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Ashland High basketball fans who recall watching Rory Blanche slither past defenders, rise up and drain jump shots from all over the court during the 2006-07 season would hardly recognize him today.

Now a muscle-bound 6-foot-6, 205-pound power forward for NCAA Division II Western Washington, Blanche leads the Vikings in both points (16.0 per game) and rebounds (7.3), and scored 16 points in Wednesday's key win over rival Central Washington to reach the 1,000-point milestone for his career. With the victory, the 22nd-ranked Vikings grabbed sole possession of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with 10 games left in the regular season.