Chiawana knocks off No. 3 Moses Lake in nonleague dual

Two of the state’s top 4A teams met Wednesday night in a nonleague dual, but that did not take away from the importance of the match.

Moses Lake won four of the first five matches and held a 22-6 lead, but Chiawana’s stable of quality light and middle weights, did their part in helping the Riverhawks to a 42-29 road victory over the Chiefs.

“We just beat the third-ranked team in the state,” Chiawana coach Jack Anderson said. “Our kids went up there ready to fight, ready to battle. Their crowd was big and rowdy. It was exciting.”

Josh Alvarez put the Riverhawks on the board at 285 pounds, pinning Sebastian Rodriguez in the first round. The Chiefs would win the next two match for a 22-6 lead, but that’s when the tide began to shift.

Kevin Llamas beat Hunter White 2-1 at 120, then Robby Vaughn pinned Xzavier Villarreal in the first round at 126 to make it 22-15.

Kobe Santoyo (132) and Morgan McFee (138) followed with pins to give Chiawana a 27-22 lead.

In a battle of ranked wrestlers at 152, No. 2 Riley Cissne defeated No. 8 Christien Knopp to give the Riverhawks a 30-25 lead. Moses Lake would get no closer.

“They had eight seniors in their lineup and we are young and scrappy,” Anderson said. “This match is the highlight of our season, so far.”

At 170, Moses Lake’s Hunter Cruz suffered his first loss when he was disqualified because of unsportsmanlike conduct.

Tied 2-2 with Tavin Blair, Cruz was pull off the mat by his coach Jaime Garza in the first round because of his actions, according to Anderson.

NWAC Basketball

WALLA WALLA WOMEN 63, WENATCHEE 53: Jade Skidmore had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Cierra Jo McKeown (Touchet) chipped in 13 points and five assists as the Warriors posted a road win over the Knights in East Region action.

WWCC (14-1, 2-0 East) open the game with a 23-11 lead after the first quarter, only to find itself on the losing end at the half, 29-28.

A 21-8 run by the Warriors in third helped them pull away for good.

COLUMBIA BASIN COLLEGE WOMEN 76, NORTH IDAHO 61: The Hawks moved to 3-0 in the East Region standings with a road victory over the Cardinals.

Alexis Castro led the way with 17 points and five assists for CBC (12-4), while Catherine Baham came off the bench to add 14 points and four rebounds.

WENATCHEE MEN 75, WALLA WALLA 74: Two free throws by Justin Martin with no time left on the clock propelled the Knights to a home win over the Warriors.

After trailing by three at the half, WWCC took a 54-52 lead on a basket by Kendall Watson at 12:07, and held the lead from there until the end when Martin made his free throws.

Brandon Porter and Landon Radliff (Richland) each had 17 points, while Kendall Watson (Hanford) added 14 points. Radliff also had six steal and four rebounds.

NORTH IDAHO MEN 90, COLUMBIA BASIN 59: Gabe Smith (Richland) scored 22 points and Kason Blaire (Prosser) 21, but the Hawks dropped their 10th straight game, on the road against the Cardinals in an East region matchup.

Tyler Brimhall led North Idaho (11-4, 1-1) with 30 points on 6-of-9 3-point shooting, while adding nine rebounds. Sean Weekes had five assists and a game-high four steals for CBC (2-13, 0-3).

High school gymnastics

KAMIAKIN 152.750, SOUTHRIDGE 152.295: Samantha Harper won the vault, Sophia Mancinelli the bars and Abigail Winstead the floor exercise to lead the host Braves to a narrow victory.

Southridge’s Makayla Hui won the all-around title by winning the beam and taking second in bars and floor. Kamiakin has won all four of the MCC meets this season, none by more than six points.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Chiawana knocks off No. 3 Moses Lake in nonleague dual."