WARDEN — Head coach Wes Richins had a simple message for his team at halftime: attack.

Warden was marred in a first-half shooting slump that allowed Kittitas to take a 24-19 lead into the locker room. High-scoring Brock Ravet was throwing in 25-foot jumpers while the Cougars’ shots clanged off the rim.

But in the second half Warden found its identity and began to bully Kittitas on the inside, locking down defensively to win 51-40.

“We needed to be more aggressive and we needed to attack the rim a little bit more,” Richins said.

The Cougars barreled into the paint in the third quarter, scoring all of their points in the paint or from the free throw line. A pair of Adam Richins free throws gave Warden the lead for good, 28-27.

Kittitas’ offense came to a screeching halt in the second half. The long jumpers that fell for Ravet in the first half were off target in the second due in large part to the individual defense of Sergio Vela and box-and-one team defense executed by the Cougars.

“Sergio did a great job with him,” Wes Richins said. “They always knew where he was.”

JR Delgado opened the fourth quarter by burying a corner three-pointer and a baseline jump shot to extend Warden’s lead to six points. After a four-point first half, Delgado would go on to score 13 in the fourth quarter. Delgado racked up 19 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.

“He played big,” Wes Richins said. “He played real big yesterday.”

A seven-point flurry by Delgado and Adam Richins helped the Cougars’ lead swell to eight points, 43-35. Delgado scored on a layup and free throw line jumper before Adam Richins connected from distance.

Adam Richins and Tanner Skone scored 12 points each as Warden hit crucial free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Despite losing to Waterville on Friday 33-31, Warden is still in a position to win the CW2B South title. Wins against White Swan and at Mabton would sew up the league championship and No. 1 seed in the district tournament.

Moses Lake 51, Eisenhower 40

YAKIMA — Cesar Sandoval’s 22 points and 10 rebounds powered Moses Lake past Eisenhower 51-40.

Moses Lake held a narrow 39-35 margin before holding Eisenhower to five points in the fourth quarter. Zack Phillips added 14 points for the Chiefs.

Ephrata splits game to stay alive in playoff hunt

Ephrata held on to the No. 6 seed in the CWAC after splitting games with Grandview and Prosser.

Ephrata’s latest heart-breaker came in the form of a 75-74 loss to Grandview. The Greyhounds’ Gunner Chronis stole the ball in the waning seconds and made two free throws after being fouled. The Tigers had a final shot to win, but missed.

Chronis got loose for 36 points, 26 of which came in the second half. Cameron Clark led Ephrata with 21 points. Bryce Davis and Collin Ahmann scored 19 and 16 points, respectively.

Ephrata stayed in the playoff hunt with a Herculean four quarter against Prosser. Davis converted a four-point play late, powering the Tigers to a 60-57 win.

Ephrata outscored Prosser 23-14 in the fourth quarter. Bailey Evenson and Clark scored 13 points each against the Mustangs.

Quincy falls to seventh after losses to Ellensburg, Selah

Quincy fell into a tie for seventh place in the CWAC after losses to Ellensburg and sixth-ranked Selah.

The Jacks failed to rally against the Bulldogs after trailing 26-16 at halftime and lost 49-42. Johan Farias scored 16 points to pace Quincy.

Quincy struggled offensively against league-leading Selah, scoring no more than six points in any quarter. Farias scored five points in the 58-19 loss.

Elijah Pepper turned in 11 points, four assist and four steal for the Vikings.

Othello drops games to Wapato, Toppenish

Trenton Cutforth’s 23 points wasn’t enough as Othello lost to Wapato 88-63.

Kyler Villareal and Diego Buenrostro added 16 and 13 points, respectively, for the Huskies.

Othello couldn’t contain Toppenish’s Austin Ide and Isaiah Perez in an 84-42 loss. Ide and Perez combined for 41 points.

Soap Lake falls to Kittitas, Entiat

Soap Lake dropped its games to Kittitas, 53-32, and Entiat 69-42.

Jackson Wilks scored 10 points for the Eagles against the Coyotes.