Ephrata girls win one, lose one
Ephrata Tigers Basketball
WAPATO - Kelsey Yenney pumped in 15 points and Heidi Buchert added 10, but their efforts weren't enough to lead the Tigers to 50-37 a win over Wapato in the Friday.
The loss in the District 5/6 semi-final game dropped Ephrata in the consolation bracket to face Prosser Saturday in a loser out game.
"I thought our girls played well overall," coach Aaron Ross said. "We had a little trouble getting the ball in the basket, but we played solid defense. The girl played their hearts out and I am proud of the way the effort they put forth."
The Tigers dug themselves in an early hole they couldn't manage to get out of as the team fell behind 14-7 at the end of the first quarter and trailed 26-18 at the half. The Tigers hung tough in the third quarter, but were still down by eight, 38-30 heading into the final eight minutes of action.
But a seven point fourth quarter was their undoing as the Wolves won by 15 points.
WEST VALLEY - The game against the Prosser Mustangs Saturday was a horse of another color as the Tiger cruised to a 21 point win to claim the No. 3 seed at the regional tournament.
"I thought this was our best overall game of the year," Corella said. "We had two long road trips back-to-back and our seniors didn't want the season to end."
Yenney had the hot hand once again for the Tigers as she connected on six of nine attempts from the 3-point line and ended up with 26 points on the night. Buchert added 10 points and Maddie Lotz chipped in nine in the winning effort.
Ephrata jumped out to a 20-12 lead at the end of the first eight minutes of play and led 29-23 at intermission.
The Tigers offensive cranked it up a notch in the third quarter as they out scored the Mustangs 18-9 to go up 47-32. The fourth quarter was all Tigers as Ephrata added another 16 points to win in a cake walk.
"We had a balanced offensive attack and a solid effort on defense," Corella said. "We also shot 75 percent from the free throw line, which was huge for us."
The victory over Prosser puts the Tigers in a first round regional match up against Cheney at Eastern Washington University at 7:45 p.m.
"We started prepping for them today (Monday)," Ross said. "They are big and have decent post players, but if we play like we are capable of playing, I am confident we can hold our own against them."
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