State tourneys begin today

Prep golf: The Lewis and Clark boys and girls, Greater Spokane League and District 8 champions, go for more hardware when state tournaments get going today.

The boys will be at Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick and the girls at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. The tournaments conclude Wednesday.

The LC girls, led by 2009 state medalist Chessy Thomas, and Snohomish boys are defending champs. LC senior Christian Alfaro (pictured above), the district medalist, is making his fourth straight trip to state.

In 3A, the boys gather at Meadow Springs Country Club and the girls at Horn Rapids Golf Course, both in Richland. The defending state champs are Mt. Si (boys) and Holy Names (girls).

In 2A, the boys and girls will be in Yakima at the Apple Tree Golf Resort. Lynden (boys) and Bellingham (girls) are defending champs.

In 1A, the boys and girls are at Columbia Point in Richland. King’s is defending boys champ, Royal the girls.

The 2B/1B are at Tri-City Country Club in Kennewick. Asotin (boys) and Life Christian (girls) are defending champs.

Other returning state medalists: Daniel Snooey, Camas, 3A boys; Zach Wanderscheid, Goldendale, 1A boys; Kelli Bowers, Chelan, 1A girls; and Kristen Rue, Life Christian, 2B/1B girls.

Greg Lee

Cougars add Aussie guard

College men’s basketball: Washington State has added another guard to its incoming class, signing 6-foot-6, 180-pound Dexter Kernich-Drew from Melbourne, Australia, to a financial aid agreement.

“He’s a very skilled wing at this time and has a chance to really improve over the next few years as his body continues to develop,” WSU coach Ken Bone said in a media release.

Playing for the Waverly Eagles in a premier youth league, Kernich-Drew averaged 23.3 points in 2009 and 26.6 this year. He scored 46 against Melbourne in the season opener. In that game, Kernich-Drew was 16 of 25 from the floor, including 7 of 8 from beyond the arc. He also had 10 rebounds. In eight games this season, Kernich-Drew has connected on 52.2 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Kernich-Drew’s signing is WSU’s fourth for the fall, joining Washington high school standouts Andre Winston (Lakes) and Patrick Simon (Ephrata), and Florida junior college guard Faisal Aden (Hillsborough CC).

Vince Grippi