Departure Revamps Tourney

The fallout continues from Lind’s decision to drop its varsity girls schedule in the middle of the Bi-County League season.

Lind’s departure left the league with seven teams, down from 10 in 1996-97. Also among the missing, Valley Christian had switched to a junior varsity schedule before the season, and Reardan was forced to move up to Class 1A when its enrollment topped 150.

The 11-team Panorama League watched Bi-County developments and proposed a change in the District 7-B Tournament format. In previous years, both leagues sent four teams to district. That seemed fair when team numbers were equal, but those days have changed.

The district board voted unanimously last week to hold a Feb. 21 pigtail game between Bi-County No. 4 and Panorama No. 5. The winner will advance to district and open against Panorama No. 1.

Updating Lind’s status: The Bulldogs ended the season 0-10, on a 49-game skid. Previous reports put the number at 47, but those didn’t count two losses to end the 1995 league tournament.

The state’s top-five girls losing streaks in the last 10 years are: Cleveland (‘91-‘95), 72 (some figures say 74); Capital (‘88-‘91), 60; Davis (‘88-‘91), 57; Stadium (‘91-94), 56; and Lind.

Everyone’s first concern last Saturday was with Miranda Brown’s bloody nose.

But Heather Cox, who collided with teammate Brown in the third quarter, gave the Tekoa-Oakesdale Nighthawks their ultimate scare.

Brown and Cox completed the game, a 42-39 Whitman County League win over Garfield-Palouse. Both appeared fine until Cox began vomiting and gasping for air after the game.

Whisked to the emergency room in Colfax, Cox was found to have a muscle contusion in her abdomen. She is expected to play in Friday’s game against co-league leader St. John-Endicott. Cox leads the league in scoring, at 17.8 points per game.

T-O’s boy’s team has battled injuries, too. The Nighthawks’ second-leading scorer, Pat Heaton, has a fractured right hand.

Erich Prazak, a senior for Class B second-ranked Curlew, is expected back in the lineup next weekend after missing seven weeks with a shoulder injury. Prazak was averaging 13 ppg when the injury occurred. Curlew, meanwhile, has a 14-0 record.

Ephrata’s Aaron Bowman scored 56 points last Saturday as the Tigers defeated Grandview 87-53. Meadowdale, the top-ranked 3A girls team, and arguably the best at any classification, is playing all of its games on the road. Because of construction at their gym, the Chiefs are playing home games at other Edmonds School District schools.

The featured game of the Martin Luther King Day tourney in Seattle lived up to its billing. Mercer Island, the top-ranked 3A school, edged Franklin, No. 1 in the 4A poll, 59-53 in overtime.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Chris Derrick and Dave Trimmer Staff writers Correspondent Chris Thew contributed to this report.