West Valley ‘Keeps Doing Good Things’

West Valley had just lost by 17 points to Cheney, but coach Joe Feist was undismayed.

“I’m pretty pleased with the effort,” said Feist, following Friday’s 77-60 defeat.

Among them were the double-figures performances by a quartet of Eagles and the ability to reduce a 21-point deficit to seven with five minutes remaining against a taller, more experienced team.

“We had our hands full,” said Feist, “yet we were in it with three minutes to play until Brad Groh fouled out.”

The next night, the Eagles (7-6 overall, 5-4 league) beat visiting Clarkston 70-51, continuing their trend of win one, lose one weekends.

In the two weekend games Groh scored a total of 41 points, Eric Deno had 30 and Chris Gregg had 23. Each was in double figures both nights.

Ryan Spivey, battling a trio of players three inches taller than himself, scored 15 against Border League leader Cheney.

“We don’t want to panic,” said Feist. “The important goal is to keep doing good things.”

This weekend, the Eagle boys and girls travel to Coeur d’Alene and Lake City high schools.

The Eagle girls gave Cheney a scare before losing and beat Clarkston behind Heather Huffman’s 20 points for a record identical to the boys.

East Valley’s boys and girls, who lost Saturday night to Cheney, host Lake City and Post Falls this weekend.

East Valley sophomores Andrew Burgess and Blake Horgan once again carried the boys team with a combined 32 of its 52 points.

Democracy works for CV

When Central Valley boys coach Rick Sloan talks about team basketball he means it.

By design, Sloan has regularly used nine players per game this season and it has worked.

“When you play that many, more kids have a chance to step up and it seems somebody does,” said Sloan. “We don’t fall off when a new lineup comes in there.”

It has helped the 9-1 Bears put more defensive pressure on opponents and run more.

“There are always fresh legs in there,” said Sloan.

Initially, he admitted, convincing the team to share playing time was a challenge. Now the Bears have accepted it with grand results.

The Bears are unbeaten since Dec. 16 and won handily over Kamiakin in their lone non-league game. They reached the mid-point of the Greater Spokane League tied for first place after escaping Rogers Tuesday in overtime.

CV trailed by eight points, rallied to lead by three as Ryan Smith scored 14 second-half points, then tried to give the game away at the end. Incessant offensive pressure won out in the extra four minutes, Tom Perkes providing the spark after sitting much of the first half and all the third quarter in foul trouble.

Juniors Jake Hebden, Patrick Libey and Bryan Depew have been pleasantly consistent, said Sloan.

“These kids like playing together,” said Sloan. “They have a mentality that it doesn’t matter who scores as long as we score.”

He noted that the next five league games are particularly critical to CV’s title chances. The Bears begin with hot-shooting North Central Friday, followed by road games at Ferris and Mead.

“We’ll just continue to play the way we’re playing,” said Sloan. “So far, so good.”

Road to GSL title just that

The road to repeat a league championship for Central Valley’s girls basketball team is just that, with upcoming basketball games at Ferris and Mead.

Those games come back-to-back next Tuesday and Friday for a team which reached the mid-point of the GSL season with an 8-1 league record and 10-1 overall mark.

Ferris showed some vulnerability when the surging University Titans (4-5, 4-7) nearly upset the Saxons.

The 52-51 loss was a game many thought that U-Hi deserved to win. The Saxons withstood a third-quarter comeback that gave the Titans a lead that stood until six seconds remained.

Jaimie Frost, 13 points, freshman Vanessa Shelton, 12, Crystal Conant and Casey Lektorich, 9 apiece, did their best to pull off the shocker.

Ferris’s 14-5 free throw differential proved the difference.

Northeast A looks good

The Northeast A League may contain just four teams, but they have proved the equal of former league mates now part of the Great Northern League.

Freeman (10-4, 1-0) had a tougher time against league foe Reardan in its NEA opener and in Tuesday’s loss to Ritzville than it did during a non-leaguer against 2A Deer Park.

The Scotties beat Reardan 53-50 and followed up with a 73-51 win over the Stags. Jared Pope led the threegame set with 44 points, Matt Miller added 28.

Jordan Shkuratoff had a season-high 11 against Reardan and D.J. Goldsmith scored 16 against Deer Park and 10 against Ritzville.

Valley Christian loses first

Playing divisional title contenders back-to-back took its toll on BiCounty basketball leader Valley Christian.

The Panther boys (12-2, 7-1) won seven quarters, but came a cropper in the eighth to lose 42-38 to visiting Odessa.

They failed to score in the final period and surrendered a 14-point lead.

The night before they had blitzed Wilbur-Creston 61-41. Four players, Michael Spuler, Derek Sandin, Brian Sears and Eric Smith, scored in double figures.

Odessa, Wilbur-Creston and Almira/Coulee-Hartline share the West Division Lead with two losses apiece.

Valley Christian is comfortably atop the East.

, DataTimes