Yahoo Movies Hanford’s Moran, Pasco’s Groce reach 1,000-point marks for their basketball careers
It was another busy week of Mid-Columbia Conference high school basketball these past seven days, with most teams getting in three contests as everyone embarked on the second half of league play.
When the dust settled, the Kamiakin boys and Pasco girls remained undefeated, Richland’s boys and Chiawana’s girls earned tough Saturday night victories, and two MCC girls reached lofty career point totals.
Here are some observations:
▪ Hanford’s Iliana Moran and Pasco’s Mya Groce, both seniors who have started for their respective teams since their freshman years, each surpassed 1,000 career points last week.
Moran did it first on Tuesday, Jan. 18, in a 79-74 overtime victory over Chiawana.
She scored 28 points in the game and started the night needing just 9 points to reach the mark.
Moran added 10 rebounds, and her sister, Lynnea Moran, had 19 points to lead the Falcons to victory.
The night was made even more special in that Hanford head coach Evan Woodward earned his 200th career victory in the game.
All of that overshadowed Chiawana freshman post Malia Ruud’s monster game. Ruud scored a career-high 38 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots in the loss.
It marked the second consecutive loss for the Riverhawks, after they lost a big showdown against Pasco, 60-52, the week before.
Groce, meanwhile, entered the week needing 32 points to reach 1,000 career points for unbeaten Pasco.
It happened on Friday, Jan. 21, as Groce scored 20 points in a 70-46 win at Hermiston.
That gives Groce 1,006 career points. More importantly for her, her Bulldogs are 9-0 in Mid-Columbia Conference play, and 12-0 overall.
▪ No one else in the MCC girls should hit 1,000 career points this season.
But two juniors to keep and eye on are Richland’s Kylee Fox, who has 790 points; and Kamiakin’s Nikole Thomas, currently with 694 points. They’re both on target to get to 1,000 next season as seniors.
▪ Chiawana’s girls held off Richland in the final minute to beat the Bombers 50-44 on Saturday.
Now the Riverhawks are tied for second in the MCC standings with Richland, both sitting at 7-3 in conference play.
Chiawana senior A’niyah Heavens came to play, scoring 22 points and grabbing 6 rebounds, and slashing through the Richland defense for baskets.
On Friday night in a 62-57 win over Kamiakin, Heavens dropped 27 points on the Braves, and had 7 rebounds and 7 steals.
Chiawana coach Mike Brown calls Heavens “one special player.”
“We’re starting to trust each other more,” said Heavens after Chiawana answered a two-game losing streak with a two-game winning streak. “We can’t lose anymore. Tonight, we knew (Richland) had some good shooters. We just had to play some hard defense.”
Ruud finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Riverhawks.
Richland’s Fox, the MCC’s leading scorer at 19.9 points, hit her average with 19 points and added 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Teammate Macie Milam added 16 points with four treys.
Boys basketball
▪ Kamiakin’s boys went 3-0 last week despite suffering some covid issues.
The Braves hung on last Tuesday at Kennewick, beating the Lions 62-55.
Kamiakin head coach Brian Meneely said Kennewick is a team that worries him because it’s a big team with plenty of athletic players.
“They’re gonna be a big pain in the rear this season,” Meneely said a few weeks ago.
Meneely himself wasn’t present in Kennewick’s gym because he was out with covid, and assistant Nate Gray, Sr., managed the Braves.
Again, it was Kamiakin’s 1-2 punch of Tyler Bilodeau (21 points, 9 rebounds) and Trey Arland (17 and 5) leading the way. Kennewick’s big center, Ayden Knapik, led the Lions with 14 points.
Kamiakin also held of visiting Chiawana on Friday, winning 78-67.
The Riverhawks seem to match up well with the Braves, losing by just 2 points in their first meeting. In this latest meeting, in fact, Chiawana led 39-35 at the half.
But the Braves outscored the Riverhawks 24-10 in the third quarter, and dominated on the boards 41-20.
Again, it was Arland (29 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) and Tyler Bilodeau (27 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots leading the way for the Braves.
Arland, by the way, is closing in on 1,000 career points. He is currently sitting at 919.
▪ Richland, meanwhile, stayed with Kamiakin by going 3-0 last week with wins over Southridge, Kennewick, and a big win at Chiawana on Saturday night.
The Bombers won that game 53-49, in what Bombers head coach Earl Streufert termed “a good old-fashioned Big Nine battle from the old days.”
