Keep an eye on these Tri-Cities regional standouts in 2nd half of prep basketball season

Earlier this week, we took a look at some of the region’s key Class 4A and 3A high school basketball players to keep watching during the second half of this season — which includes the post-season all the way to the state tournaments in early March.

Now let’s take a look at the top players among Class 2A, 1A, 2B and 1B levels from our region.

Boys basketball

Here’s 10 small-school boys basketball players to keep an eye on this second half of the high school season:

▪ Grandview’s Lino Armendariz and Levi Dorsett: Armendariz, a sophomore, leads the Greyhounds in scoring at 13.7 points a game; while Dorsett, a junior, was a first-team all-conference player last season.

Dorsett got a slow start to this season when he was injured.

▪ Cade Clyde, Connell: The big fellow plays well inside the post. Has committed to playing football this coming fall at Weber State University. Was outstanding at Connell at tight end and defensive end.

▪ Tristan Frimodt, Michael Lenke and Quincy Scott, Columbia-Burbank: Todd Schumacher’s Coyotes basketball team is one of the most entertaining to watch. They run a hell-hath-no-fury type of offense that’s high-octane and running.

Frimodt and Scott are sophomores. Frimodt runs the point. But he finds plenty of opportunities to score himself with breakaway steals and jumpers.

Scott has a very high-arching 3-point field goal that can be impossible to defend and is very accurate.

Lenke, a senior and a standout all-around athlete at Burbank, can rebound, pass and shoot.

Altogether — and as well with their supporting cast — the Coyotes are well worth the price of admission every time they play.

This squad is among the best of any Class 2B teams in the entire state.

▪ Cole Jordan, Tri-Cities Prep: In any other year, more people would be paying attention to the Jaguars a lot more intensely — if Burbank wasn’t in their conference.

But Prep has proven it’s a good team too. And Jordan, a senior, is the leader of the Jags.

He was an all-conference player last season for the 2B Eastern Washington Athletic Conference.

▪ Koby McClure and Kory McClure, Prosser: If we had more room, we’d throw in JJ Reyes too.

The Mustangs have been among the top Class 2A teams in the state this year, and so far, the best of the Class 2A Central Washington Athletic Conference.

Part of that reason is the McClures.

Koby is a sophomore and can shoot from the outside. His 17.9 points per game is second-best in the CWAC.

Kory is a junior and averages 12.3 a game. So between them, they give the Mustangs 30 points a game.

▪ Cole Wagenaar, Sunnyside Christian: Every year, the Knights are always among the best of the state’s Class 1B teams. This season is no different. And Wagenaar, a senior, is the leader of this team. He was a first-team all-Southeast 1B selection last season.

Girls basketball

Here are 10 players to watch among this region’s small schools for the second half of the season:

▪ McKaila Barcom, Tri-Cities Prep: The Jaguars are in the middle of the 2B EWAC standings, and the senior Barcom is a big reason they’re 10-4 right now. Good scorer and rebounder.

▪ Annalee Coronado, Othello: Currently the fifth-best scorer in the 2A CWAC averaging 14.7 points, this senior has already committed to play next season for the Central Washington University women’s team.

▪ Lay’lee Dixon and Adriana Milanez, Prosser: If it wasn’t for University of Washington-bound Olivia Anderson and her Ellensburg Bulldogs — the top Class 2A team in the state — the Mustangs might just be the best 2A girls team in the region.

But still, Prosser holds its own. The Mustangs are ranked No. 4 in the latest Class 2A State RPI listing, and part of that reason is these two sophomores.

Dixon is averaging 15.7 points to rank fourth in the CWAC, while Milanez has sank 24 3-point field goals in 12 games, which ranks No. 2 in the conference.

Not sure anyone expected the Mustangs to be 11-3 this season after losing stars Halle Wright, Malia Cortes and Leila Taylor to graduation. But here we are.

▪ Quinn Erdman and Lauryn Madsen, Warden: The remaining starters from last spring’s Class 2B state championship team is back.

The Cougars are 10-4, but that’s deceiving. Their losses include one to small-school powers Cashmere and Colfax, and another to Class 4A juggernaut Woodinville.

Come post-season, the Cougars will be ready to defend their state title.

▪ College Place’s Jenna Hill and Sumi Leavell: Perhaps a bit too quietly, the Hawks have been putting together a great season so far.

At 12-2, College Place is taking care of business in the 1A SCAC East with a 5-0 conference play record. The Hawks’ only two losses are to 1A SCAC West power Zillah, as well as to the No. 1 team in the state, Wapato.

Hill and Leavell, both seniors, were all-conference players last season.

▪ Grandview’s Jazmine Richey and Natalee Trevino: These two seniors lead the Greyhounds, with Trevino averaging 17.9 points (No. 2) and Richey at 12.9 (No. 7) among CWAC players.

Trevino was a first-team all-CWAC star last season, while Richey was second-team all-conference.

Notes

Richland’s Ethan Johnston finished first in the boys 500 freestyle swim a few weekends ago at the Kentridge Invitational swim meet. Teammate Cody Cowin took a third-place finish in the 100 backstroke. Those placings bode well for the Bombers as they approach the state meet in the middle of next month.

▪ Columbia Basin College outfielder Brooks Rasmussen knows where he’s headed after this coming season for the Hawks.

Rasmussen, a sophomore, has signed a letter-of-intent to play at Metropolitan State in Denver next year.

▪ Senior middle blocker Ashley Ripplinger (Prosser) had 165 kills, and was second on the Oregon Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team with 59 blocks this past season.

OIT finished the season with a 15-13 record.