Pasco girls have big weekend in Mid-Columbia Conference basketball
Got a good look at the Pasco and Chiawana girls basketball teams on Friday night.
For the record, the visiting Bulldogs pulled away from the Riverhawks for a 62-50 Mid-Columbia Conference victory.
And on Saturday, Pasco beat visiting Hermiston 81-50. The Bulldogs now sit atop the Mid-Columbia Conference girls basketball standings at 7-0 (10-0 overall).
Pasco girls basketball coach Aaron Barcot had a bit of a scare against Chiawana on Friday when two of his three star seniors — Taija Mackey and Taleya Maiden — were sitting on the bench in foul trouble, with three fouls each.
“I was terrified,” said Barcot. “Terrified!”
Lucky for him, though, the Bulldogs’ other star senior — guard Mya Groce — was still out on the floor.
Groce scored a game-high 28 points and was a calming presence the entire 32 minutes, leading visiting Pasco to the win.
“I’m not sure I’d call it feeling pressure,” said Groce. “But I knew there was going to be some pressure.”
Barcot has a lot of confidence with Groce out on the floor, leading the way.
“Without question, Mya is probably the best player in this league,” said Barcot. “And I believe in my heart she is one of the best in the state. I’d put Mya Groce out there against anyone as long as I live.”
When Mackey — who has been a double-double machine much of her four-year career at Pasco — left the court with her third foul with 4:58 to play in the first half, the Bulldogs had a 15-11 lead.
Chiawana answered with a 6-0 run before the Bulldogs settled down.
And even when Maiden picked up her third foul with 3:12 left before intermission and the game tied at 19-19, it was Groce who helped her team maintain composure. The senior sank four free throws and dished off an assist to Mireyah Lopez for a 3-point field goal.
The result? A 7-1 Bulldogs run to close out the half for a 26-20 lead at intermission.
Chiawana coach Mike Brown admits it was a key opportunity his Riverhawks missed with Mackey and Maiden sidelined.
“We are young, and we have a lot of teaching to do as coaches,” said Brown. “In that instance, we’ve got to work the ball into the post better.”
The post is where Brown’s star freshman, 6-foot-2 Malia Ruud, resides.
And the young star led the Riverhawks with 24 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.
But Barcot praised the play of sophomore post Da-Jaiah Stell, who came into the game and did a yeoman-like job of helping deny Ruud the ball during those late minutes of the first half.
In the third quarter, Chiawana freshman Kaia Foster came off the bench to sink three consecutive treys, giving the Riverhawks the lead at 35-34 going into the final quarter.
And that’s where Groce’s killer instinct took over.
She scored 13 points in the final 8 minutes — including scoring 7 points in a 9-0 run to put the game away. Groce added 7 rebounds, three steals and three assists for the night.
Despite the foul trouble, Maiden finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
It was the end of a highly-emotional evening. The Bulldogs were facing one of their old teammates, A’niyah Heavens, for the first time in two years.
Heavens had started with Groce, Mackey and Maiden at Pasco for both her freshman and sophomore seasons. But she transferred to Chiawana before her junior season, in which she sat out, and is the starting point guard now for the Riverhawks as a senior.
“She and I have played together for years,” said Groce. “I was nervous and emotional. But I think our nerves, as a team, settled down in the second half.”
For Brown, the two glaring stats were Pasco’s 18 offensive rebounds, and the 24 turnovers his team had that the Bulldogs turned into 20 points.
“We knew coming into the game it was going to be physical,” said Brown. “But we have another chance at them (in a few weeks).”
Those forced 24 turnovers gives Barcot a sense of pride.
“I love how well they defend and the heart they have to defend,” said Barcot. “We cover little things like closeouts, one-on-one defending the ball full court and what not at practice, but really their comfort with one another and communication with one another has made them a solid defensive group.
“Offensively we have our issue at times, but it’s on the defensive end where we hang our hat.”
