Columbia Basin women lead February Madness

NWAACC Women's Basketball

As the NWAACC Tournament looms ever closer, the focus starts to switch from which teams have the best record to which teams are playing the best right now. Eleven of the sixteen tournament seeds have already been claimed, but teams are still jostling for positioning, which leads to several huge match ups in the next several weeks. Lane will travel to Clackamas, likely to decide the Southern Region champions. Clark will travel to Centrailia in a similar game. Skagit Valley and Bellevue, who are tied at the top of the Northern Region standings, have split their two meetings and are both looking to win out. In this part of the country, we know it as February Madness. Coaches rankings are in italics under each team's record.

                                                                                                                        

1. Columbia Basin (22-2, 10-1 East)
 #1 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 4, No. 1 Coaches


The Hawks have won seven in a row since losing to Yakima Valley, including a 65-60 (box) victory over the very same YVCC Yaks that hammered them only a few weeks earlier. Guard Andrea Bland  is still on the bench, but Columbia Basin has made do without her and many others for that matter, playing only seven players in their last two consecutive games. Columbia Basin might be playing good now, but they'll have trouble competing in the tournament unless they get some of their players back in action.

                                                                                                                         

2. Lane (20-4, 10-1 South)
#2 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 7, No. 5 Coaches

Like Columbia Basin, Lane hasn't lost in quite a while. Their streak goes back eight games, dating back to their loss at home to Chemeketa on January 14th. Since then they've had quite the run. They've had three games where they scored 98 points or more, and on all three occasions, they won by more than 45 points. Lane's biggest win by far was their 71-68 defeat of Clackamas (box) at home. Lane will travel to Oregon City to face Clackamas on February 18th in a game that will feature the two top scoring teams in the NWAACC, and a game in which the winner will most likely win the southern region's #1 seed in the league.
                                                                                                                         

3. Clackamas (20-3, 9-2 South)
#3 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 1, No. 2 Coaches


Clackamas being a team that has a particular disdain for jump shots, they live and die on their ability to shoot the three pointer and get layups. If the threes aren't falling, Clackamas has a tendency to play horribly overall. They've been bit by their mistakes only a few times this season, one being a heartbreaker on the road against Lane (box), one being a 28 point embarrassment on the road to Chemeketa (box), and the other being a 20 point loss to Yakima Valley during the preseason. Guard Ashleigh Anderson has continued to look good for Clackamas, who leads the league in scoring with just over 79 points per game.



                                                                                                                         

4. Bellevue (19-4, 11-1 North)
#7 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 6, No. 8 Coaches


At ten games, Bellevue sports the longest active winning streak in the NWAACC. The Bulldogs avenged their only loss in their region on February 8th when they marched in to Skagit Valley and came away with an 82-69 victory (box), tying the northern region standings. Not much remains on the schedule for Bellevue, who will play three of the bottom four teams in the north before the season is up, including 0-20 Edmonds, who averages only 44 points per game.


                                                                                                                         

5. Yakima Valley (17-6, 7-3 East)
#6 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 3, No. 4 Coaches

As up and down as teams come, Yakima Valley has their hands in some of the most impressive victories that the NWAACC has seen all season. They knocked off host Clackamas at the Clackamas Crossover Tournament in the preseason, and dealt Columbia Basin a crushing defeat on January 21st. Yakima Valley has been fairly consistent as of late, putting together a streak of six wins before falling 69-47 to Walla Walla on February 8th (box) and  pushing Columbia Basin to the brink (box) on February 12th. Yakima Valley has done a decent job of bouncing back from the loss of their leading scorer, but doubts still linger as the tournament looms.

                                                                                                                         

6. Skagit Valley (16-6, 11-1 North)
#9 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 2, No. 7 Coaches

Skagit Valley had won 12 games in a row before dropping a game at home 82-69 to Bellevue (box). While that win streak included some of the NWAACC's bottom feeders, they are still one of only three teams to accomplish such a feat. Statistically, Skagit Valley hasn't looked quite so good lately, a run of slower offensive nights has bumped their points per game down to just over 73.


