Edmonds, Big Bend, Pierce top final rankings

NWAACC Men's Basketball

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Ladies and Gentlemen, the wait is over! A year removed from last year's fantastic spectacle, the NWAACC's best are set to be at it again. The first round has a few upset possibilities. Firstly, Clackamas has been on a tear to finish the season, and if they can keep things close with No. 5 Yakima Valley, they have a chance. Also, No. 6 Whatcom and No. 8 Centralia is a toss up at 8 a.m. Whatcom had a tough finish to the season, while Centralia was hot, while low scoring. Lastly, Spokane has a solid chance to knock off the No. 2 seed from the south, SW Oregon, in the late game on Saturday. 

I will be on site recapping games for the league, as well as live tweeting the entire event. You can follow me @JowardHoward for updates, and be sure to keep an eye on the league website for recaps, photos and updated brackets. Also, because the arena is primarily used for hockey, bring  some warm socks if you plan on sitting near the court. With that, enjoy the tournament!

 Coaches rankings are in italics under each team's record. If you have a question or a comment feel free to leave it below, respond via twitter or send me an email. 

                                                                                                                         

1. Edmonds (23-3, 13-1 North)
No. 2 (tied) coaches
Previous ranking: No. 1, No. 1 coaches

The coaches have Edmonds down into a tie with Pierce for second place, but I'm not quite ready to de-crown the Tritons just yet. After falling to Whatcom, they won their final five games of the season to finish 13-1 in a very tough Northern Region. In addition to having the highest win percentage vs. NWAACC competition, Edmonds also has had one of the more difficult regular season schedules. Forward Shaq McKissic has stepped up in a huge way en route to winning the Northern Region MVP distinction. McKissic may be the best all around player in the league this year. second in points, third in rebounding, sixth in steals and 18th in assists, he is the only player in the NWAACC to be in the top 25 of all the major statistical categories. And don't forget that Edmonds has a pair of players scoring 20 points or more per game. If McKissic and Riccardo Maxwell both get it going, they're hard to pick against.

No. 1 Edmonds will face Lower Columbia at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

2. Big Bend (24-4, 13-1 East)
No. 1 coaches
Previous ranking: No. 2, No. 1 coaches

Ever since losing the regular season opener to Spokane, Big Bend has been perfect, finishing league play at 13-1. Led by the 21+ points of region MVP and Freshman of the Year and  Brendan Westendorf, Big Bend is one of the best scoring teams in the NWAACC, averaging 88.36 points per game. Oddly enough, only one other player from Big Bend made the all-region's first or second team, but Big Bend made up for nearly half of the all-defensive team, which is telling. Not only can Big Bend score, but they're well rounded on both ends of the floor, take care of the ball, AND they're balanced on offense. Four players average in double figure scoring, and three players have broken the 30 point barrier. Points can come from anywhere.

No. 2 Big Bend will face Lane at 10 am on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

3. Pierce (23-4, 15-1 West)
No. 2 (tied) coaches
Previous ranking: No. 3, No. 2 coaches

One thing that is interesting about the tournament is that, as time goes on, legs go soft. Meaning? The teams that run up and down, shoot tons of three pointers and score loads of points will have a harder time keeping up the same energy that they started out with. Pierce, while they score a lot, is not one of those teams. They shoot very high percentage shots, mostly from inside the arc, meaning that losing their legs due to exhaustion on day three and four of the tournament won't be as much of an issue.

No. 3 Pierce will face Everett at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                        

4. Tacoma (19-8, 12-4 West)
No. 5 coaches
Previous ranking: No. 7, NR coaches

Until they suffered a tough loss to Lower Columbia in their penultimate regular season game, Tacoma had been on quite the run, winning five games in a row after barely falling to Pierce on Feb. 2. Tacoma also seems to have found some offense in the latter stages of the season, putting up three 90+ point games in the final few weeks. That comes on the heels of a season in which the Western Region didn't do much scoring whatsoever. If Tacoma can keep up that pace with their defensive abilities, they'll be a tough opponent in the tournament.

No. 4 Tacoma will face Peninsula at noon on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

5. Yakima Valley (20-8, 10-4 East)
No. 4 coaches
Previous ranking: NR, No. 4 coaches

Winning six out of their last seven will do a lot for Yakima Valley, who needed each and every single one of those wins to get ahead of Spokane, who finished a game behind the Yaks with the third seed in the East. YVCC can definitely score. They put up just over 85 points per game, but that's not what is most impressive about Yakima Valley. The wicked stat is blocks: they lead the NWAACC with 115 blocks, or an average of almost four swats per outing. If they have the same scrappy, never-give-up, we're-never-down-by-too-much attitude that we saw last year (upset top-ranked Clark in the first round) then they are dangerous to whomever they face. Plus, how cool of a name is Joel Yellow-Owl?

