Wildcats take down the Vikings
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 2 weeks AGO
The Central Washington bench erupts after a big play against Western Washington Saturday. The Wildcats defeated the Vikings 75-58 to remain undefeated in conference play.
COURTESY PHOTO/NATHAN HERDE/CWU ATHLETICS
ELLENSBURG — The Central Washington Wildcats (14-1) defeated the Western Washington Vikings (12-5) 75-58 on Saturday to remain undefeated in the Greater Northwest Conference, according to a statement by CWU Athletics. The ‘Cats haven’t had a loss in conference play, with their only setback this season being a nonconference game against California State Polytechnic University.
Head coach Randi Richardson said it was a well-rounded performance by her players, who secured their sixth straight win.
“Our team executed incredibly well on both sides and showed a great amount of consistency for the full 40 minutes,” Richardson said. “I loved how we shared the ball, which is reflected in our assists and point spread. Defensively, we did a very good job limiting their top scorers below their averages, besides (Libby) Stump, which is a tough thing to do with the talent they have. I'm happy for our team and we are going to enjoy this one.”
The two teams exchanged baskets to begin the game, but a layup by Capri Sims sparked a 12-2 run by the 'Cats to take the 14-6 lead and force WWU to call a timeout with 4:10 left in the first.
Aspen Garrison earned a jumper for the Vikings immediately following the timeout, but was responded to by a three from Sierra Eddie and four-straight free throws by Annalee Coronado to make it a 21-8 Central lead. The Vikings earned back-to-back buckets, but Fiona Snashall drilled a jumper as time expired to give CWU the 23-12 lead after the first quarter.
The two teams exchanged buckets all the way to the media timeout as the 'Cats held onto the 29-19 lead. Following the pause, the 'Cats held WWU scoreless for the rest of the second while finishing the quarter on a 10-0 run to take the 39-19 lead heading into the half.
Once again, the two teams battled back-and-forth to begin the third quarter, but a three by Eddie at the 6:38 mark sparked a 9-0 run by the crimson and black to make it a 53-26 CWU lead. Back-and-forth again it went for the rest of the third with the quarter ending on a pair of free throws by Kayla Thornton as CWU took the 62-32 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
The Vikings began the fourth quarter with a 10-3 run to cut the CWU lead to 65-42 heading into the media timeout. A 7-1 run by WWU after the media timeout saw the CWU lead cut to 17, 66-49, with 2:53 left. The two teams continued to slug it out blow-for-blow for the rest of the game as CWU earned a 75-58 victory over their rivals.
According to WWU athletics, junior guard Libby Stump led all players with a game-high 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting, her fourth 20-point performance of the season. Senior forward Olivia Hodges fell just short of another double-double, contributing 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Wildcats had several players put together standout performances Saturday. Asher Cai led CWU with 21 points, adding one rebound and five assists. Thornton added 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Snashall tacked on another double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds while adding four assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Coronado had a season-high 10 points and paired it with two rebounds and two assists. Sims added eight points, five rebounds, two assists, three blocks, and a steal. Eddie contributed nine points, one rebound, four assists, and two steals. Rylee Leishman added two points and two steals, while both Emily Shaw and Aliyah Finch added one point, with Finch also adding a rebound and a block.
The 'Cats finished the game shooting 55.6 percent from the floor, 50% from three, and 73.1% at the free-throw line. The Vikings finished the game shooting 33.9% from the floor, 23.1 percent from three, and a perfect 13-13 at the free-throw line. CWU edged WWU in the rebound battle 32-31.
CWU hits the road Jan. 15 to play Seattle Pacific at 5:15 p.m.
BOX SCORE:
WWU: 12-7-13-26: 58
CWU: 23-16-23-13: 75
ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
Ross, Char sisters power Mavs past Vikings
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks (1-5) earned a much-needed win Tuesday as they defeated the Selah Vikings 2-0 at Lions Field. For Head Coach Alysha Overland, this moment wasn’t a matter of if, but when. “We definitely needed it; we were due for one,” Overland said. “We've been putting in a lot of hard work, even in the games we've been putting in hard work. Just haven't gotten the results. This one feels good. Feels like we're hopefully turning the corner now and putting the work that we're putting into practice into the game.” The Mavericks got on the board early, finding the back of the net within the first five minutes of the game. From there, they kept up the pressure in the attack, missing a couple shots on goal while preventing Selah from creating pressure of their own.
Huskies passing game difference maker in victory over Eagles
SEATTLE — The University of Washington Huskies (3-0) defended home field 48-16 against the Eastern Washington Eagles (1-3) Saturday in the final non-conference matchup of the season for both teams. “Thought we did some good things on offense today,” Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch said during the postgame press conference. “There was a couple times that I thought we had some opportunities that we didn’t execute (on), but I felt for the most part we played the type of offense I’d like us to play. Defensively, very disappointed in the penalties. That is not okay to have 100 yards in penalties and multiple drives were kept alive because of penalties. We're too talented on defense to let our emotions get the best of us.”
Basin volleyball roundup, Sept. 15-22
MOSES LAKE — As the end of September draws near, so does the first month of Basin volleyball. Many teams over the past week navigated stiff non-league games as they look to set themselves up for a strong second half to the 2026 season. See below how your favorite teams fared last week.