Richland boys, Chiawana girls finish 1st half MCC basketball season atop standings

We’ve reached the halfway point of conference play in local high school basketball, and for the 3A-4A Mid-Columbia Conference, there are a few obvious things to point out.

The Richland boys and Chiawana girls are definitely the top teams in their respective leagues, for one.

The Bombers boys have yet to lose a game — conference or non-league — this season. Richland will get a test on Monday when it plays Tahoma in a Martin Luther King Jr. card that is being held at Federal Way High School.

Richland juniors Landen Northrop and Lance Horntvedt average a combined 54 points between them. So if you are an opponent, how do you try to defend that 1-2 punch? Now, throw in sophomore Jackson Woodard, the Bombers point guard, who is starting to figure things out. Woodard has become a legitimate third option on offense.

The Riverhawks girls, meanwhile, are unbeaten in MCC play. Only Class 2A Prosser has handed Chiawana a loss, and that back in early December.

The second half of conference play begins Friday.

Here are a few other things this season that have caught my eye:

▪ The top five MCC boys scoring leaders right now:

1. Landen Northrop, Richland, 29.7 points

2. Daniel Trotenya, Kennewick, 25.2

3. Lance Horntvedt, Richland, 24.9

4. Truman Bullington, Walla Walla, 19.3

5. Reece Rheinschmidt, Hanford, 17.3

Only Rheinschmidt is a senior.

Northrop, by the way, has hit the 1,000-points mark in his career already. The junior has started for Richland ever since his freshman season. … Richland’s Woodard leads the MCC with 4.4 assists per game. … Kennewick’s Trotenya — a 6-4 junior — likes to mix it up inside. His 9.3 rebounds per game leads the MCC.

▪ Congratulations goes out to Kamiakin boys basketball coach Brian Meneely, whose Braves defeated Hermiston 63-50 on Jan. 4.

That gave Meneely his 300th career victory. As of Jan. 6, Meneely has a 301-141 career coaching record. That’s a 68 percent winning percentage.

▪ The top five MCC girls scoring leaders to this point:

1. Mackenzie Schulz, Richland, 21.9 points

2. Izzy Simmons, Hermiston, 16.7

3. Aubrey Herrin, Kamiakin, 16.1

4. Malia Ruud, Chiawana, 15.58

5. Liv Whitemarsh, Kamiakin, 15.50

All five players are seniors.

▪ One player not in that top five deserves special mention, and that’s Chiawana senior Kaia Foster. The University of New Mexico commit is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double with 14.8 points and 10.0 rebounds. On Dec. 21, Foster helped Chiawana beat Kennewick 52-49 by scoring 15 points. That put Foster over the 1,000 points mark for her career.

▪ Foster’s teammate, senior Malia Ruud, has been one of Chiawana High School’s all-time greats when it comes to girls basketball.

A standout since her freshman year, Ruud has already signed to play for the Washington State University women’s basketball starting in the fall.

In December, though, Ruud hit some big career marks.

On Dec. 18 in a win over Kamiakin, the post player scored her 1,500th career point.

Nine days later, while playing in a win over Lake City of Coeur d’Alene in the Glacier Peak tournament, Ruud grabbed her 1,000th career rebound.

Both Ruud and Foster have been nominated to play in the McDonald’s High School All-American Game later this year.

▪ Kennewick High senior Dylyn Dress, a standout for the Lions’ team since her freshman season, surpassed the 1000-points career mark on Dec. 27th in a win over Sandpoint, Idaho, at a tournament in Spokane. The 6-foot senior guard has signed to play women’s basketball next fall for Eastern Washington University.

3A-4A MCC Boys Basketball

Through games of Jan. 15

Richland (4A) 8-0 MCC, 11-0 overall

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

Kennewick (3A) 6-2, 9-3

Kamiakin (4A) 5-3, 8-4

Hermiston (3A) 4-4, 7-6

Walla Walla (3A) 3-5, 6-6

Southridge (3A) 3-5, 4-9

Hanford (4A) 1-7, 1-10

Pasco (4A) 0-8, 1-11

Jan. 10

Hanford 70, Pasco 76

Hermiston 68, Southridge 64

Kennewick 52, Kamiakin 37

Richland 79, Walla Walla 57

Jan. 11

Chiawana 84, Hanford 47

Kamiakin 60, Southridge 50

Richland 100, Hermiston 54

Walla Walla 65, Pasco 45

Jan. 14

Davis 96, Pasco 49

Jan. 17

Hermiston at Pasco, 7:30 p.m.

Kennewick at Southridge, 7:30 p.m.

Lewiston at Hanford, 6 p.m.

Richland at Kamiakin, 7:30 p.m.

Walla Walla at Chiawana, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 18

Pasco at Rogers-Spokane, 3 p.m.

Jan. 20

Richland vs. Tahoma, Federal Way High School, 1:30 p.m.

3A-4A MCC Girls Basketball

Through games of Jan. 15

Chiawana (4A) 8-0 MCC, 11-1 overall

Kamiakin (4A) 7-1, 9-3

Kennewick (3A) 6-2, 9-2

Southridge (3A) 4-4, 8-4

Hermiston (3A) 3-5, 5-7

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

Richland (4A) 3-5, 4-8

Pasco (4A) 1-7, 2-8

Hanford (4A) 1-7, 1-9

Jan. 3

Chiawana 73, Southridge 39

Kamiakin 61, Walla Walla 47

Kennewick 77, Hanford 13

Pasco 48, Richland 46

Jan. 4

Chiawana 77, Richland 33

Kamiakin 81, Hermiston 48

Kennewick 74, Walla Walla 45

Pasco 61, Shadle Park 16

Southridge 55, Hanford 34

Jan. 10

Hanford 53, Pasco 50

Kamiakin 54, Kennewick 45

Richland 78, Walla Walla 66

Southridge 65, Hermiston 51

Jan. 11

Chiawana 73, Hanford 22

Kamiakin 56, Southridge 48

Richland 72, Hermiston 62

Walla Walla 52, Pasco 43

Jan. 17

Hanford at Eisenhower, 6:30 p.m.

Hermiston at Pasco, 5:45 p.m.

Kennewick at Southridge, 5:45 p.m.

Richland at Kamiakin, 5:45 p.m.

Walla Walla at Chiawana, 5:45 p.m.

Jan. 18

Central Valley at Kennewick, 5 p.m.

Pasco at Rogers-Spokane, 1:30 p.m.

This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Richland boys, Chiawana girls finish 1st half MCC basketball season atop standings."