Wenatchee Valley College's Farrah Parrish stares down Walla Walla's Dylan Lovett in their basketball game Wednesday night, Jan. 18, 2023, at WVC. The visitor's won the game 63-55.
Wenatchee Valley College's Farrah Parrish stares down Walla Walla's Dylan Lovett in their basketball game Wednesday night, Jan. 18, 2023, at WVC. The visitor's won the game 63-55.
WENATCHEE — For the first time this season, the top two teams in the NWAC’s Eastern Conference met.
Second-place Wenatchee and the undefeated Walla Walla Warriors, their Wednesday night opponent, battled in an evenly-matched, back-and-forth contest. But Walla Walla was able to get a few more buckets in the last quarter to pull out a 63-56 win.
“They’re a good team. They're well coached,” Wenatchee Head Coach Kris Groce said.
The first quarter began fast-paced, with both sides trying to get their offense going through quick transitions, but the defense slowed things down. It also forced either side to settle for difficult shots.
With the game tied halfway through the quarter Walla Walla, despite Wenatchee’s ability to force a turnover, was able to gain the lead 14-9.
At one point, in the second quarter, because Walla Walla was hitting a mixture of shots and forcing turnovers, they were able to build a ten-point lead.
This sparked Wenatchee to go on a 10-0 run to end the half. Fueled by defensive pressure, shots from Monica Miller, and a drive from Farrah Parrish and Ciahna Oatman, the Knights tied the game at 24.
Wenatchee began the third quarter with a lead change, which kicked off a back-and-forth of lead changes and ties that consumed the quarter. Wenatchee’s defense routinely made Walla Walla use every second of the shot clock, often forcing a rushed shot in the final second.
But Walla Walla rebounded well. On the night, they outrebounded Wenatchee 41 to 25. And that was the difference maker. All other stats were fairly even. Wenatchee forced more turnovers but missed a few more threes. Walla Walla didn’t shoot as well from the free-throw line, but had 18 second-chance points, ending the third quarter with a lead 44-39.
“We had some mental mistakes on defense, some breakdowns,” Groce said. “I think that is just fatigue."
Groce added that two players, including a starter, are currently down.
The offensive pace picked up to finish out the night. Walla Walla built a 12-point lead, but Miller was able to get it down to six after she stole the ball, went coast-to-coast, and finished at the rim. Oatman brought it to four with less than five minutes left 55-51.
“We were right there. We just needed a few more stops,” Groce said.
Walla Walla held them off the rest of the quarter with offense from Dylan Lovett and Malia Cortes.
Wenatchee had three top scorers with 14 points each: Miller, Oatman, and Farrah Parrish. Miller also had three steals and six rebounds. Oatman had one block and seven rebounds. Parrish also finished with one block, and two steals.
For Walla Walla, Lovett led with 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Darbi Avery followed with a double-double 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Wenatchee’s overall record is 6-10 and 3-2 in the conference.
Wenatchee plays Big Bend in Moses Lake Saturday at 2 p.m.
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