                                                                                                                         

7. Walla Walla (17-6, 8-3 East)
#4 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 5, 4 Coaches

Along with some their eastern region companions, Walla Walla has been up and down. They had an impressive win over the aforementioned Yakima Valley (box) on February 8th but turned around three days later and lost to 8-14 Wenatchee Valley 67-59 (box). The loss at Columbia Basin was expected, and the win over Yakima Valley could and should have been used as a springboard to finish out the season. However, it seems that the Warriors, who continue to lead the league in 3 pt shooting, have fumbled the opportunity away.

                                                                                                                         

8. Clark (19-4, 12-1 West)
#5 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 7, No. 6 Coaches

Clark may have moved up in the rankings had things continued the way that they were. They were riding a 16 game winning streak, were undefeated in league, and were running away in every game that they played. That all came to a halt when Clark dropped a game at home 71-61 to Peirce (box), breaking the NWAACC's longest streak so far this season for both the men and the women. All their hard work aside, Clark could lose the #1 Western seed if they don't win against Centrailia on February 22nd. Even with that win, Clark will have to work hard to keep ahead.

                                                                                                                         


Teams moving up: Lane, Bellevue, Skagit Valley
Teams moving down: Clackamas, Yakima Valley, Walla Walla

Clackamas women lead injury-ridden NWAACC

NWAACC Women's Basketball

The story of the last few weeks has been injuries. Big Bend's Alli Neilson went down for three games and most of a fourth, and they've lost four straight pending her return on February 1st. Clackamas has lost their starting forward Lindsay Kanalz to a broken hand and sixth-man Alex Howe to knee injury. Columbia Basin lost second leading scorer Andrea Bland to a knee injury during practice. What remains to be seen is which teams will rise to the challenge and which teams will fall away.  Here's how the league looks after one month of region play: Coaches rankings are in italics under each team's record, and will be updated when the rankings come out on February 1st.

                                                                                                                        

1. Clackamas (17-2, 6-1 South)
 #2 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 1, No. 2 Coaches

The last few weeks have been rough for Clackamas. They've lost two key players in  starting forward Lindsay Kanalz (broken hand) and sixth-man Alex Howe (knee), but have only lost one game, a 71-68 heart-breaker (box) on the road to a very sharp Lane team. If Clackamas shoots even decent, that game is a W, but as it is, Clackamas has stepped up to the plate and won all but two games this season, something that is true for only two squads. As always, Clackamas leads in points, assists, and steals. What they lack in is depth: they have only eight remaining players with which to finish the season.

                                                                                                                         

2. Skagit Valley (13-5, 8-0 North)
#7 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 8, UR Coaches

Skagit Valley has reeled off an impressive 10 consecutive wins, including eight conference wins in a row. They haven't lost since falling to Lane on December 18th. Given, the north isn't particularly strong, but Skagit Valley does have a good looking 75-67 win at Bellevue, and hasn't stumbled against any of the weaker teams in their division. The battle for the crown just may take place on February 8th when a well rested Bellevue team travels to Skagit Valley, who has improved their scoring average considerably and now sit at 4th in the league with just over 74.5 points per game.

                                                                                                                         

3. Yakima Valley(15-4, 5-1 East)
#4 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 5, No. 5 Coaches


After the loss of their leading scorer, it was difficult to believe that Yakima Valley was still a team to be feared. Now that fear has been abolished. Yakima Valley finally gave the mighty Columbia Basin a loss in their region, and a 20 point loss on their home floor at that. While the 81-61 victory may not prove that YVCC is back for good, it definitely serves as a wake up call that they aren't to be taken lightly.

                                                                                                                         

4. Columbia Basin (17-2, 5-1 East)
#1 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 1, No. 1 Coaches


Everything seemed peachy for Columbia Basin, a team that had been embarrassing opponents since November, winning their first 12 and 15 of their first 16 games. Then guard  Andrea Bland  went down with an injury to her knee on January 12th. Since then, Columbia Basin has stumbled through their four games, squeezing past a marginal Blue Mountain team before being crushed by Yakima Valley at home. For the time being, the Hawks will have to learn to play without Bland, who hasn't played since the injury she picked up during practice.

