2 Tri-City teams are pulling away from rest of Mid-Columbia Conference in boys basketball

The Mid-Columbia Conference has almost reached the halfway point of conference play, and things are starting to shake out.

Here are a couple of observations when it comes to MCC boys basketball:

▪ Richland has started to come on. Earl Streufert’s squad is unbeaten at 7-0 in MCC play. That includes a 65-57 home win over Kamiakin last Friday night.

First thing noticeable was that Art Dawald Gymnasium was packed. Someone said it’s the first time the gym was that packed since 2014.

Streufert said the gym’s capacity is about 3,800. But it sure seemed like more than that.

In that boys contest, Bombers senior Josh Woodard was outstanding, scoring 22 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and adding 6 assists and 6 steals.

The steals that Woodard had were key in the victory.

“We need to show we’re a defensive team,” said Woodard. “I am always on the lookout to pick the ball for a steal. Coach Streufert has had me doing that since I was a freshman.”

Woodard provided some key moments in the third quarter.

At one point in that quarter, Kamiakin senior Peter Dress sank two free throws for a 41-39 Braves lead.

But after that, Richland put together a big run — a 10-0 blitz, and a 17-5 explosion to pull away for good.

Richland’s Jack Forbes scored eight of the first 10 points in that run, but the key turning point was an 8-0 run that was led by Woodard. Richland only led 45-41 at the time.

And then Woodard:

• Tipped a pass that Forbes turned into a steal and a breakaway dunk.
• Stole a pass on the next possession and found Forbes for a layin.
• Followed up a Dress trey by making a driving layup of his own.
• Took a pass from Landon Northrop on the next possession and buried a 3-point field goal.

That was it. Richland led 54-44 and never was threatened again.

“He’s been doing this since August (when football season started),” said Streufert. “He sets the bar high for himself.”

The bottom line was Richland outscored Kamiakin 24-9 on points off of turnovers.

The Bombers forced the Braves into 16 turnovers.

“You can’t turn it over 16 times and win,” said Kamiakin coach Brian Meneely.

· Kamiakin is better than maybe I thought they’d be. My fault.

Dress — who has committed to playing next year for NAIA Embry-Riddle University in Arizona — led all scorers with 28 points on Friday in Richland, and he added 8 rebounds.

What I wasn’t sure about was whether Dress — who will always get his points — had enough of a supporting cast around him to make the Braves successful.

Trust me. There is plenty of talent on Meneely’s team.

Senior James Kinsey and sophomore Nicholas Malisani are pretty talented athletes themselves. And senior forward Zae’Vion Gladney, who was hurt during football season, is just starting to get his basketball legs under him.

By the postseason, Gladney will be a big piece of the Braves’ run.

▪ This Kamiakin-Richland series never seems to have a blowout anymore.

“It’s always a battle between these schools,” said Woodard. “It’s always a great atmosphere.”

Streufert and Meneely agreed. And the crowd Friday night knew it too.

“Before the game, I told some of our guys to look around at this crowd,” Streufert said. “Some of our guys were on the floor smiling out there. It was nice to see.” Meneely says it’s two programs that have had a bit of success, “and they take a lot of pride in themselves. Look at the crowd that shows up. It was nice to see. What a cool environment for the kids.”

Round two is at Kamiakin on Feb. 2.

A possible Round three might be on hand in the postseason.

▪ While Richland and Kamiakin (both Class 4A schools) are in the upper echelons of the MCC boys standings, the next four teams in the standings are 3A schools — Walla Walla, Southridge, Hermiston and Kennewick.

Just two games separate the four schools, and here’s something to keep in mind: only three of those teams will advance to the District 8 tournament. That’s because the Greater Spokane League has many more Class 3A schools than the MCC does.

▪ But the MCC has more Class 4A schools than the GSL does. And what that means is all five Class 4A schools in the MCC have already qualified for the District 8 tournament.

▪ According to MCC statistician Parker Hodge, Southridge’s Jesse Tijerina should be the next boys player to cross over the 1,000 career points mark.

As of Jan. 2, Hodge said that Tijerina has 858 total points, and he should get to 1,000 sometime this month.

Tijerina is a big reason the Suns are 4-3 in MCC play — although there is a strong supporting cast that includes senior Kellen Walford and sophomore Nick Williamson.

▪ Biggest game this weekend is Walla Walla at Richland on Friday. Blue Devils coach Adam Berg has a three-headed monster of Ken Higgins, Dane Gardea and Will Sullivan doing a lot of damage.

All three are seniors, and Higgins leads the team in scoring at 18.0 points a game.

Gardea (12.4 points) and Sullivan (10.8) also average in double-figure scoring.

MCC Boys Basketball

Standings through Jan. 9

Richland (4A) 7-0 MCC, 8-2 overall

Kamiakin (4A) 6-1, 10-2

Walla Walla (3A) 5-2, 7-5

Southridge (3A) 4-3, 6-6

Hermiston (3A) 3-4, 4-7

Kennewick (3A) 3-4, 4-7

Hanford (4A) 2-5, 3-8

Chiawana (4A) 2-6, 2-11

Pasco (4A) 0-7, 0-11

Jan. 5 — Chiawana 71, Hanford 66; Richland 65, Kamiakin 57; Southridge 71, Pasco 36; Walla Walla 68, Kennewick 60

Jan. 6 — Hermiston 58, Chiawana 56; Kamiakin 72, Pasco 20; Richland 84, Kennewick 46; Southridge 56, Hanford 54

Jan. 9 — Hermiston 85, Eisenhower 56

Jan. 12 — Kamiakin at Hanford, 7:30 p.m.; Kennewick at Pasco, 7:30 p.m.; Southridge at Hermiston, 7:30 p.m.; Walla Walla at Richland, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 13 — Chiawana at Southridge, 5 p.m.; Hanford at Kennewick, 5 p.m.; Hermiston at Kamiakin, 5 p.m.; Walla Walla at Pasco, 5 p.m.