Richland star shooter crushes Bomber school record, scoring 54 points. He’s just a junior

I’ve seen a lot of outstanding performances over many, many years when it comes to high school basketball in the Mid-Columbia.

Not sure I’ve ever seen what junior Landen Northrop did last Saturday when the Richland boys beat visiting Central Valley 94-60.

Northrop got hot from the outset, scoring 28 points in the first quarter alone, and finished with a school-record 54 points in the Richland win.

That broke Steven Beo’s record of 49 points.

Northrop had 43 points at halftime, and broke the record in the third quarter after he was fouled on a 3-point field goal attempt and sank all three free throws.

Halfway through the third quarter, with the record in his name and the game easily in hand, Northrop went to the bench to allow his teammates to get some playing time.

“That rim felt pretty big,” said Northrop. “It was a fever dream. I didn’t actually know I had the record until I went to the bench in the third quarter.”

Richland coach Earl Streufert has seen some scorers in his time. He was mesmerized by Northrop’s performance — 17 of 22 from the floor; 11 for 14 from the 3-point line; 9 for 9 from the free-throw line; four rebounds, two steals and one assist.

“He was special,” said Streufert. “Every shot was legitimate. He finished at the rim. He had transition 3’s. He made pull-up jumpers. Landen is unselfish too. Everybody that was there knew (his performance) was special.”

Northrop spent all offseason working on his game — playing AAU, even spending some time in London with other U.S. players in a tournament, and working out at Shoot 360, a place that keeps track of each shot.

When asked if Northrop always has the green light to shoot, Streufert confirmed he does.

“But every guy on this team has the green light. I’ve always felt you can’t be very good unless you have confidence in your shot,” he said.

It was a good first weekend for the Bombers, who picked up where they left off last season (second in the 4A state tournament) with two weekend wins.

“I was pleasantly surprised for sure. We moved the ball well. And I’d much rather learn lessons by winning,” said Streufert.

With Richland losing three starters to graduation — Jack Forbes, Luke Westerfield and Josh Woodard — Mid-Columbia Conference coaches still believe the Bombers are the team to beat this season.

Besides Northrop, Lance Horntvedt also returns — with more height.

“Lance is really good too,” said Streufert. “Right now, he’s listed at 6-foot-8. But he’s a legitimate 6-7. He was 6-5 last year.”

Northrop is confident this Bombers team can go a long ways.

“All of our starting five are juniors and sophomores,” said Northrop. “We’ve all been playing together since second grade. We all know each other.”

And whether he gets 54 points or 10 points, there is only one thing Northrop really cares about.

“I want our team to win,” he said. “I really care about winning state. That’s all I wanted growing up watching my brother play.”

Prep basketball notes

The Mid-Columbia Conference already dives into conference play this upcoming weekend with games on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, Dec. 13, here’s the lineup of girls-boys doubleheaders (girls tip off at 5:45 p.m.; boys at 7:30 p.m.): Chiawana at Walla Walla; Kamiakin at Richland; Pasco at Hermiston; and Southridge at Kennewick.

The twinbills on Saturday, Dec. 14 (girls start at 3:15 p.m.; boys begin at 5 p.m.): Hanford at Walla Walla; Hermiston at Chiawana; Kamiakin at Pasco; and Kennewick at Richland. North Central visits Southridge in a non-league doubleheader, with same start times as the other games.

▪ Shocker of the week is visiting Prosser taking down Chiawana’s girls 76-67 on Tuesday night. In a way, maybe it’s not, as the Mustangs have one of the best Class 2A teams in the entire state. But Chiawana is also expected to be one of the top Class 4A teams in the state, and the Riverhawks boast seniors Malia Ruud and Kaia Foster. Ruud has signed to play next year at Washington State University, while Foster did the same for the University of New Mexico.

▪ A couple of names have jumped out so far in MCC boys basketball. Daniel Trotenya has been Kennewick’s leading scorer. In a 71-70 last-second loss at Evergreen of Vancouver, Trotenya scored a team-high 28 points. … Six-foot-8 sophomore Truman Bullington has been Walla Walla’s leading scorer through three games. Bullington is averaging 17.3 for the Blue Devils, who are 2-1. … Chiawana is off to a 2-0 start after wins over Prosser and Ferris this week.

▪ Richland’s Northrop isn’t the only Bomber who can light up the scoreboard. On Amy Westerfield’s girls team, MacKenzie Schulz can also find the basket. The 5-11 senior scored 40 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Richland’s 69-58 loss at University last weekend. … Kamiakin senior Crimson Childs has gotten off to a hot start for the Braves, who are 2-1 heading into conference play this weekend. After averaging just under 3 points a game last season, Childs is averaging 17.3 points this season — with a 25-point performance in a 75-63 to state power Davis. Childs adds to what is a talented lineup for Kamiakin coach Lane Schumacher: Aubrey Herrin, Emaunii Smith, Liv Whitemarsh and Ellie Heideman. … We already have six MCC girls who have committed to play college basketball. Besides Chiawana’s Ruud (WSU) and Foster (New Mexico), Kamiakin’s Herrin (Portland) and Heideman (Arizona Christian), Kennewick also has two commits in Dylyn Dress (EWU) and Karsyn Ripplinger (Willamette).

CBC volleyball

Columbia Basin College’s volleyball team, led by head coach Taylor Stewart, finished the season in fourth place at the NWAC championship tournament in Lakewood on Nov. 24.

The Hawks opened the Elite Eight portion of the tourney by taking down Edmonds with a 3-0 sweep.

In the semifinals, CBC fell 3-1 to Skagit Valley; then lost to Yakima Valley 3-0 in the third-place match.

That gave CBC a 27-6 record.

Skagit Valley earned the NWAC title, beating Linn-Benton 3-2.

For the Hawks, setter Yajaira Meraz (Kamiakin) had an outstanding tournament, with 83 assists and 42 digs.

Hitter Zuri Reeser (Stanfield) had 48 kills and 41 digs for CBC, while Hi’ilea Fuqua (Hawaii) added 48 digs.

Reeser was named East Region MVP for the regular season, while Meraz was named to the East first team, and hitter Kaylie Christopher (Happy Valley, Ore.) was a second-team selection.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Herald.