Yakima Valley Women Claim NWAACC Championship

The Yakima Valley Yaks (23-7) took care of business Tuesday as they defeated the red hot Walla Walla Warriors (22-7) in front of large and loud crowd filled will fans from both local area schools.

The Yakima Valley Yaks (23-7) took care of business Tuesday as they defeated the red hot Walla Walla Warriors (22-7) in front of large and loud crowd filled will fans from both local area schools. The title game was a rematch of last year's championship that Walla Walla took home with a 75-72 win.

The Yaks scored the opener and never trailed as they mounted a lead that grew as the minutes ticked off the clock. The margin peaked at16 pts at the 11:15 mark in the second half.

The Yaks were playing for more than just a championship today, they were playing for Hannah Cordova, a hard working and caring teammate that they lost in a tragic car accident last Monday. The Cordova family has been present at the tournament, following the team all four days on their rise to the title.

Yaks were led in scoring by Dequise Hammick who also turned in 5 assists. Samantha Zapien also had a good game with 9 points and 12 rebounds while Brittney Newcomb added another 11 points. Shiann Dreadfulwater paced the Warriors with 12 points while Caitlin Duncan and Stevie Humphries combined on 17 boards. Yakima did a good job keeping Leslie Stillar, who was dynamite against Columbia Basin yesterday, in check as she only managed 5 points.

The title represents Yakima's third and first since 1990 & '91, when they won back-to-back championships, and first for head coach Cody Bulter.

-NWAACC.org