Columbia Basin defeated Big Bend at home in the new year 70-59. Ta'Veus Randle scored 26 points to lead CBC while Latrell Barker added a double-double with 13 and 10.

Still battling injuries, The CBC squad was without Jayden Martinez and Twazae Gladney Jr. to open up league play against an athletic Big Bend team. Both teams came out with some back-court pressure and aggressive trapping defense. The Hawks hit 3 shots in a row to open the game with a 14-2 lead. As the half wore on, Big Bend was able to find their way to the basket while Basin went cold. After leading 22-12 with 9 minutes to go in the half, the Vikings were able to come all the way back over the top 31-29 going into the half.

Outside of half, CBC looked tentative and wasn't able to find their normal seams to the rack. Big Bend hit a few 3's to give themselves a 45-39 lead with 11 minutes to go. From there, it was all Randle on the offensive end. The sophomore guard scored 20 points including a personal 10-0 run to give the Hawks the lead back at 55-49. From there the defense was able to hold steady for the final 4 minutes on the way to the eventual 70-59 final.

The win moves CBC to 9-5 and the early 1-0 in East Region play. They will face their toughest test yet on the road in Ontario against a good 11-5 Treasure Valley team. Tipoff scheduled for 7pm MDT.