“We needed to maintain a focus and take care of the ball,” said Kittitas coach Nate Phillips of the Coyotes’ focus down the stretch. “Every possession was going to matter, securing defensive rebounds and most of all not letting tired be the reason.”

Aubree Knudson Brown, a 5-foot, 11-inch sophomore post, split a pair of free throws for the final margin with a minute left as, though her side led 14-8 through a quarter and 28-17 at halftime, Cle Elum-Roslyn (5-2, 2-1) kept it close at 36-31 through three.

Phillips, a 5-foot-7 junior guard, and Huber, a 5-foot-6 sophomore guard, scored 13 and 11 respective points for the Coyotes where Nellie Nicholls, a 5-foot-10 eighth-grade forward, willed her Warriors with 16 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two assists.

The cross-county neighbors will see each other again Jan. 21 at Walter Strom Middle School in Cle Elum, but next for Kittitas is a game at the East’s Walla Walla Valley Academy (0-5) scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in College Place while the Warriors host Liberty Bell (0-5) at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Walter Strom.

Ellensburg girls 64, Selah 18

Saturday in Selah

Ellensburg scoring – Olivia Anderson 22 points; Brooke Ravet 9 points, 9 rebounds; Layne Rogel 8 points; Alana Marrs 8 points; Jamison Philip 7 points; Rylee Leishman 10 assists, 7 rebounds

”We had a really good first quarter,” said Bulldogs coach Tim Ravet as his side held the Vikings to six points in the third and none in the fourth of its 32nd win in a row since its 2021-22 opener. “Olivia went off for 10 of our 25 points in the quarter, even though Selah packed it in in the zone. When you get up by a lot, anyone can play and anyone can shoot, but no one wants to be selfish so it’s easy to pass a lot.”

NEXT: Ellensburg (6-0 overall) at Class 4A Chiawana (3-4), 5:45 p.m. Tuesday in Pasco

BOYS’ BASKETBALLCle Elum-Roslyn 84, Kittitas 32

Saturday in Kittitas

CER 25 16 17 26 – 84

KIT 9 17 3 3 – 32

CER scoring – Joel Kelly 25 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, block; Jett Favero 21 points, 6 steals, 2 assists; Caleb Bogart 10 points, 7 assists, 6 steals, 3 rebounds; Mac Williams 9 points, 9 rebounds, block, steal; Cash Najar 8 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, assist; Dominick Johnson 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, block; Tannen Graff 4 points, 2 rebounds

NEXT: Cle Elum-Roslyn (7-1 overall) at Class 1A King’s (4-2), 6:30 p.m. Jan. 4 in Shoreline; Kittitas (3-2) at Walla Walla Valley Academy (1-4), 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in College Place

Selah 68, Ellensburg 51

Saturday in Selah

ELL 7 7 22 15 – 51

SEL 20 23 13 12 – 68

ELL scoring – Gavin Marrs 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, 2 blocks; Gunner Fenz 9 points, 2 rebounds; Cy Clark 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, steal, block; Darius Andaya 5 points, 2 rebounds, steal; Josh Boast 5 points, 6 rebounds, assist, steal; Emmett Fenz 5 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; Garrett Loen 3 points, 2 steals, rebound; Eli Lewis 2 assists. SEL scoring – Levi Pepper 20 points; Jackson Pepper 17 points; Beau Benjamin 12 points; Rylan Tilley 9 points; Eli Wright 6 points; Parker Jones 4 points.

NEXT: Ellensburg (4-3 overall) at Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout, Dec. 29, in Yakima