Community college basketball - Up and down day for YVCC

By ROGER UNDERWOOD YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

There is no mystery to the way Yakima Valley's women play defense. Nor is there much that's secretive about the way Big Bend's men play offense.

Dealing with either, however, is another matter.

YVCC's women, deploying coach Cody Butler's aggressive, trapping style in devastating fashion, cruised to an 87-71 victory Wednesday night in Sherar Gym. The win, Yakima Valley's 27th straight at home, improved the No. 3-ranked Yaks to 2-0 in Eastern Region play and 14-2 overall.

The Yaks second-ranked men, meanwhile, fell to the predictable barrage of Vikings 3-pointers, 96-89. It was the second loss in as many region games for coach Ray Funk's squad, which slipped to 12-4 for the season.

Few of Butler's teams have disrupted and perhaps demoralized an opponent as thoroughly as this one did Big Bend in the formative stages of Wednesday's game. Especially the first 12:14, during which Yakima Valley built a 41-11 lead. "Our offense was OK in the first half," Butler said, referring to YVCC's 53-26 halftime cushion. "But as we try to do, we scored a lot off our defense."

Among those wreaking havoc was Kaiti Harris, a 5-foot-6 freshman from Chelan who seems to have adapted quickly to the Yaks' style.

"That was definitely the best first half we've played by far," Harris said. "We were very intense, and when we get everything going the way we did it's a lot of fun."

For Yakima Valley, that is.

While Kylie Shaw scored 19 points and Andrea Blodgett and Brittany Weaver added 18 each, Harris contributed eight points, three assists, two steals and untold amounts of athleticism and ferocity.

"She's put together two really good games in a row," Butler said. "She was probably the difference in our game at Wenatchee, and she'll only get better as the year goes on."

The only negative aspect for YVCC was the loss of sophomore guard Emily Hernandez to a right knee injury midway through the second half. The extent of the problem was not immediately known.

 

YAKIMA VALLEY WOMEN 87, BIG BEND 71

BIG BEND - Peone 1-1 0-0 3, Ostlie 3-8 0-0 7, Lindley 2-8 00-0 5, Fales 3-7 0-0 7, Bluff 1-6 3-3 5, Burke 3-7 0-0 7, Dana Bates 5-8 7-8 17, Mabe 1-5 5-6 7, Kaitie Poston 5-9 1-4 13. Totals 24-59 16-21 71.

 

YAKIMA VALLEY - Hernandez 3-8 0-0 6, Baker 1-2 1-2 3, Brittany Weaver 7-12 0-0 18, Harris 2-6 2-2 8, Moore-Porter 3-6 1-2 7, Woodke 0-5 0-0 0, Andrea Blodgett 7-12 1-2 18, Nill 3-8 0-0 6, Dixey 0-2 0-0 0, Kylie Shaw 7-11 0-0 19, Stickney 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 34-75 5-8 87.

 

Halftime: YVCC 32, Big Bend 27.

 

3-point goals: Big Bend 7-20 (Poston 2-2, Burke 1-3, Fales 1-2, Lindley 1-4, Ostlie 1-2, Peone 1-1), YVCC 14-29 (Shaw 5-7, Weaver 4-6, Blodgett 3-5, Harris 2-2). Rebounds: Big Bend 46 (Poston 9, Bates 8), YVCC 33 (Shaw 4, Nill 4, Moore-Porter 4, Baker 4). Total fouls: Big Bend 9, YVCC 17. Fouled out: Baker. Assists: Big Bend 3, YVCC 8 (Harris 3). Turnovers: Big Bend 26, YVCC 27. Steals: Big Bend 9 (Poston 4), YVCC 16 (Blodgett 4).