By Kevin Dudley, special to NWPrepsNow.com
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It took a while for Mead head coach Glenn Williams to gather his thoughts after his team’s 61-53 upset win over the host Lewis and Clark Tigers in a District 8 4A opener Thursday.
The tight contest featured bruising defense, clutch baskets and a close score that never featured a lead larger than four until midway through the fourth quarter.
But Williams’ team is playing this well at an opportune time.
“They’re figuring their stuff out at the right time,” he said. “The kids continue their tough play. The last time we were here LC out-toughed us and we said we can’t let that happen again.”
LC tried to disrupt the Mead offense by often bringing full-court pressure, but the Panthers broke through. It was something Mead was prepared for, and it showed.
“We would have been shocked had they not come out in full-court pressure,” Williams said.
The Panthers move to the district final tonight against the U-Hi Titans, who defeated Central Valley in the other semifinal. CV and LC shared the Greater Spokane League title this season.
Mead’s three-pronged attack, featuring Brandon Pettersen, Josh Richter and Max Hess led the way. Pettersen finished with 16 points, while Richter and Hess finished with 15 and 14, respectively.
Pettersen did the work on the inside, battling LC’s 6-foot-7 junior Dominick Oliveri. Pettersen survived after picking up his third and fourth fouls in the fourth quarter.
The game was tight throughout, but the Panthers got some key baskets from Pettersen in the third quarter to maintain a lead.
“We just picked up the intensity on defense,” Pettersen said. “We were able to convert some turnovers that (LC) made and started rebounding a little better.”
Williams also praised his team’s defense, but noted that it was his team’s offense that also kept the Panthers rolling.
“For us, it’s just as important to keep scoring,” he said. “This year we’ve really struggled at times and have had long, sustained lulls offensively. We’ve made a couple of tweaks and (tonight) we just kept scoring.”
While the third quarter featured key Pettersen baskets, the fourth quarter belonged to Richter, who scored two baskets on consecutive possessions – one that beat the shot clock buzzer – and enabled the Panthers to extend their lead.
Richter and Hess teamed up to put the Panthers on a quick 8-0 run midway through the final frame to build a seven-point lead. LC seemed to be clawing back, but a late three-point play by Pettersen all but clinched the game.
The Panthers don’t have much time to celebrate their emotional win. They travel to U-Hi tonight.
“We just need to focus on being district champs, buckle down and focus on tomorrow,” Pettersen said.