Richland Outshine the Suns - By Sage Olsen
After a hard-fought win against the Chiawana Riverhawks, The Southridge Suns traveled to Richland to face off against the Bombers once again. The Suns are coming off a very intense loss by a single point to the Walla Walla Blue Devils earlier this week. After a tough loss, the Suns come into the game with a chip on their shoulder. Earlier this season, the two teams competed, with the Suns falling short by only 5 points. Coming into this game, Richland looked very intimidating offensively, having four starters in the top 10 in total points in the conference. The Bombers are looking to stay undefeated in the conference, which they ended up doing with the final score of the game, 78-68 Richland.
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| Photo: Metcalf Media (@metcalfmedia_ ) |
The first quarter was a shootout with an end result of 20-19 with the bombers on top. After only just scraping by a win the last time they competed with the Suns, the Bombers were looking for success. Senior Josh Woodard, who continues to be one of the top scorers in the Mid-Columbia Conference, sets the tone for the bombers with a three-point shot just outside the arc. Woodard would score 20 points in the match and continues to show why he is such a well-known and important player.
Sophomore Lance Horntvedt continues to get more and more comfortable on the court. From outside the arc to down low, he can get buckets. Horntvedt would have 18 points on the night and 11 rebounds to set the Bombers up for the counterattacks. The Suns battled the entire half and kept it close with the undefeated Bombers, with the half-time score being 35-27. Bombers still taking the lead.
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| Photo: Metcalf Media (@metcalfmedia_ ) |
For the Suns, Senior Jesse Tijerina showed his worth in this match-up. Being another top scorer in the Mid Columbia Conference, and with 342 points just this season, Tijerina was a threat to the Bombers and had 26 points during the match. Tijerina also joined the 1,000-point club on Saturday night against the Bombers. Suns fans came to support and show their love for the senior.
Going into the second half, the Bombers refused to let up their lead, but the Suns came out battling hard. Senior Kellen Walford stood out and refused to go down without a fight. Walford would have 10 points on the night. Another Sun that shone during this matchup was senior Micheal Marty, who would have 20 of the Sun's 68 points.
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| Photo: Metcalf Media (@metcalfmedia_ ) |
At the end of the third quarter, the Bombers had created a 16-point lead for themselves, putting them in a good position for the fourth quarter. The final third quarter score was 55-29 Bombers on top. The bombers continued to stay on top for the rest of the match and took home another Mid-Columbia Conference win. The Bombers were determined to win this game, and that's exactly what they did. Although the Suns came up short, they fought hard for the entire game and continued showing their strengths. This was not just a regular game, as it was the Bombers' pink-out night. The Bomber fans, students, and players came out to help the fight for breast cancer awareness. I could speak to a fan about what it meant to them to attend the game. “I love the pink out game and being able to show my support.” said the fan.
With the Bombers being over halfway through the season and undefeated in the Mid-Columbia Conference, I could talk to senior Brayden Pratt about how the team is preparing for playoffs. “We're not really concerned about the playoffs right now. We'll focus on the games ahead of us and take things one game at a time.”
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| Photo: Metcalf Media (@metcalfmedia_ ) |
Speaking of the games ahead of the Bombers, they will take on the Kamiakin Braves Friday night, and with a win, they will clinch their spot as Mid-Columbia Conference champs. I also asked Pratt what the team was doing to prepare for perhaps the Bombers' biggest game of the season against the Braves on Friday. “We are just trying to take things one game at a time and not risk slipping up in a game we should win.” Said Pratt.
The Bombers will face off against the Kennewick Lions on their senior night on Thursday before they take on the strong Kamiakin Braves on Friday night.
