Bombers Cage the Lions - By Colby Whitby

Coming off a hard-fought victory against the Kamiakin Braves, the Richland Bombers wanted to keep their winning streak against the Kennewick Lions alive. 

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The first quarter was all bombers with a commanding lead of 14, only allowing the Lions 5 points. The Kennewick offense was struggling, giving up 7 turnovers in the first quarter. Senior star Josh Woodard was leading the bombers, making some amazing passes and lay-ins to keep the lead for the bombers.  Soon after the first quarter, everyone in the stands knew this game would be a blowout. The second quarter was the Lions trying to catch up with the bombers. Shooting 5 for 16 from the field, the lions made half the amount of field goals from the bombers.

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By halftime, the score was Richland 45, Kennewick 21. However, entering the second half, we had different lineups for the Bombers. I would call it the big-man lineup. They had Westerfield, Davis, Kiesel-Kauhane, Northrop, and Woodard. This line was dominant in the paint, getting all the offensive and defensive rebounds and points. The Lions had a better 3rd quarter with senior Sal Cervantes making 2 clutch threes back to back, also a steal taking it from sophomore Landon Northrop. Although the Richland boys were not draining threes like they are used to, shooting 8 total and making only 3. The thirty-made baskets from inside the ark helped the Bombers come out with a victory. 

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After the game, I talked to a student fan, all-conference honorable mention linebacker Cannon Weikum. I asked how would you say this game shows the dominance of the Richland Bombers in the Mid-Columbia conference. He simply said, “This team is something special, with leaders Josh Woodard and Luke Westerfield teaching these younger teammates how to be dominant, " which is a great thing to see. I could see this team making a deep playoff run and maybe even taking the whole team to the state championship.” I also had the chance to talk to another bomber fan, Ethan Van Beek. I asked who you think has improved the most from the beginning of the season. “Lance Hornvedt has improved so much by being more aggressive in the paint and moving the ball around, making great passes to set up open shots.” The Bombers would win the game 84 to 46, giving them their eighth win. The Richland boys now get ready to host the Walla Walla Blue Devils on Friday, January 12th.

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