Ephrata girls cap CWAC season with dramatic rally at Quincy
QUINCY — The Lady Tigers found themselves in an early hole but clawed their way back to claim a 38-36 dual meet victory over the Quincy Jackrabbits in the girls' Battle of the Basin wrestling match on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Quincy raced out to a commanding lead through the lower weight classes. Kimiko Kondo earned a fall over Peighton Black at 100 pounds, followed by Emiko Kondo pinning Chenille Garcia at 105. After picking up a forfeit at 110, the Lady Jacks added falls by Crystal Perez over Amya Seblario at 115 and Klare Gans over Lady Tiger Emma Lopez at 120 to build a 30-0 advantage.
Ephrata's comeback started at 125, when Iris Downs pinned Jade Guerrero after building a 6-1 lead with two takedowns. Alexandra Estrada Rangel kept the momentum going at 130 with a lightning-fast 24-second fall.
The most dramatic bout of the night came at 135, when the Tigers' Addison Vasquez found herself trailing 11-1 heading into the second period. Vasquez chose the top position to start the round and turned momentum in Ephrata's favor, pinning Hailey Courtade just 12 seconds in to narrow the hosts' lead to 30-18.
Quincy then added a pair of 3-point wins: Jourdan Ferguson's 8-3 decision over Meraly Carrillo Cazarez at 140 and Kimberly Solano's 12-9 win over Emily Estrada Rangel at 145 pushed the Jackrabbits' advantage to 36-18, but that would be the last of their scoring.
Ephrata took control in the mid and upper weight classes. Adylene Sanchez reignited the comeback with a fall at 155 in 1:10. Gabbie Grace Bafus needed just 31 seconds to pin Mya Ruiz at 170. Scoring on two dramatic third-period escapes, Tessa Hausken won a taut 2-0 decision at 190.
At that point, the Lady Tigers trailed 33-36 heading into the final bout.
The moment was not too big for Carolina Monico at 235. She powered to a 26-7 technical fall over Quincy's Abigail Garcia to complete Ephrata's rally and secure the 38-36 team victory.
The Tigers finished their Central Washington Athletic Conference dual meet season in third place at 6-2, behind league champion Toppenish (8-0) and Othello (7-1). They now turn their attention to the CWAC District Tournament at Grandview High School on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14.
The top five wrestlers in each district weight class will advance to the state Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome on Feb. 20-21.
Girls Wrestling
Ephrata 38, Quincy 36
At Quincy
100 — Kimiko Kondo (Q) fall Peighton Black (E), 1:30
105 — Emiko Kondo (Q) fall Chenille Garcia (E), 3:34
110 — Brielle Baughman (Q) won by forfeit
115 — Crystal Perez (Q) fall Amya Seblario (E), 0:19
120 — Klare Gans (Q) fall Emma Lopez (E), 2:00
125 — Iris Downs (E) fall Jade Guerrero (Q), 3:25
130 — Alexandra Estrada Rangel (E) fall Thalia Castro (Q), 0:24
135 — Addison Vasquez (E) fall Hailey Courtade (Q), 2:12
140 — Jourdan Ferguson (Q) dec. Meraly Carrillo Cazarez (E), 8-3
145 — Kimberly Solano (Q) dec. Emily Estrada Rangel (E), 12-9
155 — Adylene Sanchez (E) fall Gabriela Lopez (Q), 1:10
170 — Gabbie Grace Bafus (E) fall Mya Ruiz (Q), 0:31
190 — Tessa Hausken (E) dec. Evelyn Silvas (Q), 2-0
235 — Carolina Monico (E) tech fall Abigail Garcia (Q), 26-7