                                                                                                                         

5. Walla Walla (14-4, 5-1 East)
#3 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 4, No. 4 Coaches

Seeing as their only two losses since late November are Clark (14-3, 7-0 North) and Columbia Basin, it's a bit misleading that they moved down in this week's rankings. The only reason is that there's not much room at the top. Walla Walla needs a statement game, a win that nobody expected them to get. So far this season,  they've only beaten the teams that they were supposed to and fallen to the teams that were better than them. Perhaps two chances at such a statement game are fast approaching with games at home against Yakima Valley and on the road at Columbia Basin. Walla Walla has continued their torrid, league-leading 3 point shooting at 40%.

                                                                                                                         

6. Bellevue (15-4 7-1 North)
#9 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. UR, No. 8 Coaches

Bellevue has won six games in a row following their January 11th 75-67 loss at home to Skagit Valley. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Bellevue statistically is that they shoot a very decent 42% from the field despite a dismal 3 point percentage. Adding their weak division and their average stats, Bellevue should do well until the competition picks up in the NWAACC tournament. A lot of minds could be changed if Bellevue can knock off Skagit Valley on February 8th, a game that may or may not decide the region champion.

                                                                                                                         

7. Lane (15-4, 5-1 South)
#5 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 7, UR Coaches

If you throw out Lane's 67-57 loss at home to Chemeketa, Lane's regular season and late preseason have been very impressive. They are the only team since Yakima Valley to defeat Clackamas, winning a 71-68 thriller (box) at home on January 21st. Lane is one of the three Southern teams that lead the NWAACC in scoring with 75 points per game, Lane is also one of the league's top rebounding teams. Lane also continues lead the league in blocks with 4.58 per game, up from 4.25 two weeks ago.

                                                                                                                         

8. Clark (14-3, 7-0 West)
#6 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. UR, No. UR Coaches

It's amazing how long it takes team that is undefeated in their region to get noticed. That says something about the proficiency of the western region, which is displayed when their best team has been beaten badly in meetings with Columbia Basin, Walla Walla and Lane early in the season. However, those must have been on the team's "down" nights, as they also have impressive victories over Walla Walla and Yakima Valley as well as their smooth sailing through the western region opposition.

                                                                                                                         


Teams moving up: Skagit Valley, Yakima Valley
Teams added: Bellevue, Clark
Teams moving down: Columbia Basin, Walla Walla
Teams dropped: Big Bend, Chemeketa

Clackamas women regain No. 1 ranking

NWAACC Women's Basketball

Things always tend to shake up when region play begins, and these last two weeks were no different. The dominant teams from the Southern and Eastern regions now face off against one another, and the weaker teams from the West and North face slightly easier competition than during the tough preseason. The Western and Northern regions include seven of the NWAACC's eight teams with three wins or less, and boast only eight teams with winning records. Here's how the league looks after two weeks of region play: Coaches rankings are in italics under each team's record, and will be updated when the rankings come out on January 18th.

                                                                                                                        

1. Clackamas (14-1, 3-0 South)
 #2 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 2, No. 2 Coaches

Ever since the crushing 72-53 loss to Yakima Valley in a sloppy, 32 turnover contest, Clackamas has reeled off three good wins in a row. The 83-50 victory over SW Oregon saw the return of wing Ashleigh Anderson, which should add further depth to a Clackamas team that already has been as deep as any team in the NWAACC thus far. Even more encouraging was center Jordin Feldman's 14 point performance against Chemeketa, showing that Clackamas is building more of an inside presence to go along with their already stellar 3pt shooters, who lead the league in 3 pointers made and attempted. Clackamas continues to lead in average points (78.43), assists (18.07) and steals (17.07).

