from the free throw line, to help the Northwest Nazarene women’s basketball team beat Alaska-Fairbanks 88-62 on Jan. 9 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

Teammate Nicole Gall (Richland) added 8 points for NNU. Both Eubanks and Gall started for NNU.

▪ Freshman defensive back Corey Bibe (Southridge) had 33 tackles (3 for loss) in nine games this past fall for the Grossmont Junior College football team in Southern California.

▪ Delaney Hodgins Bruce (Chiawana) is averaging a team-best 20.9 points and 8.2 rebounds for the Forsann Alku women’s pro basketball team in the Korisliiga in Finland. The team is 10-6 through games of Jan. 14. That puts it in fourth place out of 10 teams.

▪ Samuel Corbray (Hermiston) picked up a 4-1 decision at 174 pounds as Iowa State men’s wrestling team defeated Utah Valley 45-0 on Jan. 9.

Two nights later in Phoenix, Iowa State lost 22-14 to Campbell University. But Colbray won his 174-pound match by major decision, 15-4.

▪ Forrest Smith (Walla Walla CC) scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to help the Multnomah University men’s basketball team defeat Corban University 97-93 on Jan. 10 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play.

▪ Freshman Skyler Younkin (Hanford) has the second-fastest time in the men’s 500 freestyle for the Purdue University men’s swim team this season. His time is 4:32.88.

Younkin tied for second in the men’s 200 butterfly — with a time of 1:52.68 — to help the Boilermakers beat Michigan State 184-113 in a Big Ten Conference dual meet on Jan. 10.

▪ Mikayla Ferenz (Walla Walla) leads her women’s professional basketball team, AB Contern, in scoring this season with an average of 24.5 points a game. Ferenz also leads the team with 4.5 assists, and is second on the squad with 8.5 rebounds.

AB Contern is 6-9 in the Total League in Luxembourg, placing it eighth out of 10 teams.

In a 92-74 loss Jan. 11 to Residence, Ferenz scored 22 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and added 6 assists.

▪ Freshman Lilian Thurber (Kamiakin) placed third in the women’s 100 breaststroke and was ninth in the 200 breaststroke for Life University last month in the Dec. 9 SCAD Invite swim meet in Savannah, Ga. Thurber’s 2:10.48 time in the 200 breaststroke set a Life University school record.

▪ Megan Wilkinson (Pasco) tied for first for most points scored for the Spokane Community College women’s soccer team this past fall. Wilkinson had 21 points, with 6 goals and 9 assists.

▪ Gonzaga’s Riley Moore (Richland) was named the West Coast Conference Men’s Cross Country Freshman of the Year back in November.

NWAC signings

Here’s a list of area athletes who have recently signed with community college athletic programs in the Northwest:

Paige Aldrich, Kennewick, to Blue Mountain CC for baseball.

Ryan Arredondo, Warden, to Big Bend CC for baseball.

Bailey Botefuhr, Irrigon, to Mt. Hood CC for softball.

Kiera Brandt, Connell, to Columbia Basin CC for softball.

Alden Brown, Kamiakin, to Umpqua CC for baseball.

Joshua Garza, Othello, to Walla Walla CC for baseball.

Jaron Gibson, Kamiakin, to Wenatchee Valley CC for baseball.

Madison Harrell, Kamiakin, to Columbia Basin CC for softball.

Nick Lindholm, Kamiakin, to Spokane CC for baseball.

Kyle Marboe, Hanford, to Walla Walla CC for baseball.

Tazmin Milton, Southridge, to Blue Mountain CC for baseball.

Tanner Pedroza, Kamiakin, to Big Bend CC for baseball.

Isaac Rheinschmidt, Kiona-Benton, to Columbia Basin CC for baseball.

Jaxon Rocha, Othello, to Yakima Valley CC for baseball.

Kelen Rutz, Kamiakin, to Yakima Valley CC for baseball.

Chase Stewart, Hanford, to Southwestern Oregon CC for baseball.

Angela Sullivan, Chiawana, to Lower Columbia CC for volleyball, but will also play softball.

Tayah Townsend, Kennewick, to Yakima Valley CC for softball.

Niko Wiltz, Kamiakin, to Wenatchee Valley CC for baseball.

Emmaleena Wood, Kamiakin, to Yakima Valley CC for softball.

Noah Zohn, Richland, to Yakima Valley CC for baseball.

MCC boys basketball standings

Through Jan. 14

Chiawana 9-0 MCC/13-0 overall

Walla Walla 7-2/11-2

Kamiakin 6-2/10-2

Kennewick 6-3/8-4

Richland 5-3/8-4

Southridge 3-5/4-8

Hanford 1-8/2-10

Hermiston 1-8/2-11

Pasco 1-8/2-11

MCC girls basketball standings

Through Jan. 14

Kennewick 8-1 MCC/11-1 overall

Chiawana 8-1/11-2

Pasco 6-3/9-4

Richland 5-3/6-6

Walla Walla 5-4/9-4

Hermiston 4-5/7-6

Hanford 2-7/3-9

Kamiakin 1-7/2-10

Southridge 0-8/3-9