This of course was back before the MCC days.
“It was a really good defensive effort,” said Streufert. “Chiawana shoots the 3 so well.”
So the Bombers stayed out on the 3-point line, trying to smother the Riverhawks’ sharpshooters, while leaving big men Lucas Westerfield (6-foot-9 sophomore) and Sam Cowell (6-5 senior) down low to defend the inside.
Cowell, in fact, scored 8 points in the first quarter for the Bombers, while Chiawana went 1-for-11 from the 3-point line.
But Chiawana head coach Chad Herron loves this Riverhawks team for its grit and hustle.
“We held Richland to 53 points (13 points below its average),” said Herron. “That’s a pretty good defensive performance.”
The Bombers at one point led by 13 points in the third quarter before Chiawana rallied with a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter — 5 of those points from Cash Callaway — to tie the game at 45-all with 5:03 to play.
But the Bombers answered with a 6-0 run by its two top players — a basket by Josh Woodard, and offensive putback and breakaway layup by Twazae Gladney — to clinch the win.
Woodard finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead Richland, which is 9-1 in MCC play.
▪ Stat of the week: In the Richland boys’ 71-43 win over Kennewick last Friday, the Bombers’ Westerfield had 9 blocked shots!
Standings
▪ 4A-3A MCC boys basketball
Kamiakin 10-0 MCC, 13-1 overall
Richland 9-1, 11-3
Chiawana 6-4, 9-5
Kennewick 6-4, 8-6
Walla Walla 5-5, 6-7
Hanford 3-7, 4-10
Hermiston 3-7, 3-13
Southridge 2-7, 3-9
Pasco 0-9, 0-13
Jan. 18 — Chiawana 71, Hanford 58; Kamiakin 62, Kennewick 55; Richland 85, Southridge 39; Walla Walla 76, Pasco 50
Jan. 21 — Hermiston 84, Pasco 72; Kamiakin 78, Chiawana 67; Richland 71, Kennewick 43; Walla Walla 71, Hanford 47.
Jan. 22 — Hanford 79, Hermiston 64; Kamiakin 75, Walla Walla 54; Kennewick 71, Southridge 44; Richland 53, Chiawana 49.
Tuesday, Jan. 25 (all games 7:30 p.m. starts) — Hanford at Pasco; Kamiakin at Hermiston; Richland at Walla Walla; Southridge at Chiawana.
Friday, Jan. 28 (all games 7:30 p.m. starts) — Chiawana at Kennewick; Hermiston at Richland; Kamiakin at Pasco; Walla Walla at Southridge.
Saturday, Jan. 29 (all games 5 p.m. starts) — Kamiakin at Hanford; Kennewick at Walla Walla; Richland at Pasco; Southridge at Hermiston.
▪ 4A-3A MCC girls basketball standings
Pasco 9-0 MCC, 12-0 overall
Chiawana 7-3, 10-4
Richland 7-3, 10-4
Hanford 5-5, 9-5
Kamiakin 5-5, 9-5
Hermiston 5-5, 9-6
Kennewick 5-5, 7-6
Southridge 1-8, 4-8
Walla Walla 0-10, 1-13
Jan. 18 — Hanford 79, Chiawana 74 (OT); Kamiakin 86, Kennewick 55; Pasco 71, Walla Walla 36; Richland 53, Southridge 50
Jan. 21 — Chiawana 62, Kamiakin 57; Hanford 63, Walla Walla 23; Pasco 70, Hermiston 46; Richland 67, Kennewick 51
Jan. 22 — Chiawana 50, Richland 44; Hanford 86, Hermiston 45; Kamiakin 65, Walla Walla 29; Kennewick 70, Southridge 39
Tuesday, Jan. 25 (all games 5:45 p.m. starts) — Hanford at Pasco; Kamiakin at Hermiston; Richland at Walla Walla; Southridge at Chiawana.
Friday, Jan. 28 (all games 5:45 p.m. starts) — Chiawana at Kennewick; Hermiston at Richland; Kamiakin at Pasco; Walla Walla at Southridge.
Saturday, Jan. 29 (all games 3:15 p.m. starts unless noted otherwise) — Kamiakin at Hanford; Kennewick at Walla Walla, 3 p.m.; Richland at Pasco; Southridge at Hermiston.
Jeff Morrow is former sports editor of the Tri-City Herald.
