League play winding down
University basketball coach Marty Jessett tried not to make a big deal of the Titans’ difficult 48-46 loss to Ferris in a high school showdown of Greater Spokane League leaders.
“You’re going to get up for a team you’re tied for first place with,” he said. “But we try not to put too much weight on one game in the regular season.”
Truth be told, given favorable closing schedules, the victor would be in the driver’s seat for the title, albeit in a league whose highway is rife with S-curves. And Ferris, by making 14 of 23 free throws while the Titans never got to the one-and-one and were just 3-for-8 in the fourth quarter, gained the advantage.
Still, said a philosophical Jessett, his voice trailing off, “If you win this one and turn around and drop one of the others … I don’t think there’s an easy one out there.”
Three games remain in league play. Thursday’s loss, following Tuesday’s 56-40 win at Mead, left U-Hi 7-3 in the GSL a game behind Ferris and Gonzaga Prep.
They have a two-game advantage in the race for a district playoff berth and finish the season at Shadle Park and home against East Valley and Lewis and Clark.
“You’d like to win it (league) and be in the top two (for an automatic regional berth), that’s the big thing,” said Jessett. “But we’re still a very good basketball team. We can play with anybody in the league. I told them, at this point you can’t get too high or too low.”
Central Valley (12-5, 6-4) righted its ship with two wins last week, including over Gonzaga. The Bears share fourth place among 4A teams. Six make the district playoffs, a win away from regionals.
On Thursday they beat Lewis and Clark 58-43 for their third straight win. The Bears host playoff hopeful Mt. Spokane in a game with playoff implications, then finish the season at West Valley and North Central.
Eagles near top seed
West Valley’s boys basketball team, tied with U-Hi for third, has a tough finishing schedule, at Gonzaga Prep, then home against CV and Clarkston.
But the Eagles (14-3, 7-3) are just one win away from the top seed to 3A district and an automatic regional berth.
During the week, the Eagles escaped Lewis and Clark 50-47 and Rogers 77-68. Coupled with East Valley’s 65-48 blitzing of Clarkston on the road, WV has a two-game lead over the 3A field.
The Knights (5-12, 2-8) are facing a must-win situation in their final three games, beginning Tuesday at home against Cheney and including U-Hi and Mead.
CV concludes tough stretch
Central Valley’s girls basketball team concludes a stretch of three tough games Tuesday when they host Mt. Spokane in a 7:30 p.m. GSL game.
The Bears (12-5, 7-3), who in succession lost to Gonzaga Prep and Lewis and Clark, the league’s first and third place teams, picked a bad time to have key players either sidelined or at less than full strength.
Scoring leader Heidi Heintz missed both games with an ankle sprain.
In Mt. Spokane they face another 7-3 league team and the winner is assured a district playoff spot. CV, with games against WV and North Central remaining should be in good playoff shape regardless.
Meanwhile, unbeaten University (17-0, 10-0), the state’s top-ranked team, awaits the GSL season’s showcase game, the only show in town at home against unbeaten LC on Thursday, Feb. 17.
EV bid sidetracked
East Valley’s bid to secure top seed among GSL District 3A girls basketball teams was sidetracked by a 69-64 overtime loss in Clarkston on Thursday.
But the Knights (8-9, 4-6) should tie for the honor and the top two teams in league automatically qualify for regionals.
West Valley (2-15, 2-8), meanwhile, with its 48-45 victory at Rogers on Thursday, likely secured a district spot by virtue of its head-to-head win against Cheney.
Spokaloo wrestling placers
East Valley finished second and University third in Spokaloo wrestling, the freshman all-city championships.
The Knights had six placers, including champions Anthony Rivera at 105 pounds, Josh Sporn (140), Skyler Schiller (145) and Max Tuttle (215). Chad Pattison (130) and Kenji Scouten (135) were second.
University’s R.J. Daschbach (135), Danny Jordan (152) and Codee Allen (185), and West Valley’s Andy Vennum (160) and Ryan Rose (171) won titles. Eagle Brett Schoenberger (275) finished second.
Central Valley’s Jordan Choate was second at 140.
Finishing third were Central Valley’s Andrew Vidmar (119), Austen Szott (125), EV’s Derrick Chapman (135).
Fourth placers were EV’s Matt Melbrech (112), WV’s Brian Felix (125), CV’s Josh Renfro (130), U-Hi’s Jordan Jones (145).
Finishing fifth or sixth were CV’s Jake Morrow (98), EV’s Eric Start (119), U-Hi’s Garrett Nichols (152), Jared Hoover (160) and Chris Huck (171) and WV’s Nick Guzman (215).