Tigers drop CWAC opener to Prosser, fall to West Valley
The search for that elusive first win continues for the Ephrata boys following a grueling weekend. The Tigers fell to West Valley (Spokane) 64-29 on Friday before dropping their CWAC opener to Prosser 90-61 on Saturday despite scoring their best offensive night of the season.
Through the first four games, a pattern has emerged: the Tigers show flashes of competitiveness. Ephrata led Moses Lake after the first quarter, stayed close early against West Valley, and put up 61 points against Prosser. But turnovers continue to pile up, opponents outscore the Tigers in second quarters by a combined 68-31, and their defense is allowing 59 points per game on average.
at West Valley (Spokane)
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ephrata | 8 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 29 |
| West Valley (Spokane) | 9 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 64 |
SPOKANE — The Tigers trailed just 9-8 after the first quarter and 25-18 at intermission before the Eagles took control. In the second half, West Valley outscored Ephrata 39-11, including a 19-4 third-quarter run that the Tigers couldn't recover from. Overall, the Tigers shot under 30% from the floor and committed 19 turnovers.
Cooper Black led Ephrata with seven points and three assists. Mitchell Morford grabbed nine rebounds, and Cody Ogle and Brady Hendrick each added six points.
West Valley's Nathan Settle led for the Eagles with 21 points and Noah Willard contributed 18.
| Player | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 3-5 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Ogle | 2-5 | 0-1 | 2-4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Hendrick | 2-8 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Morford | 2-5 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Weber | 0-2 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Barrita | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Bair | 0-5 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Schluckebier | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Martinez | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Strickler | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| TOTALS | 11-37 | 2-10 | 5-10 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 29 |
*two fourth quarter minutes and ensuing statistics are missing from West Valley's NFHS footage
vs Prosser
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ephrata | 14 | 14 | 22 | 11 | 61 |
| Prosser | 24 | 25 | 24 | 17 | 90 |
EPHRATA — The Tigers found their offensive rhythm a night later, shooting over 44% overall, including a season-high 22 points in the third quarter. But they struggled to take care of the ball, committing 38 turnovers that gave Prosser extra opportunities in the 90-61 loss.
"When we broke the press and finished the break, we scored well," head coach Rick Walter said. "If we just deliver the final pass with a little more accuracy and touch, we could have [scored] in the 70s easily."
Hendrick led the Tigers with 17 points and eight rebounds. Black added 12 points and seven steals, Ogle chipped in 10 and Morford contributed five points and 11 rebounds. Walter also highlighted Jett Julian, who came off the bench and looked to score.
"We are still trying to figure out our rotation and need to find some consistency from a group of players who are capable," Walter said. "They just need the game to slow down a tad in their mind and they should be better."
Liam Bailey paced the Mustangs with 23 points while Daniel Diaz Garcia added 21.
The schedule doesn't ease up: Ephrata (0-4, 0-1 CWAC) plays three games in five days. The Tigers travel to Grandview on Tuesday, host Quincy on Friday, then travel to Selah on Saturday, Dec. 20.
"It's a long season, and in reality we are 0-1 in league — and so are four other teams," Walter said. "We need to keep getting better and working hard in practice to bring guys along that are playing big minutes."
| Player | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendrick | 4-13 | 0-0 | 9-15 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Black | 5-6 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| Ogle | 5-8 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Julian | 2-4 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Morford | 2-7 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Schluckebier | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Weber | 1-6 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Martinez | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Strickler | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bair | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Barrita | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 23-52 | 2-6 | 13-23 | 36 | 16 | 10 | 61 |
CWAC Scoreboard:
Tuesday, Dec. 9: Moses Lake 76, Ellensburg 57 | Sunnyside 59, Grandview 41 | Sageview 83, Othello 63 | Goldendale 61, Toppenish 54
Friday, Dec. 12: Prosser 63, Quincy 62 | Selah 68, Grandview 51 | Toppenish 67, Othello 56 | Ellensburg 77, East Valley Yakima 64 | West Valley Spokane 64, Ephrata 29
Saturday, Dec. 13: Prosser 90, Ephrata 61 | Selah 82, East Valley Yakima 43 | Toppenish 62, Ellensburg 58 | Grandview 67, Quincy 47 | Tri-Cities Prep 89, Othello 52