No. 5 Yakima Valley will face Clackamas at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

6. Whatcom (18-8, 10-4 North)

No. 4 coaches
Previous ranking: No. 4, No. 4 coaches

Whatcom is one of those teams that is simply more than a sum of their parts. They have good rebounding numbers (4th NWAACC), but that's about as flashy as things get. They also stumbled into the tournament, losing their final two games  and letting any chance of catching Edmonds slip out of their grasp. That said, those two losses were close, and Whatcom has managed to hold Shoreline under their average by 18 points AND outscore Edmonds in perhaps their biggest win of the season. 

No. 6 Whatcom will face No. 8 Centralia at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

7. Chemeketa (17-8, 10-4 South)
No. 6 coaches
Previous ranking: No. 5, No. 5 coaches

Chemeketa has had their fair share of extremely close losses, games in which things could have gone either way. We could see Chemeketa sitting at 12-2 in league instead of 10-4, but the Storm also have several ugly losses on their record as well, namely the 20 point debacle against Mt. Hood. Part of that is because the South isn't quite as well separated as the other regions. It may not have been perfect, but Chemeketa did what they had to do in order to break the tie and take the Southern Region title for  themselves. And let's not forget that Chemeketa has a lot of experience in this tournament. A number of players were on the team last year that made it all the way to the championship, where they fell to Tacoma.

No. 7 Chemeketa will face Walla Walla at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

8. Centralia (18-9, 12-4 West)
No, 8 coaches
Previous ranking: NR, NR coaches

Another one of those defensive teams in a defensive region, Centralia's only in-league losses this regular season were twice each to No. 3 Pierce and No. 4 Tacoma. Perhaps a credit to their defense, Centralia somehow managed to win 18 games this season whilst sitting fourth from the bottom in the league in scoring. Teams have only broken 80 on Centralia just twice, and the Blazers have one of the lowest opponent scoring averages in the NWAACC. That said, they will face teams in this tournament that can score better than many of their Western Region counterparts, putting their defense to the definite test.

No. 8 Centralia will face No. 6 Whatcom at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

No. 1 Clackamas women take narrow lead over Lane into championship tournament

NWAACC Women's Basketball

Scores | Video | Bracket | Tournament Stats | Game Recaps

It's finally here! The NWAACC Tournament is no longer right around the corner, the brackets are set and it begins in just a few days time in the Toyota Center in Tri-Cities, Wash. Taking a quick look at the first round match ups, pretty much everything is an easy pick with the exception of Clark vs. Whatcom, the late game on Saturday night. Another possible upset in the first round is Skagit Valley and Lower Columbia. LCCC pulled of a big road win over No. 4 Centralia earlier in the season, and while they aren't a threat to win it all, they have show ability to step up in big games and catch teams napping. 

I will be on site recapping games for the league, as well as live tweeting the entire event. You can follow me @JowardHoward for updates, and be sure to keep an eye on the league website for recaps, photos and updated brackets. Also, because the arena is primarily used for hockey, bring  some warm socks if you plan on sitting near the court. With that, enjoy the tournament!

Coaches rankings are in italics under each team's record. If you have a question or a comment feel free to leave it below, respond via twitter or send me an email.

                                                                                                                        

1. Clackamas (23-3, 13-1 South)
No. 1 Coaches
Previous ranking: No. 1, No. 2 coaches

Clackamas went 69 days in between losses until they made the trip down to No. 2 Lane and fell in a fantastic contest, 66-63 [box]. Now normally, a situation like that would see the winning team move up and the losing team move down. However, if you contrast the two games played in league, you have to lean in Clackamas' favor. The game Clackamas won at home, the Cougars shut down Lane in the second half and won by double digits. The road loss was by three measly points and on a night that point guard Laci Effenburger went an uncharacteristic 1-10 from the field with three turnovers and just one assist. Right now, Clackamas is a favorite to win it all, but they will still have to get past Lane one more time to do it.

No. 1 Clackamas will face Spokane at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

2. Lane (26-2, 12-2 South)
No. 2 Coaches
Previous ranking: No. 3, No. 1 coaches

Not all of the credit for Lane's win over No. 1 Clackamas can go to the fact that Clackamas had a bad night. In fact, that is only a small part of it. Lane is one of a handful of teams in the league that has the post presence, namely sophomore star and NWAACC Player of the Week Megan Shields, to contend with the twin (literally twin) towers of Clackamas. Shields netted 18 points, 6 boards and four blocks in the win, and was a huge difference maker in that game. Clackamas often relies on cutters to space out the floor for their three point shooters, and with Shields clogging up the lane (heh heh), that style becomes much more difficult.

