EPHRATA — Ephrata stunned Omak early on, rolling to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and coasting to a 59-41 non-conference victory Saturday, Dec. 27. The Tigers improve to 2-6 on the season, Omak fell to 2-6.

Jose Barrita led the Tigers with 13 points, knocking down three of his four 3-point attempts.

"Jose came off the bench and shot the ball well," coach Rick Walter said. Barrita is shooting 7-of-12 from beyond the arc this season.

Cooper Black added 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and reeled in five rebounds. Brady Hendrick finished with nine points and a team-high four assists while Cody Ogle contributed eight points.

Mitchell Morford did his usual work on the glass with a game-high seven rebounds to go with seven points. Morford is averaging nine boards over eight games.

The Tigers shot 46% from two and 33.3% from three, both above their season marks of 36% and 25%. The Tigers went 7-of-16 from the free throw line, right around their 55% season average.

Christmas break or not, the Tiger defense looked like they’d done their homework on the Pioneers. Ephrata forced 15 steals while committing just 13 turnovers, a sharp contrast to their season averages of eight steals and 23 turnovers per game. 

Ephrata (2-6, 1-3 CWAC) returns to Central Washington Athletic Conference play with two games this week. The Tigers travel to Othello on Friday, Jan. 2 to face a Huskies squad that shares a 2-6 overall record, but is still searching for its first CWAC win. Ephrata's lone league victory came against Quincy – the Jackrabbits beat Othello by 11.

"Othello is the main focus," Walter said. "We are preparing for their speed and athleticism. They like to get up and down and we have to control them in transition, and on the flip side, execute our own ability to run."

After a quick turnaround, Ephrata hosts Ellensburg (3-5, 2-2 CWAC) this Saturday in a battle for positioning in the middle of the league. The Bulldogs knocked off Prosser in overtime earlier this season but struggled against Grandview; the Greyhounds also handed the Tigers a lopsided loss.

CWAC Scoreboard:

Most CWAC teams spent the holiday break at tournaments across the region, Prosser even traveled cross-country to Florida. Ephrata stayed home for the non-conference matchup with Omak and Othello did not play. Here's how the league fared.

Five CWAC teams competed at the Yakima Sundome:

Monday, Dec. 29: Selah 65, Ridgefield 49 | Grandview 71, Lakewood (Arlington) 53 | Toppenish 67, Riverside (Chattaroy) 40 | King's Way Christian (Vancouver) 60, East Valley (Yakima) 56 | Fort Vancouver 57, Quincy 46

Tuesday, Dec. 30: Selah 68, Lynden 62 | Grandview 67, Bainbridge 57 | Toppenish 68, Port Angeles 59 | Quincy 64, La Center 63 | Lakewood (Arlington) 82, East Valley (Yakima) 43

Ellensburg at Lewis-Clark State Classic (Lewiston, Idaho)
Ellensburg 55, Pendleton 34 | Lewiston 78, Ellensburg 41

Prosser at KSA Events Holiday Basketball Tournament (Orlando, Florida)
Westfield (Texas) 76, Prosser 37 | KIPP San Francisco College Prep 73, Prosser 63