At last March’s Class 2A state basketball tournament in the Yakima Valley SunDome, the CWAC put four teams – Ellensburg’s girls, Prosser’s boys and girls, Selah’s boys – in the semifinals.

While the boys will be hard pressed to repeat the feat with graduation taking many of the top players from a year ago, the girls’ race could be even tougher.

Ellensburg hasn’t lost to a conference opponent since the pandemic-shortened 2021 season, but with the graduation of four-year mainstay and two-time CWAC MVP Jamison Philip.

Prosser has hung with the Bulldogs, even taking them to overtime in 2023-24. So, is this the year and is high-scoring Herbie Wright the player to lead the Mustangs past Ellensburg?

PREDICTIONS

STATE QUALIFIERS

BOYS: Selah, Grandview, Prosser (the third team will play a Northwest Conference team for a state berth).

The Vikings have enough to get back to the SunDome, while the Greyhounds and Mustangs should lead the battle for the other spots.

GIRLS: Prosser, Ellensburg, Selah (the third team will play a Northwest Conference team for a state berth).

The Mustangs break through, beat the Bulldogs and take the top spot. Ellensburg heads back to state, too, with Selah and Grandview the likely top contenders for the crossover.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

BOYS: Pierce Bierlink, Quincy.

It might not be the top player on the top team, but a second straight scoring title could wrest the award away from the state contenders.

GIRLS: Herbie Wright, Prosser.

With the Mustangs predicted to move past the Bulldogs atop the standings, the junior takes the top honors.

BOYS TEAM-BY-TEAM

(2024-25 STANDINGS/2024-25 SCORING LEADERS)

East Valley Red Devils

Coach: Steve Elder.

2024-25 Record: 8-7 CWAC, 12-11 overall.

Postseason: Crossover qualifier.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top25: Jeramy Garcia, so., 8.9 ppg.

Outlook: The Red Devils graduated longtime lineup figures Eli Esquivel and Chase Staymates, but Garcia already has shown a scoring punch with 36- and 28-point outbursts to start the season.

Ellensburg Bulldogs

Coach: Garrett Hull.

2024-25 Record: 9-7 CWAC, 12-11 overall.

Postseason: District second round.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: None.

Outlook: All-conference post Garrett Marrs is down the road at Central, but the Bulldogs have seven seniors on the varsity roster to lean on.

Ephrata Tigers

Coach: Rick Walter.

2024-25 Record: 4-12 CWAC, 6-16 overall.

Postseason: District play-in.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Brady Hendrick, sr., 12.1.

Outlook: The Tigers will lean on a veteran roster with only juniors and seniors as they try to make a move up the standings.

Grandview Greyhounds

Coach: Frankie Medina.

2024-25 Record: 16-0 CWAC, 21-4 overall.

Postseason: Crossover for state.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Frankie Medina Jr., sr., 16.0 ppg.

Outlook: The Greyhounds were hurt by graduation and took another hit Saturday when Medina suffered an injury that could keep him sidelined for a bit. Deontae Howard looks like he could pick up some of the slack after scoring 24 against Zillah.

Othello Huskies

Coach: Juan Ramon Garcia.

2024-25 Record: 0-16 CWAC, 0-20 overall.

Postseason: Did not qualify.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: LJ Nunez, so., 17.4.

Outlook: A roster with eight seniors will try to add to the scoring punch Nunez displayed last year as the Huskies try to rebound from last season.

Prosser Mustangs

Coach: Toby Cox.

2024-25 Record: 13-3 CWAC, 23-8 overall.

Postseason: District and state runner-up.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: None.

Outlook: After last season’s magical run to the championship game, Cox will call on last year’s role players to contribute more this winter.

Quincy Jackrabbits

Coach: Scott Bierlink.

2024-25 Record: 3-13 CWAC, 7-15 overall.

Postseason: District play-in.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Pierce Bierlink, sr., 27.5 ppg.

Outlook: With graduation having hit the rest of the conference pretty hard, the Bierlinks could help the Jacks climb the standings.

Selah Vikings

Coach: Jordan Starr.

2024-25 Record: 12-3 overall, 20-6 overall.

Postseason: District champ and state fifth place.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Oliver Pepper, jr., 11.7 ppg.

