ASU lands January

Lewis and Clark basketball standout Briann January will make it a regional quartet playing at Arizona State University with her oral commitment to become a Sun Devil.

January made her decision this week after narrowing a list of choices down to ASU and Vanderbilt.

She’ll join former Central Valley standouts Emily Westerberg and Reagan Pariseau and Post Falls’ Aubrey Johnson in Tempe.

“It’s cool because I played with them before, but it didn’t really make that big of an impact,” January said of her decision. “When I went down there I had an awesome, awesome time. I was totally comfortable in what I had been looking for.”

January said she couldn’t remember the number of teams that recruited her, although she talked with other Pacific-10 schools, including Oregon, and Tennessee weighed in late.

But she said it came down to Vanderbilt, which is ranked high in pre-season polls and was a Sweet 16 NCAA tourney finisher last season, and the Sun Devils.

“Both have awesome programs, but I had to go with my gut,” she said.

The lightning-quick floor leader has started for LC and been an impact player who attracted college attention since her freshman year.

The Tigers have qualified for state the past two seasons.

Although not noted as a scorer, January has 773 points and can finish with more than 1,000 overall and among the top five GSL scorers for her career.

Girls soccer

It took an extra period, but Lewis and Clark found a way to beat the final unbeaten team in the Greater Spokane League Friday.

The Tigers played the Saxons to a standstill through 80 minutes of regulation play at Ferris. LC senior Annie Virning and Elizabeth Boyden, a Ferris freshman, matched each other in goal.

But in the 84th minute, the Tigers’ Katie Dittman, a junior forward, took the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and buried a left-footed shot into the lower right corner to give Lewis and Clark a 1-0 victory.

The loss forced a three-way tie atop the league, with Gonzaga Prep, Mt. Spokane and Ferris all even at 8-1. Lewis and Clark evened its record at 4-4.

In other GSL games, Mead (7-2) blanked visiting Clarkston (0-9) behind a standout effort by sophomore forward Michelle Busch, who had two goals and two assists. Panther freshman Jaimey Etten scored her ninth goal of the season and junior forward Breena Hagerott added two assists. … Mt. Spokane allowed Rogers (0-9) to get off just two shots on goal and scored a 7-0 win at home. Sophomore forward Katelan Redman needed just the first 7 minutes of the contest to collect a hat trick. … Sophomore midfielder Caitlin Davis and junior forward Sarah Dean combined on a pair of goals as Gonzaga Prep blanked North Central, 3-0. Dean served up Davis with crossing passes to stake the Bullpups to a 2-0 lead. Freshman forward Stacey Hamer added an insurance goal midway through the second pass. … Tonya Schnibbe scored twice, then assisted on a pair of goals by sophomore forward Rachel Lopez as University (6-3) beat visiting Cheney (4-5), 4-2. … East Valley (4-5) handed West Valley (1-8) its second straight shutout on the Eagles’ home field, 2-0. Kylee Williamson and Kayla Perno scored goals 4 minutes apart for the Knights. … Jenny McKinsey scored the game-winning goal in the 33rd minute as Central Valley won on the road, downing Shadle Park, 3-1. Senior captain Sara Wilson scored a goal and set up basketball standout Lindsay Pavlischak with a second.