Women’s basketball: North Idaho takes title at Lower Columbia tournament

Shelby Cloninger scored a game-high 26 points Wednesday as the North Idaho Cardinals defeated the Umpqua Riverhawks 81-50 in the championship game of the Lower Columbia women’s basketball tournament at Longview, Washington.

Cloninger shot 11 of 21 from the floor and added four steals. Cloninger, Maci Benedict, Ebony Norman and Stormee Van Belle combined for 29 rebounds to lead a 55-36 advantage.

Benedict and Monica Landdeck both shot 3 of 7 on 3-pointers.

NIC outscored the Riverhawks 25-8 in points off turnovers.

Anna Mumm totaled 18 points and four blocked shots for the Riverhawks (12-2), whose only losses this season are to the Cardinals (14-2).

CC Spokane 69, Grays Harbor 57: Bri King led four players in double figures with 21 points as the Sasquatch (11-4) defeated the Chokers (6-6) to finish 2-1 at the Skagit Valley tournament in Mount Vernon, Washington.

King finished 4 of 6 on 3-pointers to guide the team’s 8-for-16 effort. Jessica Boyer had a game-best eight rebounds as CCS outrebounded the Chokers 39-26.

Khadija Neumeyer added 10 points and four assists for the Sasquatch. Kennedy Wharton scored 22 points for Grays Harbor, shooting 10 of 17 from the field.

Whitworth 56, Eureka 27: KC McConnell finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds as the Pirates (7-4) defeated the Red Devils (2-7) at the Music City Classic in Nashville, Tennessee.

Whitworth jumped ahead 9-2 with a 9-0 run and built a 20-point lead late in the second quarter.

Alexis McLeod had five assists for the Pirates.