                                                                                                                         

2. Columbia Basin (15-1, 3-0 East)
#1 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 1, No. 1 Coaches

The only thing that bumped CBC down to #2 was the fact that one of their three wins was over Treasure Valley, a team that is 2-12 on the year. Yes they got the win, but that game was a cakewalk: only one player had over 25 minutes for Columbia Basin in the 69-52 rout. The Hawks' other two wins were decent, but until they take on one of the heavyweights, they'll have a hard time passing Clackamas until much later in the season when strength of schedule balances itself out. CBCC continues to hide in the middle of the stat books. They have yet to lead the league in any statistical category except one: wins.

                                                                                                                         

3. Big Bend (13-3, 3-0 East)
#6 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 8, No. 7 Coaches


All of the sudden, Big Bend has jumped from one of the mediocre teams to one of the teams to beat. They're one of just two teams in the strong NWAACC East to be undefeated in their region, and have piled up an impressive record. Their biggest win of the season so far was a 65-63 defeat of Yakima Valley on the road, proving that they're definitely for real, despite having a soft preseason. It still remains to be seen whether Big Bend can keep this up, though. The East will be a battle to the finish with four teams boasting 11 wins or more.

                                                                                                                         

4. Walla Walla (11-4, 2-1 East)
#4 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 5, No. 3 Coaches


The Warrior's first three regional games have been a mixed bag of competition. Walla Walla has a nine point loss at home to #1 Columbia Basin, a narrow, 61-60 victory on the road over #6 Blue Mountain, and a 75-28 pummeling of a dismal Treasure Valley team that may go 0-14 in the powerful East. So far, no surprises. Walla Walla is sitting right where they should be: playing decent against the best teams, beating the teams in the middle of the road, and absolutely mopping up against the bottom of the barrel.

                                                                                                                         

5. Yakima Valley (12-4, 2-1 East)
#5 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 4, No. 4 Coaches

Defending NWAACC Champion Yakima Valley was off to a decent start, despite a few hiccups and some consistency issues. That was, until their leading scorer, Brandi Henton, went down with an ACL injury on December 18th at the Clackamas Crossover in Oregon City, Ore. Last week, doctors determined that Henton would be out for the remainder of the season, providing a sizable setback for the Yaks to bypass. Henton will remain a part of the team, and they might need her support after such a loss.

                                                                                                                         

6. Chemeketa (10-4 2-1 South)
#3 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. UR, No. UR Coaches

There are three teams in the NWAACC South tied at 2-1 in region play. Chemeketa is one, and defeated both #3 Lane and unfairly unranked Umpqua. Their only loss so far in the South is to #1 Clackamas, and that was a close game on the road. Of the three losses remaining on Chemeketa's schedule, two of them are to Columbia Basin, and one of the losses was in overtime. The Storm are third in 3pt percentage, blocks, and average points, and are second in assists, led by Janelle Weiss, who is one of only three players to average at least 15 points and 4 assists per game.

                                                                                                                         

7. Lane (12-4, 2-1 South)
#9 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 3, No. 7 Coaches

Lane has winning streaks of five, four, and three. Their losses aren't too much to feel bad about, as they're to #2 Columbia Basin, #1 Clackamas, and a Bellevue team that went their first eight games without a loss. But that's only three of the four. The last was a 67-57 loss to then unranked Chemeketa at home, a feat that hadn't happened for years until Clackamas broke college basketball's longest home winning streak at 83 last season. Lane continues to score well in the fast-paced South, averaging 73.7 points per game, and leads the league in blocks with 4.25 per contest.

                                                                                                                         

8. Skagit Valley (9-5, 4-0 North)
#10 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. UR, No. UR Coaches

Especially for a team that started out 1-4, Skagit Valley has come an awfully long way. Since their horrendous start, Skagit Valley has won eight of nine, including a victory over Bellevue and an 82-71 win over Big Bend. With the preseason out of the way, the defending champions from the North should cruise to a second region title unless the rest of the region wakes up all of the sudden. Skagit Valley's most notable statistic is steals, where they are second in the league with nearly sixteen and a half steals per game.

