Gsl Delivers Competition

Greater Spokane League basketball coaches promised an interesting season and so far they have delivered.

The league season has reached the midway point with a tie for first and close battles for the sixth and final playoff spot for both boys and girls.

“I said two teams wouldn’t make the playoffs who were pretty good,” Ferris boys coach Wayne Gilman said. “One team (Shadle Park) had an injury, but otherwise it has panned out that way. There is a lot of depth in the league.”

Ferris and Central Valley are tied at the top of the boys race at 8-1. Rogers and North Central have a two-game lead over Gonzaga Prep in the race for sixth. In between are Lewis and Clark and Mead.

On the girls side, CV and Mead are a game up on Ferris, which has a two-game advantage over Shadle Park and Lewis and Clark. Rogers and University are tied for the final spot with Prep a game back.

“I knew that U-Hi, LC, Prep, Rogers and Shadle Park could beat a top team on any night,” CV coach Dale Poffenroth said. “The top three teams are a little better but the rest is a scramble.”

Shadle holds the big upset, having knocked off Ferris, but Prep, sitting in eighth, lost to Mead by five points and CV by one. However, the Bullpups also lost to LC on Tuesday, when the Tigers were missing three starters, Mary Thompson with a sprained ankle and two others for disciplinary reasons.

“My sophomores are growing up,” LC coach Jim Redmon said. “It’s midseason, and they’re starting to play.”

Things are similar in the Big Nine.

“After looking at the Big Nine, they’re good teams, but I don’t think you’ll see either league dominate,” said Gilman, who has already scouted about half the teams.

After the first round of games, the Tri-Cities hosts the rest of the regional tournament.

“They’re about like us,” Poffenroth said. “It used to be Kamiakin and the rest of them but it isn’t Kamiakin and the rest of them anymore. I think the regional tournament, whoever gets there, any of those eight teams can go (to state).”

The Richland boys and girls lead the Big Nine. When the girls beat Kamiakin 42-32, they ended a string of 29 losses to the Braves.

The second half of the GSL season begins Friday. One note of caution: Central Valley is at Ferris next Tuesday, with the boys game first at 6:15. To get a seat in the bandbox, plan to watch most of the preceding junior varsity game.

On the beam

Nola Ayres founded the Sehome Invitational 26 years ago, about the time her Mariners started winning almost every gymnastics event.

So Ayres’ glowing words about the event can be taken to heart.

“It’s a fun tournament, and the best in the state,” Ayres said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Sixth-ranked University and eighth-ranked Ferris will represent the GSL at Saturday’s renewal in Bellingham. The state meet is one month away, so U-Hi and Ferris will see how they stack up against top-ranked Sehome and No. 3 Inglemoor.

Sehome won every state title except one from 1973-1993. The Mariners likely have the state’s top gymnast in Celeste Montalvo.

Ferris coach Bill Christianson said he will take Kacey Frederickson, Filicity Frederick, Kimberly George, Ivy Plewman and Nicole Lafferty to the meet. Frederickson has the GSL’s top four all-around scores this year, and also the top scores on balance beam and floor exercise.

U-Hi’s strong contingent of 11 should include Tara Hulbert, Alisa Brandle, Coleen Pierce and Vanessa Cordova. Hulbert has the league’s top score on the vault and has been the most consistent scorer on the uneven bars.

Change of heart

Eisenhower football coach Greg Gavin, who resigned after the season, has changed his mind. The ex-West Valley and Central Valley coach told the Yakima Herald-Republic he is “rejuvenated and excited” to try turning around the program after last year’s 0-9 mark. He will quit as athletic director instead and return to the classroom.

Gavin said his decision was influenced by the recent deaths of a student and a teacher at Eisenhower. That made him realize “you’d better do what you like to do because you don’t get a second chance. And what I like to do is work with kids and coach football.”

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