CCS men, women fall in semifinals

KENNEWICK – The Community Colleges of Spokane men and women will be playing for third place instead of championships today at the Northwest Athletic Association of Community College basketball tournaments after losing semifinal games Monday night in the Toyota Center.

Peninsula jumped on top in the first half and held off the CCS men 78-74.

The CCS women absorbed a 60-41 loss to Yakima Valley.

Preston Wynne had 19 points to lead three CCS men in double figures. DeAngelo Jones added 15 and Danny Marshall had 12 and a team-high nine rebounds.

Peninsula was led by Mitrell Clark, who scored 22, hitting 3 of 4 3-pointers to lead the Pirates’ 7-for-14 effort from beyond the arc. Sammeon Waller added 16 points and 10 rebounds

CCS will play Big Bend at 2 p.m. today for third. Peninsula plays Pierce, a 76-75 winner over Big Bend, for the title.

It appeared they turned out the lights on the CCS women at halftime. At least the Sasquatch couldn’t find the basket after trailing 29-28 at the intermission.

CCS (22-7), which shot nearly 31 percent the first half, hitting 8 of 26 shots, including two 3-pointers, managed to make just 5 of 29 shots from the field the second half (17.24 percent) and none of its seven 3-pointers in a 13-point effort.

Yakima, meanwhile, stepped up its shooting, hitting 41 percent, and strolled into the title game against Walla Walla, a 52-48 winner over Columbia Basin.

Spokane and CBC play for third at 2.

CCS had three players in double figures – Brooke Randall with 16 points, Chelsea Brisbois with 13 and Korrie Bourn 11 – but only one other Sasquatch scored. And Karinne Tuttle added one.

Brittney Newcomb led Yakima with 24 points, hitting five of its eight 3s.