Sports

Strong 2nd half at Othello: bright spot in tough weekend for Tigers

Maycee Black recorded 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 57-40 loss at Othello on Thursday, but the Lady Tigers couldn't find their footing in a 69-15 home defeat to Ellensburg on Friday.

by Casey Devine

Updated January 06, 2026

Strong 2nd half at Othello: bright spot in tough weekend for Tigers — Alexis St Mary chases down a loose ball against Ellensburg. St Mary had five steals in Friday's game at Othello. Photos by Rylee Holt

OTHELLO — Ephrata was dealt a pair of hardcourt losses over the weekend in Central Washington Athletic Conference action against Othello and Ellensburg.

But in the 57-40 setback at Othello on Friday, Jan. 2, the Lady Tigers found a bright spot in their second-half play against the Huskies, who had built a 37-17 lead at halftime. After the break, Ephrata responded by outscoring the Huskies 15-11 in the third quarter and keeping pace in the fourth, showing fight despite the point spread.

Maycee Black led the Tigers with 15 rebounds and 18 points, featuring 10-of-13 shooting from the free-throw line. Sophie Molitor added seven points and three assists, Cassidy Cox chipped in six points and five rebounds, and Alexis St. Mary played pickpocket on defense with five steals.

Maycee Black plays defense against Ellensburg. Black combined for 26 points and 18 rebounds in weekend games against Othello and Ellensburg.

Player	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	ST	PTS
Black	4-13	0-4	10-13	15	1	2	18
Molitor	2-14	1-5	2-2	3	3	1	7
Cox	2-9	1-5	1-2	5	1	1	6
St Mary	1-1	0-0	2-5	2	0	5	4
Springs	1-3	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	2
Falconer	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	2
Wiser	0-0	0-0	1-2	2	1	0	1
Malone	0-6	0-3	0-0	6	0	0	0
Kono	0-0	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0
TOTALS	11-47	2-17	16-24	40	6	7	40

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	F
Ephrata	6	11	15	8	40
Othello	12	25	11	9	57

EPHRATA — Ephrata faced a much-tougher matchup on Saturday, hosting a talented Ellensburg squad that jumped out to a 30-3 first-quarter lead on the way to a 69-15 win. The Bulldogs held Ephrata to single-digit scoring in each period. Black led the Tigers with eight points.

Cassidy Cox boxes out for a rebound against Ellensburg. Cox had three rebounds in Saturday's loss to the Bulldogs.

Ephrata (0-10, 0-6 CWAC) travels to East Valley tonight (Jan. 6) in a matchup of two teams searching for their first win. The Red Devils enter with an identical 0-10, 0-6 record.

"We need to shut down a couple of players," Tiger coach Alain Black said in advance of the road trip. "We can control the game by taking care of the ball and limiting our turnovers. We need to give ourselves more chances to score by taking care of the ball."

Player	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	ST	PTS
Black	2-8	1-5	3-4	3	2	2	8
Wiser	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	2
Kono	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	2
Molitor	1-5	0-3	0-1	3	0	1	2
Cox	0-3	0-1	1-2	3	0	1	1
Linehan	0-6	0-3	0-0	0	0	0	0
Malone	0-1	0-0	0-0	6	0	0	0
St Mary	0-1	0-1	0-0	1	1	0	0
Springs	0-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0
Falconer	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0
TOTALS	5-22	1-10	4-7	17	4	6	15