Sports Briefs

BASKETBALL

Youth hoops camp slated

CHENEY — The EWU men’s basketball team is hosting their Holiday Hoops Youth Camp - open to boys and girls, grades K-6 - on Monday, December 30 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is $75 per camper.

The camp will focus on skill development, competitions, and enjoying one last day with friends before school goes back in session!

Following the camp, participants will be invited to watch Eastern’s pre-game shoot-around on Reese Court before the Eagles host Eastern Oregon at 6 p.m.

All campers will receive a free ticket to the game, plus Eastern will also offer discounted family and friend tickets available.

Visit ewumensbasketball.totalcamps.com to register.

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Eastern dominates Lincoln

CHENEY — Eastern Washington ended a two game losing streak and a span of games with two wins in their last 10 with a 107-63 win over Lincoln University of Oakland, Calif.

While the offense was obvious it was defense that stood out in the second half, as the Eagles outscored the Oaklanders 48-22.

“Offensively, scoring 107 points despite struggling from beyond the arc shows the depth of this team,” head coach Dan Monson said. “We’re in a good place offensively, but we still have work to do on both ends of the floor.”

Sebastian Hartmann led the Eagles with a career-high 20 points while Andrew Cook added 18. Mason Williams (13 points), Jackson Seale (11) and Emmett Marquardt (10) were other Eagles in double figures.

Heading into halftime, Eastern led 59-41 and shot 67%.

Eastern (3-9) will conclude non-conference play Eastern Oregon on Monday, December 30, at 6 p.m. To kick off the new year and Big Sky Conference play, Eastern will host Montana on Thursday, January 2, and Montana State on Saturday, Jan. 4.

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Eagles defeat Gauchos

CHENEY — Eastern Washington women’s basketball closed out their non-conference schedule with a return to a familiar formula for success and it resulted in a 54-46 win over UC Santa Barbara, Dec. 20 at Reese Court.

The Eagles held UCSB to 26.7 percent shooting in the game and 2-of-22(9.1%) on three-point shots.

Eastern’s offense struggled to score in the first half, leading 20-19 but found a rhythm in the second.

“We challenged the team at halftime to win the third quarter because we haven’t been doing that,” head coach Joddie Gleason said. The Eagles went out and outscored UCSB 21-12.

Alexis Pettis scored a game-high 17 points, one shy of her career-best. Kourtney Grossman delivered a double-double scoring 15 points and 17 rebounds, both new career-bests. Peyton Howard added 11.

Eastern will start Big Sky play at Montana on Jan. 2 and Montana State, Jan. 4.

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Colfax thrashes Cardinals

A potentially busy end to the pre-holiday break turned out to be not so for the Medical Lake girls.

The Cardinals were thrashed by Colfax, 63-17, Dec. 20 at home. However, a game the following night with Mary Walker from Springdale, Wash. was cancelled when the Chargers was not able to field a full team.

The 2B Bulldogs raced to a 22-2 first quarter lead and were up 41-5 at halftime in handing the Cardinals their third consecutive loss to fall to 2-4.

Adasha Gardner topped Medical Lake scorers with 10 points.

Medical Lake resumes play at the West Valley Holiday Tournament with games Dec. 27 vs. Northport, Dec. 28 against Kettle Falls and Dec. 30 vs. Priest River.

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FOOTBALL

All-American athletes feted

WACO, Texas — Coaches spend hours watching film on opponents, comparing and contrasting them to each other.

Two Eagles clearly have the attention of FCS coaches around the nation as Efton Chism III and Michael Wortham both earn All-American honors from the American Football Coaches Association.

Chism earned his fourth, first team All-American honor, while Wortham adds his second,

second team and third overall All-American honor.

In his final season as an Eagle, Chism was a force in the FCS, leading the nation with 120 catches, while ranking second with 1311 receiving yards.

Chism caught 13 touchdown passes to rank fourth in the nation. He led the Big Sky in all three categories.

Wortham followed Chism’s lead and made his last season in Cheney memorable and record breaking.

Earning another All-American honor as an All-Purpose player, Wortham amassed 1093 kickoff return yards this season, averaging 28.8 per return.

Wortham led the Big Sky in both categories and was sixth in the FCS in average. His yards total set the program record, passing Vernon Williams, who posted 973 yards in the 1988 season.

Wortham highlighted his kickoff return career with a 100-plus yard return against Idaho, Oct. 26.

— Cheney Free Press