Clinesmith Paces E. Wash. To Win

It wasn’t enough for Mead’s Stacy Clinesmith to steal the show at the third annual Jack Blair Memorial Washington/Idaho Girls AAU All-Star Basketball Classic.

Though Clinesmith scored a game-high 18 points in Eastern Washington’s 87-65 win over North Idaho - in which she was named the team’s most valuable player - Clinesmith’s grandmother, Dorothy, won $125 at a halftime raffle, further adding to the Clinesmith lore.

“I hope I see some of it,” Stacy said. Said her grandmother: “Oh, she will.”

And what the North Idaho team and a crowd of 250 saw at East Valley High School was Clinesmith shake and bake inside and bomb away from the outside in the third straight win for Eastern Washington.

“She just does it all,” Eastern Washington coach Jeanne Helfer of Mead said. “I think more than anything, Stacy’s demeanor and character are equal to her greatness on the floor.”

Clinesmith will play college basketball at UC Santa Barbara in the fall.

As for North Idaho, its MVP was Sandpoint’s Alli Nieman. She tossed in 14 points to share team scoring honors with Capital’s Cori Freeman.

And in this friendly 3-year-old rivalry, Nieman admitted she and her teammates wanted to win the game.

“Before the game, we really talked about trying to get revenge against them,” Nieman said. “But it’s kind of funny because I looked across the floor, and six or seven Eastern Washington players are my teammates on the Stars (an AAU team) this summer.

“It’s kind of hard to have revenge against your friends.”

In the category of most inspirational player, the honor went to Eastern Washington’s Andee Schmick of St. John-Endicott. She will play college basketball at Eastern Washington University.

Schmick finished with eight points and wore her infectious ear-to-ear smile throughout most of the game.

Though North Idaho never led again after an early 5-4 lead, Heidi Umthun of Post Falls and Lindsay Herbert had good showings.

For Eastern Washington, Ferris’ Jayme Morrisette showed she has more than a little something to offer a Division I program. She finished with nine points and had her share of nice passes in this game.

E. Washington 87, North Idaho 65

North Idaho - Hatrock 1 0-0 3, Peterson 1 2-2 5, Umthun 3 3-4 9, Lamm 1 0-3 2, Gomez 1 0-0 2, Herbert 3 0-0 8, Sorbel 0 0-2 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0, McEachern 1 0-0 2, Freeman 5 4-11 14, Nieman 5 4-4 14, Asher 2 2-4 6, Roen 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 15-30 65.

Eastern Washington - Morrisette 3 2-2 9, Lamb 4 2-3 11, Turner 2 0-0 6, Clinesmith 6 4-4 18, Jolley 3 0-2 6, Schmick 4 0-0 8, Getz 2 0-0 6, Williams 3 1-3 7, Lee 1 0-0 2, Perno 1 1-4 3, Bennett 1 1-2 3, Swinton 3 2-5 8. Totals 33 13-25 87.

Halftime-Eastern Washington 44, North Idaho 29. 3-point goals-North Idaho 4 (Hatrock, Peterson, Herbert 2), Eastern Washington 8 (Morrisette, Lamb, Turner 2, Clinesmith 2, Getz 2). Total fouls-North Idaho 19, Eastern Washington 25.

, DataTimes