RICHLAND — Hermiston rallied from a 30-17 deficit in the first half to pull within two points in the fourth quarter before falling short 71-66 to Richland on Saturday, Jan. 20, in Mid-Columbia Conference action.

“We really didn’t like the outcome,” Hermiston coach Jay Ego said. “The energy we came out with wasn’t enough to win that one. There is no room in this league for taking moments off.”

The Bulldogs were within 68-66 after Izzy Simmons made a pair of free throws with 49 seconds remaining, but the Bombers pushed the lead back to four points with two free throws by Kylee Kukas with 23 second left on the clock.

Hermiston turned the ball over with 11 seconds left, and Macie Milum made one of two free throws for the final score.

Richland (6-3 MCC) opened the game with a 15-14 lead after the first quarter, and led 34-27 at the half.

Each team scored 21 points in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs (4-7 MCC) outscored Richland 18-16 in the fourth, but it wouldn’t be enough.

Simmons scored 12 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter, and added 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals on the day. Ellie Heideman added 16 points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs, while Lucy Teegarden and Aspyn Inners each had 12 points.

Maya Rowe had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Bombers, while Mackenzie Schulz had 18 points and nine rebounds. Milum added 13 points and four assists.

STANFIELD 61, GRANT UNION 18 — The Tigers improved to 3-1 in Blue Mountain Conference play with a road win over the Prospectors.

Stanfield (10-4 overall) opened the game with an 18-5 lead, and kept the pressure on the whole game. The Tigers led 36-10 at the half and 54-15 after three.

Kylee Jackson led the Tigers with 17 points, and was 4-for-4 from the 3-point line. Mazie Reeser and Kayla Monkus each added 13 points. Reeser scored eight of her points in the first quarter.

Brianna Sharp led Grant Union (1-14, 0-3) with five points.

Boys basketball

RICHLAND 84, HERMISTON 55 — The Bulldogs are still looking for their first win over the Bombers since joining the Mid-Columbia Conference in 2018.

Richland’s 6-foot-10 senior Luke Westerfield had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Bombers led early and never took their foot off the gas pedal.

Hermiston took a 6-2 lead to open the game, but it didn’t take long for the Bombers to take the lead and post a 22-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Richland led 41-26 in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs got a basket by Drake Devin, a 3-pointer from Austin Bledsoe, and a free throw by Bradley Hottman to pull within 41-32 at the half.

The Bombers pulled away in the third quarter, leading 65-47 heading into the fourth. Richland stretched its lead to 30 points in the fourth.

Devin led the Bulldogs with 16 points, while Grant Olsen added 14 points, six rebounds and two steals. Brayden Breland chipped in nine points, while Isaac Corey had eight points and seven rebounds.

Josh Woodard added 18 points and eight assists for Richland, while Jack Forbes added 16 points, Landen Northrop 11 points, and Lance Horntvedt nine points and 10 rebounds.

STANFIELD 84, GRANT UNION 77 — The Tigers find themselves all alone at the top of the Blue Mountain Conference standings after beating the Prospectors on the road.

“Close one tonight, but we pulled it out,” Stanfield coach Rylie Smith said. “Ty are a really well-coached team that plays very hard. We struggled to defend in the first half, but found ourselves in the second after we made some adjustments.”

Grant Union (10-5 overall, 2-1 BMC) led 17-16 after the first quarter, and 39-25 at the half, but the Tigers righted the ship in the third, going on a 25-17 run to take a 60-56 lead behind nine points from Conner Logan.

Logan added 11 points in the fourth quarter as Stanfield (9-5, 4-0) went on a 24-21 run to seal the win and run its win streak to eight games.

Logan led the Tigers with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Pablo Arellano added 18 points, and Landon Bailey 14 points.

“Logan had a solid night for us inside,” Smith said.

Talon Van Cleave had a game-high 28 points for Grant Union, while Sheldon Lenz added 22.