No. 2 Lane will face No. 7 Yakima Valley at noon on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

3. Walla Walla (23-3, 12-2 East)
No. 3 Coaches
Previous ranking: No. 3, No. 3 coaches

While it wasn't exactly against all the top teams in the East, Walla Walla got things back on track to finish out their regular season campaign. The Warriors' two losses in the Eastern Region were close, by two and six points, and there doesn't seem to be a glaring hole in Walla Walla's front. They lead the East in scoring at just over 68 points per game, something that will win them a lot of contests, especially in a region that is so strong defensively. Walla Walla's defensive prowess will come in handy in the tournament, which is tough on teams that run for a living because of how close the games are to one another. The slow pace will make Walla Walla hard to beat as the tournament goes on.

No. 3 Walla Walla will face SW Oregon at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

4. Centralia (21-5, 14-2 West)
No. 4 Coaches
Previous ranking: No. 4, No. 4 coaches

The RPI ratings are rather telling when it comes to Centralia and the Western Region. The rating system does a good job of displaying strength of schedule and balancing that against the record of each team. That in mind, it's not too much of a surprise (if you've been following the last two seasons) that Centralia is ranked 6th and is the only Western Region team in the top half of the ratings other than Clark at No. 16. That said, aside from the confusing loss to Clark last week, Centralia has had an impressive season. They knocked off No. 3 Walla Walla 95-91 [box] in the opening preseason tournament, and hung tough with No. 1 Clackamas before falling 68-65 [box], a game in which Western Region MVP Kristen Schoenherr was more-or-less a nonfactor with four points and two boards. That proves that Centralia CAN play well in big games, but can they win them?

No. 4 Centralia will face Peninsula at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

5. Columbia Basin (14-12, 10-4 East)
No. 6 Coaches
Previous ranking: No. 8, No. 7 coaches

When the season started, there were some questions as to whether Columbia Basin would even make the tournament at all. Even looking at the surface of their overall record, it's simply decent at best. Then you notice that 10 of their 14 wins came during Eastern Region play, and the No. 5 ranking starts to make a little more sense. It's a little concerning that all four losses came in the last half of the regular season, but Columbia Basin has been impressive ever since the new year rolled around. They stayed extremely close with No. 3 Walla Walla and inched by No. 7 Yakima Valley 75-73 [box]. They are also another team from the East that gets by on their defense, making  them a difficult match up. Add that to the fact that they have been there before, namely the championship last time around, and that they are basically playing in their own backyard, and Columbia Basin could go far in this tournament.

No. 5 Columbia Basin will face Chemeketa at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

6. Bellevue (19-8, 12-2 North)
No. 5 Coaches
Previous ranking: NR, NR coaches

When Brittany Barrington, a solid player from last year and a sophomore expected to carry the team this year, went Nov. 17 against Lane, it looked like the year might be over for Bellevue. They had a decent stretch of four wins, and finished the preseason a little better than expected. That's when things turned around in a big way for the Bulldogs. The regular season started off with wins of 42 and 51 points, and Bellevue's success didn't stop there. Airashay Rodgers and Demerea Caples pace Bellevue's scoring with just over ten points a game, and for now it seems that Bellevue has gotten along just fine without their star, especially seeing as their two losses were by a combined three points, and they finished the regular season on a seven game win streak.

No. 6 Bellevue will face Tacoma at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

7. Yakima Valley (16-11, 9-5 East)
No. 8 Coaches
Previous ranking: No. 5, No. 7 coaches

A newcomer to the rankings right at the last moment, Yakima Valley had an impressive finish to the regular season and will be walking into the tournament on a high note. If not for their narrow loss to No. 5 Columbia Basin, the Yaks would have won their final eight games. Most impressive about that stretch was the 56-50 victory [box] over No. 3 Walla Walla, a team that looked next to unstoppable for most of the season. As with many of the teams in the East (yes, the ever-broken record) Yakima Valley has great defensive stats, including the most total blocks of any Eastern Region team. The numbers may not look quite so shiny as those from the South, but remember that YVCC's pace is slower than that of the high-scoring Southern Region teams, something that will come to their aid in back to back games this weekend. 

No. 7 Yakima Valley will face No. 2 Lane at noon on Saturday, March 2

                                                                                                                         

8. Skagit Valley (19-8, 11-3 North)
No. 7 Coaches
Previous ranking: No. 6, No. 5 coaches

The bump in the road that was their loss to Bellevue aside, Skagit Valley was on fire for the majority of their regular season. After picking up a pair of losses to Whatcom and Peninsula in the early going, they won nine straight to wrestle the second seed away from Whatcom. Despite not finishing at the top of their region, SVC actually led the North in scoring behind 18.6 points from sophomore forward Laken McClelland.

No. 8 Skagit Valley will face Lower Columbia at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2