The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG -- The WP Cardinals had five players in double digits on their way to a 62-50 victory over the Asotin Panthers last Saturday night, securing them a second-place league standing.

Once again, WP's Billy Brown out-jumped his opponent and the Cardinals capitalized on it with an opening basket from Brown.

Asotin was quick to answer, but WP's Zach Bartlow drove up the middle with his usual flair and added two more for the Cards.

The Panthers full-court press held the Cardinals off while they put in two baskets, but WP's Dustin Wooderchak got the Cards right back on track with an easy bucket to tie it at six.

Wooderchak went right back at it and swiped the ball from the Panthers, but the Cardinals were unable to finish on their end, leaving it all tied up.

Lo and behold, it was Bartlow who added two more for the Cardinals, but the Panthers answered with two baskets of their own before Bartlow found Justin Zuger down low for two.

Brown then stole the spotlight with back-to-back put backs before the buzzer giving the Cardinals a 14-10 lead.

It was a neck-and-neck second quarter starting off with a three-pointer from WP's Sterling Eastman.

The Cardinals continued to roll through the second quarter with a basket and two free throws from Wooderchak.

Brown added another bucket and blocked a Panther shot, and Zuger sank one from the top of the key for a 30-25 Cardinal halftime lead.

Zuger kicked off the second half attack with a threepointer that the Panthers answered with a two-point bucket, but Dalton Estes took his turn for a trey followed by another Bartlow drive up the lane.

A Cardinal steal led to a Zuger put back for two and the Cardinals were up, 40-27.

The Panthers connected on their own trey and a field goal before Bartlow found Estes down low for two.

The Panthers threw up their second three-pointer of the night, but Brown answered that with a turnaround jump shot from the baseline.

The Cardinals kept a 45- 42 lead going into the final quarter.

Estes and Eastman each nailed another three-pointer and Wooderchak hit two free throws and a field goal to keep the points coming.