• WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

YAKIMA, Wash. — Freshman Addie Kiefer had 18 points and eight rebounds for North Idaho College, which kept its playoff hopes alive with a 58-49 win over Yakima Valley in a Northwest Athletic Conference game on Saturday afternoon.

NIC (15-11, 9-6 NWAC) is in fourth-place in the East Region with one game remaining on Wednesday at home against third-place Wenatchee Valley (13-13, 10-5). Big Bend (15-12, 9-6), currently in fifth, lost at Blue Mountain on Saturday.

The top four teams from each region advance to the NWAC Championships starting March 8 at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash.

Kaylee Banks, a sophomore from Sandpoint, had 14 points and three rebounds off the bench for NIC.

Aliyah Finch had 18 points and 16 rebounds for Yakima Valley (9-16, 6-9).

NORTH IDAHO

Katie Blume 1-6 0-0 2, Laney Smith 0-4 2-2 2, Sorrell Aldendorf 0-4 0-0 0, Solei Elletson 2-11 5-6 10, Addie Kiefer 8-13 2-4 18, Paige Beem 4-6 0-0 8, Meghan Calley 2-3 0-0 4, Kaylee Banks 5-10 1-1 14. Totals 22-57 10-13 58.

YAKIMA VALLEY

Iliana Ramos 5-10 1-1 14, Aliyah Finch 9-15 0-2 18, Skylar Begay 2-9 0-0 4, Hope Driscoll 1-7 1-2 4, Faith McCarty 1-3 0-0 3, Taylor Newman 2-10 0-0 4, Jasslyn Ramos 0-1 2-2 2, Courtney Standley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-55 4-7 49.

North Idaho 20 13 9 16 — 58

Yakima Valley 15 15 6 13 — 49

3-point goals — NIC 4-17 (Blume 0-2, Smith 0-1, Aldendorf 0-1, Elletson 1-5, Beem 0-2, Banks 3-6), YVC 5-17 (Ramos 3-5, Begay 0-3, Driscoll 1-4, McCarty 1-2, Newman 0-3). Rebounds — NIC 32 (Kiefer 8), YVC 37 (Fich 16). Assists — NIC 10 (Elletson 4), YVC 8 (Finch, McCarty, Newman 2). Team fouls — NIC 9, YVC 17. Fouled out — Driscoll.

• MEN'S BASKETBALL

North Idaho 76

Yakima Valley 66

YAKIMA, Wash. — The top-ranked Cardinals shot 31 of 53 to close out the Yaks in a Northwest Athletic Conference game, moving one game from an unbeaten regular season.

NIC (27-0, 15-0 NWAC), which has clinched the East Region title, closes out the regular season at home on Wednesday against Wenatchee Valley.

Sophomore Brendan Johnson scored 21 points for NIC, which outrebounded Yakima Valley 32-23.

Jamon Kemp scored 23 for Yakima Valley (10-14, 7-8).

NORTH IDAHO

Julius Mims 8-13 0-0 17, Xavier Bailey 4-6 0-3 10, Cobi Campbell 6-8 3-3 16, Brendan Johnson 7-9 4-4 21, Taden King 4-7 0-0 8, Kamryn Thomas 1-3 0-0 2, Phil Holmes 0-1 0-0 0, Kyle Karstetter 1-6 0-2 2. Totals 31-53 7-12 76.

YAKIMA VALLEY

Mason Tinley 1-6 2-2 4, Javonte Darrett 7-10 0-0 15, Jamon Kemp 10-17 3-3 23, Bright Kari 2-4 0-0 4, Conner Turner 3-7 1-2 9, Winston Cole 0-0 0-0 0, Godwin Ilumoka 0-0 0-0 0, David Tinner 3-8 0-0 7, State Joe 1-2 1-3 4, Wyatt Dunning 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-55 7-10 66.

Halftime — NIC 39-36. 3-point goals — NIC 7-17 (Mims 1-4, Bailey 2-2, Campbell 1-1, Johnson 3-4, King 0-3, Thomas 0-1, Karstetter 0-2), YVC 5-13 (Tinley 0-2, Darrett 1-3, Kemp 0-1, Turner 2-4, Tinner 1-2, Joe 1-1). Rebounds — NIC 32 (Mims 8), YVC 23 (Turner 8). Assists — NIC 11 (Johnson, Karstetter 3), YVC 10 (Tinley 4). Team fouls — NIC 8, YVC 15. Fouled out — none. Technical fouls — Bailey.

• SOFTBALL

North Idaho College's weekend series against Mt. Hood of Gresham, Ore., scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Yakima, was canceled due to hazerdous road conditions preventing Mt. Hood from traveling.

NIC returns to action at Centralia on Friday.