                                                                                                                         


Teams moving up: Clackamas, Big Bend, Walla Walla
Teams added: Chemeketa, Skagit Valley
Teams moving down: Columbia Basin, Yakima Valley, Lane
Teams dropped: Bellevue, Blue Mountain

Columbia Basin No. 1 in Power Rankings

NWAACC Women's Basketball

The last three weeks saw the last of the undefeated teams in the NWAACC, and the teams have begun to split themselves into three groups. Clackamas and Columbia Basin are off ahead of everyone else, Lane, Yakima Valley, and Walla Walla sit on a middle tier, and Blue Mountain, Bellevue, and Big Bend round out this week's JOWARD Power Rankings top eight. Coaches rankings are in italics next to each team's record.

                                                                                                                        

1. Columbia Basin (12-1) - #1 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 5, No. 4 Coaches

The Hawk's one loss isn't too much to worry about: it was to NJCAA Champion North Idaho, and it was relatively close compared to many of North Idaho's other bouts in the NWAACC. Columbia Basin still doesn't have the most impressive schedule or the flashiest stats, but they've still managed to clean up lesser opponents without much of a slip up so far. However middle-of-the-road their numbers may be, they're still 12-1. Whether they've got what it takes will be seen once region play begins, as they have four of the eight ranked teams in their region.

                                                                                                                         

2. Clackamas (11-1) - #2 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 1, No. 1 Coaches

Clackamas was running away from opponents before they tripped and fell flat on their faces against Yakima Valley on December 18th in the final of their own NWAACC crossover tournament. The 72-53 rout came with 32 turnovers, something that has been a problem of theirs, averaging nearly 23.5 turnovers per contest. They normally make up for such a stat with takeaways of their own, leading the NWAACC in points, assists, and steals. This time they just didn't get away with it.
                                                                                                                         

3. Lane (10-3) - #7 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 6, No. 5 Coaches


Of the teams tied at 10-3, Lane has been the most consistent. Their wins aren't all that impressive, but their losses are to #1 Columbia Basin and #2 Clackamas, as well as the aforementioned North Idaho. Lane may be the most well rounded team in the NWAACC, even if they don't have the best record. Lane is 3rd in the NWAACC with 75.77 ppg, leads the league in blocks, and is among the leaders in steals.

                                                                                                                         

4. Yakima Valley (10-3) - #4 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 4, No. 6 Coaches 


YVCC's trouble still seems to be consistency. On one hand, they handed then No. 1 and undefeated Clackamas their first loss in a 72-53 blowout. But on the other hand, they've also coughed up games to unranked Linn-Benton and unranked Clark. However, things may be turning around, as the Yaks have two wins of over 40 points, and four wins of 16 or more since their back to back losses in early December. Things may be looking up once the NWAACC's leading scorer, Brandi Henton, returns from injury.

                                                                                                                         

5. Walla Walla (9-3) - #3 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 3, No. 2 Coaches

Of all the teams to play North Idaho College, the Warriors have done the best job. Still losing 71-65, Walla Walla fell by only 6 points, the closest margin for any NWAACC team. If Walla Walla's only other loss was to #4 Yakima Valley, then they'd most likely be ranked much higher than they are. That isn't quite the case, as Walla Walla fell in a puzzling game to Clark in which the NWAACC's second highest scoring team couldn't muster 60 points in the 70-59 loss to an unranked team for the first time this season. 

                                                                                                                         

6. Blue Mountain (8-3) - #9 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 7, No. 8 Coaches

The Timberwolves have been teetering on the edge of success all season. That is, until now. They finally announced their coming out party in an 86-66 trouncing of then No. 2 Bellevue. Blue Mountain continues to shoot extremely well from the field, and leads the NWAACC in free-throw percentage. However good their shooting is, they still lack a strong inside presence, as their rebounding is dreadful, and they have only five blocks all season long.

                                                                                                                         

7. Bellevue (8-3) - #5 Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 2, No. 3 Coaches

Once a team that sat nearly atop the rankings, Bellevue has clearly fallen from grace. All went well until a forfeit with Spokane, and since then the Bulldogs have lost two of four, their stumbling seemingly culminating in the dreadful blowout at the hands of the Blue Mountain Timberwolves on December 30th. Only time will tell whether Bellevue can halt their skid down the power rankings.

