These Tri-Cities teams already emerging as MCC basketball contenders

With two weeks of Mid-Columbia Conference basketball play in the books, some patterns are starting to emerge with certain teams.

For instance, Kamiakin and Richland boys are unbeaten in conference play, and so are the Pasco girls and … Hermiston?

Yes. The Hermiston girls are off to a 7-0 start, and 4-0 in MCC play. That includes an 84-74 victory over a very impressive Richland girls team this past Saturday.

First-year head coach Jay Ego has put together a pretty good Hermiston team that includes senior Katelynn Heidemann, a deadeye outside shooter who is already committed to Providence University in Montana next school year.

But Heidemann, who is averaging 13.5 points a game (thanks to Parker Hodge for keeping scoring stats for the MCC), isn’t the Bulldogs’ leading scorer.

That honor goes to freshman Izzy Simmons, who is currently averaging 22.1 points a game.

Meanwhile, Aaron Barcot’s Pasco girls have been doing what’s expected of them: winning.

The Bulldogs are 2-0 in MCC play and 4-0 overall.

They have four players averaging in double-figure scoring: Maya Groce at 17.7 points, Taija Mackey at 15.5, Leanna Lepe at 11.7, and Taleya Maiden at 11.5.

Groce, Mackey and Maiden are all seniors and have playing varsity since they were freshmen. Lepe is a junior.

The lone MCC girls matchup before Christmas will feature Pasco at Richland at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.

▪ In MCC boys play, Kamiakin — which is either ranked No. 1 or 2, depending on whose poll you’re looking at — is off to a 3-0 MCC start (5-0 overall), led by Oregon State-bound Tyler Bilodeau and fellow senior Trey Arland.

Meanwhile, Richland is also 3-0 in MCC play — 5-2 overall, with the two losses coming in a tournament in Utah. The Bombers’ latest MCC win, though, comes at the hands of a forfeit by Hermiston, which is battling a COVID outbreak.

It was announced on Sunday night that the Bulldogs were forfeiting games to Southridge and Richland this past weekend.

“The WIAA leaves this up to each league, and the MCC decided at the beginning of the COVID pandemic we would play or forfeit,” said Hermiston athletic director Larry Usher in an email Sunday night.

“The main reason was because teams had the option if they had to quarantine varsity players, of moving kids up and playing a varsity game, and several did not want to do this, so we voted to forfeit games,” he said.

Usher added that when Hermiston was originally informed it had to quarantine many of its varsity athletes, the school agreed to forfeit its freshman games and move kids up.

“Once we were informed on Friday afternoon of more positive tests in our sub varsity, we made the decision to cancel and forfeit all games,” said Usher. “Certainly, this was not a decision that was taken lightly, but given the circumstances, especially headed into the holidays, we knew it was for the best.”

Hermiston’s next game is set for Jan. 4, with a non-league contest at home against Lewiston.

MCC boys basketball standings

Kamiakin 3-0 MCC, 5-0 overall

Richland 3-0, 5-2Chiawana 2-1, 4-1

Hanford 1-1, 2-3

Kennewick 1-1, 2-3

Southridge 1-2, 2-4

Walla Walla 1-3, 2-5

Hermiston 1-3, 1-6

Pasco 0-2, 0-5

MCC girls basketball standings

Hermiston 4-0 MCC, 7-0 overall

Pasco 2-0, 4-0

Chiawana 2-1, 5-1

Richland 2-1, 3-1

Kennewick 2-1, 2-2

Kamiakin 1-2, 3-2

Southridge 1-3, 4-3

Hanford 0-2, 1-2

Walla Walla 0-4, 0-7

Wrestling

Hermiston’s boys traveled to La Grande on Dec. 11 to compete in the Muilenberg Invitational wrestling tournament.

Two of the Bulldogs — Sam Cadenas and Carlos Cervantes — earned individual weight class titles.

Cadenas had four pins en route to the 285-pound title, while Cervantes went 3-0 with two pins to take the 113-pound title.

▪ On the same day, Othello’s boys earned eight individual titles en route to winning the team title at their own Leonard Schutte Invitational in Othello.

Isaac Campos (113 pounds), Victorino De La Cruz (106), Adriel Flores (132), Kyler Freeman (145), Brandon Garza (195), Mason Perez (285), Zakary Rocha (160) and Josue Solorio (220) were tournament champions.

In addition, Southridge’s Jonathan Lowe had three pins en route to taking the 170-pound championship.

Signings

▪ Chiawana senior Sawyer Stenson, who helped lead the Riverhawks to the WIAA 4A state slowpitch softball championship this fall, will play fastpitch softball starting in the spring of 2023 at Lower Columbia Community College in the spring of 2023.

▪ Richland High senior Ethan Ammerman has committed to playing for Milligan University of Tennessee in baseball. Ammerman is a middle infielder.