Outlook: The state semifinalist was hit hard by graduation but there’s still a Pepper to lead them back to the state tournament.

Toppenish Wildcats

Coach: Joseph Mesplie.

2024-25 Record: 6-10 CWAC, 9-13 overall.

Postseason: District second round.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Jason Sanchez, sr., 11.1 ppg; Alex Bazan, jr., 10.1.

Outlook: The Wildcats could be making a move with the 1-2 scoring punch of Bazan and Sanchez, who is still recovering from a hip injury suffered early in the football season.

GIRLS

(2024-25 STANDINGS/2024-25 SCORING LEADERS)

East Valley Red Devils

Coach: Eric Berg.

2024-25 Record: 5-11 CWAC, 7-15 overall.

Postseason: District second round.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Jaelynn Garcia, sr., 6.5 ppg.

Outlook: If Coach Berg can muster up some of the magic he conjured coaching the football team to the state semifinals, the Red Devils could be in business.

Ellensburg Bulldogs

Coach: Austin Smith.

2024-25 Record: 16-0 CWAC, 27-1 overall.

Postseason: District champ and state runner-up.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Bella Standish, jr., 18.4 ppg; Ellie Markus, sr., 8.7 ppg; Molly Moffat, sr., 7.4 ppg.

Outlook: After four straight trips to the 2A championship games with two titles, the Bulldogs again look to have a strong chance to get to the SunDome under first-year Coach Smith in what figures to be a tough top of the conference.

Ephrata Tigers

Coach: Alain Black.

2024-25 Record: 0-16 CWAC, 0-21 overall.

Postseason: Did not qualify.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: None.

Outlook: With four sophomores and a couple freshmen on the roster, the Tigers are employing a youth movement to try to get on the winning track.

Grandview Greyhounds

Coach: Payton Bonny.

2024-25 Record: 9-7 CWAC, 13-12 overall.

Postseason: Crossover qualifier.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Leyla Rodriguez, so., 14.8 ppg; Miya Lopez, jr., 10.2 ppg; Jenna Garza, so., 7.7 ppg; Madison Thomas, jr., 6.5.

Outlook: No team (outside of Selah) returns more scoring punch than the Greyhounds, who figure to be in contention for a state berth.

Othello Huskies

Coach: Caleb Tovar.

2024-25 Record: 4-11 CWAC, 7-13 overall.

Postseason: District play-in.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Khloe Valdez, so., 7.2 ppg.

Outlook: Tovar, who has been around both the boys and girls programs for several years, takes the reins, and will try to make headway against a rugged schedule.

Prosser Mustangs

Coach: Jessica Huntington.

2024-25 Record: 14-2 CWAC, 23-7 overall.

Postseason: District runner-up and fifth at state.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Herbie Wright, jr., 21.7 ppg; Deidra Phillips, sr., 12.0 ppg.

Outlook: Ellensburg hasn’t lost a conference game in the last four seasons, but the Mustangs could be the team to end that run this season.

Quincy Jackrabbits

Coach: John Farias

2024-25 Record: 3-13 CWAC, 4-18 overall.

Postseason: District play-in.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Janely Ramirez Farias, jr., 10.1 ppg.

Outlook: The Fariases will try to get the Jacks on the upward swing in a conference that can be tough to gain traction.

Selah Vikings

Coach: Ray Navarro.

2024-25 Record: 12-4 CWAC, 17-9 overall.

Postseason: District crossover.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Elise Kingston, jr., 14.1 ppg; Makenna Pepper, so., 11.1 ppg; Braylee Pendleton, sr., 8.2 ppg; Lily St. Mary, sr., 7.4 ppg.

Outlook: The Vikings have the more scoring back than any other team, and fell one game short of the state tournament last year. Is this the breakthrough year?

Toppenish Wildcats

Coach: Brad Baker.

2024-25 Record: 8-7 CWAC, 12-10 overall.

Postseason: District second round.

Returners in 2024-25 scoring top 25: Vivi Hernandez, jr., 10.3 ppg; Samiah Baker, yr., 6.7 ppg.

Outlook: The Wildcats will figure into the mix for a top-four seed into the district tournament. Getting out of that tournament and into state is