ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic Yakima Valley Community College's Tyler Bollman, top, and AJ Kelsey, center, scramble for a loose ball with Walla Walla Community College's Jeff Decker, (under Kelsey) and Ryan Turnbow Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007.

Yakima Valley's women endured that process Thursday night at Sherar Gym, but the discomfort was no doubt lessened by the outcome of their game.

The Yaks weathered the two-pronged assault of Walla Walla's Sadie Short and Kendall Brenton for a
61-56 victory, their
12th straight and third in as many Eastern Region games.

With a 17-1 overall record, it's no wonder they're ranked No. 1 in the NWAACC.

ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic Yakima Valley Community College's Shaunte nance-Johnson drives past Walla Walla Community College's Brianna Eagans Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007.

Short scored 28 points and Brenton had 21, but Yakima Valley responded with typical balance while forcing
29 turnovers.

Shaunte Nance-Johnson had 11 points, Tana Stickney had 10 and three other Yaks had least eight to offset 33 percent shooting and a 42-31 rebounding deficit.

"They're a good team and a well-coached team," YVCC coach Cody Butler said. "A lot of teams have tried slowing us down this season, and they were able to do that tonight."

Enough so that Yakima Valley scored only four points during a 9:30 span of the second half. Both hoops came from Nance-Johnson, an explosive 5-foot-5 sophomore guard from Tacoma's Foss High School.

The Yaks defense, however, was effective enough that they nonetheless led after the drought, 45-42, with 7:27 to play

Chelsie Morrison scored with 6:54 left for a 47-42 YVCC advantage, but successive buckets by Short brought Walla Walla to within 47-46 at 6:16.

It was the closest the Warriors (2-1, 9-7) had been since leading 14-13 midway through the first half.

ANDY SAWYER/Yakima Herald-Republic Walla Walla Community College's Sydney Gossard pressures Yakima Valley Community College's Tana Stickney Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007.

"When you're No. 1, you have a target on your back," said Nance-Johnson, whose husband Anthony was a YVCC bright spot in the men's game. "One of the best things about our team is our depth. A lot of other teams only play eight, but we can go one through 14 and get production from every player."

Short, a 5-11 sophomore from Touchet, hit 12 of 25 shots — mostly from the baseline — and led all rebounders with 10. Brenton, a 5-9 soph from Nampa, Idaho, was 8 for 14 and had eight rebounds.

But while no other Walla Walla player scored more than five points and only two others scored, period, Morrison and Bishop finished with nine points each and Andrea Blodgett had eight despite a sore arch on her right foot.

Ali Tabor, a 5-11 freshman from Naches Valley, played 16-plus reserve minutes for the Warriors, but didn't score.

Yakima Valley's men, who dropped their region opener at No. 3 Big Bend and on Saturday must visit No. 1 Columbia Basin, worked through a slow start to make a game of it with the No. 8 Warriors.

Down 70-58 with 6:53 to play, the Yaks got six unanswered points from Johnson to key a 9-0 burst that brought them to within 70-67 with 4:53 left.

Walla Walla's Travis Noble canned a 3-pointer to start a 12-6 run for an 82-73 YVCC deficit, however, and the Warriors closed it from the foul line.

"Early on, we had no flow at all offensively," Yakima Valley coach Ray Funk said, alluding the first 12:54 during which his team fell behind 28-15. "Everything seemed out of sync. When we tried to get the ball inside to WaLynn (leading scorer Burgess), the pass was always late.

"We played a better second half, though, and we've actually played well enough in our last two games to win. It just hasn't happened yet."

Bryan Manaway led YVCC with 19 points, Johnson had 17 on 8-of-11 shooting, Burgess 16 and Jeff Curfman 14. Burgess and Curfman also had eight rebounds each as the Yaks won that battle 46-36.

Curtis Carlson, an agile 6-6 sophomore from Milton-Freewater, Ore., totaled 22 points and nine rebounds for Walla Walla (3-0, 13-3), which knocked down 11 of 24 shots (46 percent) from 3-point range.

YAKIMA VALLEY WOMEN 61, WALLA WALLA 56

WALLA WALLA — Lambrect 0-3 0-0 0, Sadle Short 12-25 4-5 28, Kendall Brenton 8-14 5-8 21, Strunk 0-0 0-0 0, Toone 1-2, 0-0 2, Eagans 1-4, 2-2 5, Hawk 0-2 0-0 0, Calhoun 0-2 0-0 0, Tabor 0-0 0-0 0, Glynn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 11-15 56.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Shaunte Nance-Johnson 5-8 0-0 11, Blodgett 3-12 0-0 8, Hansen 0-0 0-0 0, Jones 1-1 0-0 3, Bishop 3-11 1-3 9, Kelsey 0-0 0-0 0, Honn 2-5 1-2 5, Morrison 4-9 0-0 9, Tana Stickney 3-8 3-4 10, Trescott 1-4 0-0 2, Dixey 1-2 2-2 4, Carlos 0-0 0-2, Streff 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-60 7-13 61.

Halftime—Yakima Valley 34, Walla Walla 30. 3-point goals—WW 1-5 (Brenton 0-1, Eagans 1-3, Calhoun 0-1), Yakima Valley 8-15 (Nance-Johnson 1-1, Blodgett 2-6, Jones 1-1, Bishop 2-4, Morrison 1-2, Stickney 1-1). Total fouls—WW 15, Yakima 18. Fouled out—Nance-Johnson, Morrison. Rebounds—WW 42 (Short 10), Yakima 31 (Morrison 6). Assists—WW 9 (three tied with 2), Yakima 7 (two tied with 2). Steals—WW 7 (three tied with 2), Yakima 14 (Honn 5). Blocked shot—WW 0, Yakima 0. Turnovers—WW 29, Yakima Valley 13.

WALLA WALLA MEN 85, YAKIMA VALLEY 79

WALLA WALLA — Turnbow 0-2 0-0 0, Jeff Decker 3-8 3-6 12, Travis Noble 3-9 2-2 11, Minarik 4-7 0-0 9, Burns 2-5 2-2 8, Crimm 1-2 0-0 2, Blewett 4-4 0-0 8, Bryan Tollbom 4-14 5-6 13, Curtis Carlson 8-16 4-6 22, Mike Gray 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-67 16-22 85.

YAKIMA VALLEY — Bryan Manaway 8-16 3-6 19, Bollman 0-0 0-0 0, Brown 0-3 3-4 3, Kelsey 0-0 2-3 2, Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Anthony Johnson 8-11 1-2 17, Dixon 1-5 3-4 5, WaLynn Burgess 3-11 10-11 16, Curfman 5-12 2-2 14, Wilson 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 26-60 25-34 79.

Halftime—Walla Walla 39, Yakima Valley 29. 3-point goals—WW 11-24 (Turnbow 0-2, Decker 3-5, Noble 3-8, Minarik 1-4, Burns 2-3, Carlson 2-2), Yakima Valley 2-7 (Manaway 0-2, Burgess 0-1, Curfman 2-4). Total fouls—WW 24, Yakima 24. Fouled out—Carlson, Brown. Rebounds—WW 36 (Carlson 9), Yakima 46 (Burgess 8, Curfman 8). Assists—WW 7 (Minarik 2), Yakima 8 (Johnson 4). Steals—WW 8 (Tollbom 2), Yakima 5 (Johnson 3). Blocked shot—WW 0, Yakima 1 (Dixon 1). Turnovers—WW 11, Yakima Valley 16.