                                                                                                                         

8. Big Bend (10-3) - Unranked Coaches

Previous Ranking: No. 8, No. 7 Coaches

One would think that the 68-63 victory over then #2 Bellevue would put Big Bend a lot higher on the list, but then you have to consider that two of their losses were to teams at .500 in Whatcom and Skagit Valley. As for much of the rest of Big Bend's schedule, it's dismal. The rubber will really meet the road when region play begins, as Big Bend's Eastern Region is shaping up to be a tough place to play this season.
                                                                                                                         


Teams moving up: Columbia Basin, Blue Mountain, Lane
Teams moving down: Bellevue, Walla Walla, Clackamas

Clackamas women No. 1 in NWAACC Power Rankings

NWAACC Women's Basketball

With the third women's coaches poll set to come out on Dec. 14, I decided to take a stab at ranking the teams myself. Coaches rankings are in italics next to each team's record.

                                                                                                                         

1. Clackamas (8-0) - #1 Coaches
Previous Ranking: No. 2 

Their wins against JV teams and lowly Portland aside, Clackamas has impressed so far this season, leading the NWAACC in both assists (19) and steals (19.43). If their shooting percentage continues to climb and their decent free throw shooting continues, Clackamas will be a tough matchup come tournament time.
                                                                                                                         

2. Bellevue (6-0) - #3 Coaches
Previous Ranking: No. 4 (tie) 


Of all the undefeated teams, Bellevue has the toughest schedule so far. Their combined opponents are 22-20, making them one of the few good teams to have faced a schedule in which their opponents are over .500. They shoot well when not behind the 3-point line, and are 2nd in the NWAACC in blocks.
                                                                                                                         

3. Walla Walla (6-2) - #2 Coaches
Previous Ranking: No. 3 


Walla Walla's only two losses were an 81-76 overtime defeat to Yakima Valley, and a 71-65 loss to North Idaho College, a NJCAA team. If the warriors can equal out the deficit in points off turnovers (-13 vs. YVCC, -23 vs. North Idaho), odds are they're still undefeated. They also lead the league in 3-pt %.

                                                                                                                         


4. Yakima Valley (5-2) - #6 Coaches
Previous Ranking: No. 1


One would think that YVCC's win over Walla Walla would put them ahead, and that would make sense without Yakima's loss to sub-.500 and unranked Linn-Benton, and then to unranked Clark. However, the overtime victory against the Warriors says a lot about how Yakima can play when they're good, which apparently isn't all the time.

                                                                                                                         

5. Columbia Basin (6-0) - #4 Coaches
Previous Ranking: No. 4. (tie)


Normally, Columbia Basin's perfect record would be more impressive, but it begins to lose some of it's glamour when you realize that they've really only played one ranked team in Umpqua, and were out shot by 13% in that game. Defensively they're decent: they held Peninsula to just 26 points, a low so far in the NWAACC.
                                                                                                                         

6. Lane (5-2) - #5 Coaches
Previous Ranking: No. 6 

Lane's only two losses have been to No. 1 Clackamas and No. 2 Bellevue, and the only thing holding them back from climbing again is defeating a ranked opponent. They lead the NWAACC in average points and have been winning by an average of 24.8 points per victory.

                                                                                                                         

7. Blue Mountain (5-2) - #7 Coaches
Previous Ranking: NR


Blue Mountain's wins over Umpqua and Highline and close games vs. No 2. Bellevue and No. 3 Walla Walla have propelled them into the rankings for the first time this season. The Timberwolves shoot a blistering 45% from the field, and trail only Walla Walla in that category.

                                                                                                                         

8. Big Bend (5-1) - #8 Coaches
Previous Ranking: NR


Yes, the Vikings are 5-1, but keep in mind that they've played their own alumni and 0-5 Edmonds CC. However, their victory over Umpqua was a big one: The 97-73 loss was the worse for the Riverhawks all season, setting an opponent high in a loss by 19 points.
                                                                                                                         


And there you have it. Blue Mountain and Big Bend made the jump to the top eight, while Umpqua (6-4), Spokane (3-5) were knocked from the rankings.


View the current coaches poll here.