Boys standings
MCC boys basketball through Jan. 17:
Kamiakin 7-0 MCC, 10-1 overall
Richland 6-1, 8-3
Chiawana 5-2, 8-3
Kennewick 5-2, 7-4
Walla Walla 3-4, 4-6
Hanford 2-5, 3-8
Southridge 2-5, 3-7
Hermiston 2-6, 2-12
Pasco 0-7, 0-11
Girls standings
MCC girls basketball through Jan. 17:
Pasco 7-0 MCC, 10-0 overall
Richland 5-2, 8-2
Chiawana 5-2, 8-3
Hermiston 5-3, 9-4
Kennewick 4-3, 6-4
Kamiakin 3-4, 7-4
Hanford 2-5, 5-5
Southridge 1-6, 4-6
Walla Walla 0-7, 1-10
▪ MCC notes: Hanford senior Iliana Moran is just 9 points from scoring her career 1,000th point. She’ll likely do it Tuesday night against Chiawana. … Pasco’s Groce sits at 968 career points, just 32 more to reach the 1,000thpoint mark. … It’s a big week for Chad Herron’s Chiawana boys. The Riverhawks visit Kamiakin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, then play host to Richland at 5 p.m. Saturday. Outside of Mt. Spokane beating Kamiakin in late December, Chiawana has come closest to the Braves — losing 74-72 on Jan. 8. … On the girls’ side Richland visits Chiawana on Saturday at 3:15 p.m., pitting the MCC’s two second-place teams against each other. So that makes for a good boys-girls doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Chiawana.
Columbia-Burbank basketball
Todd Schumacher’s Columbia-Burbank boys basketball team picked up an extra game last Thursday at home against Liberty Christian.
The host Coyotes raced past the Class 1B Patriots by a 79-42 score, giving Schumacher a 13-0 overall record.
Burbank is currently ranked No. 5 in the state 2B boys Ratings Percentage Index standings, and Schumacher says this is the time of the season when you start thinking about playoff spots.
“You start looking forward to some kind of placement,” he said.
With the loss of scheduled games against Lind-Ritzville and Granger a few weeks ago, Schumacher thought it would be a good idea to find some competitive replacement games.
“Liberty Christian and DeSales are two quality teams in the 1B ranks,” Schumacher said. “And those games could help them too.”
Liberty Christian (8-4) is ranked 13th in the WIAA’s RPI Index, while DeSales (12-2) is eighth. That contest is set for Tuesday in Walla Walla (7:30 p.m. tipoff).
Schumacher’s Coyotes like to run the ball whenever possible. They’re not tall — no one over 6-2.
But they’re great at passing, running and shooting, and could go deep into the postseason.
Last spring’s team went 13-0, and this current one is 13-0.
But Schumacher won’t say this year’s squad — with guys like Michael Lenke, Jonathan Palacios, Parker Nelson and Elijah Kinsey — is his best. Or at least better than last spring’s 13-0 squad.
“People are saying that,” said Schumacher. “It’s definitely No. 1 or 2. Those two teams have been fun to watch.”
Especially when you add in the freshman trio of Tristan Frimodt, Crew Pareira and Quincy Scott.
Frimodt and Scott do not look or play like freshmen.
“They both see the floor well,” said Schumacher. On this night, Frimodt and Scott scored in double digits. Frimodt is really good at slashing to the basket, while Scott has a very high-arcing, yet accurate 3-point shot.
Look for Schumacher’s Coyotes to make a deep run in the postseason.
CBC basketball
The Columbia Basin College men’s basketball team, after a month off as NWAC play was paused due to COVID, defeated visiting Yakima Valley 74-62 to open East Region play on Monday.
Two Richland High grads, Garrett Streufert and Tyler Kurz, led the way for CBC.
Streufert scored 19 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had four assists; Kurz added 17 points, 9 boards and 3 assists.
Amar Rivers came off the bench to score 10 points and dish off 4 assists.
CBC will next play at home Wednesday against Big Bend Community College.
▪ The CBC women’s team was also set to open East Region play on Monday. But YVC’s women’s team was unable to compete due to COVID protocols.
Because of East Region rules, CBC’s women open conference play with a 2-0 forfeit victory.
CBC will also play host to Big Bend’s women on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.; men’s game follows at 7:30 p.m.
▪ Kennewick High grad MeiLani McBee made some key shots to lead the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team to a 77-73 Big West Conference win at UC Irvine last Saturday, Jan. 15.
McBee sank two 3-point field goals in the middle of a key 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to stave off the Anteaters’ rally. She finished shooting 5-for-8 from the 3-point line for 15 points.
McBee, a freshman, is getting more playing time for the Wahine team, which is now 2-1 in Big West play, 5-7 overall.
She has started in eight games, averaging 5.2 points, and is shooting 51 percent from the 3-point line (15 of 29).