Shadle wins in 5 OTs
Josh Powell’s putback with 1.8 seconds left in the fifth overtime lifted Shadle Park past host Mt. Spokane 65-63 Tuesday night and into next week’s District 8 4A playoffs.
Powell, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, had set a screen at the top of the key for sophomore Leo Avila with about 10 seconds remaining in the Greater Spokane League’s longest game of the season.
As Avila dribbled by and passed to freshman Zach Humphrey, Powell was knocked to the floor. Powell scrambled to his feet as Humphrey, who has won three games on last-second shots, dribbled past and put up a 12-footer that hit the front rim and came off.
Powell was there to tip it in just before the clock ran out on the Wildcats, ending the GSL regular season.
“They seemed to lose track of me while I was on the floor,” said Powell, who is headed to Eastern Washington University to play football. “The way we’ve been shooting I knew I needed to crash the boards, so I stepped through a couple of guys and tipped it back in.”
Through regulation, which finished tied at 40, and the first four overtimes, it was Mt. Spokane (9-11 overall, 6-7 in the GSL) who had dominated the boards, more than doubling the Highlanders’ rebound totals, with senior Edwin Miller leading the way with 11. The domination led to 18 second-chance points.
But Powell grabbed the last two rebounds, the game-winner and a defensive one a minute earlier which led to two free throws and a 63-60 lead. But Wildcats reserve point guard Dan McKinnon’s 22-foot 3-pointer tied it with a minute left. The Highlanders then ran clock, a tactic of both teams in the overtimes, until the last shot.
The win clinched the fourth seed in district play for the Highlanders, which means they will host Central Valley, a 79-74 winner over North Central, next Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. The Wildcats thought they had blown their postseason chance, but East Valley’s 72-62 win over Mead means Mt. Spokane will meet the Panthers on Friday night to decide the sixth seed. That game is tentatively scheduled for Central Valley at 5:45 p.m. University and Gonzaga Prep will also meet at CV that night (tentatively at 7:30) to determine the second seed and its automatic regional berth.
With both teams losing their leading scorers to fouls in the fourth quarter – Shadle’s 6-7 Josh Landsverk with 1:54 left and eight points, Mt. Spokane’s Matt Dorr 1:30 later with 11 – the overtimes were strategic affairs.
The first was high scoring, with Shadle scoring seven of its 11 points from the foul line and senior C.J. Barschig, who led both teams with 21 points, responsible for seven of Mt. Spokane’s.
The second was scoreless, with each team missing just one shot. Humphrey’s two free throws put Shadle up 55-53 in the third, but Miller answered with a layup with 6 seconds left to tie it again.
The fourth was scoreless the last 2:41, with both teams having a chance to win it. Mt. Spokane missed a layup when Avila’s drive just rolled off as time expired.
In the final extra period, Mt. Spokane scored first on two Barschig free throws. But he also missed two, giving the Highlanders life. Humphrey promptly made two free throws to tie, Barschig one of two to put Mt. Spokane up 61-60, Humphrey answered with two more, giving Shadle Park a 61-60 lead and setting up Powell’s heroics.
Central Valley 79, North Central 74
The Bears (13-7, 7-6) earned the district’s fifth seed by hitting 11 of 20 3-pointers, including five from Braden Jensen (20 points) and four from sophomore Kevin Cameron (17 points). The host Indians (9-11, 6-7 and the fourth seed in the 3A districts, which start Thursday at third seed Cheney) were led by Damal Neil’s 24.
East Valley 72, Mead 62
A win would have put the Panthers (9-11, 6-7) into districts, but host East Valley (6-14, 3-10) rallied in the second half behind Dylan Sattin, who finished with 19, and Jye Lanphere, who had 15. Jeremy Brett’s 17 paced Mead.
University 64, LC 54
The host Titans grabbed a share of second place behind the 12 points and 12 rebounds of Calvin Jurich. Alston Umuolo’s 24 led the Tigers, who finish 5-14, 3-10. University is 15-5 overall, 10-3 in the GSL.
Gonzaga Prep 63, Cheney 50
The Blackhawks’ Derek Miller scored 27 points, but it wasn’t enough to keep the visiting Bullpups (14-6, 10-3) from gaining a share of second place. Prep featured balanced scoring, with four players in double figures. Cheney finished 10-10, 6-7.
West Valley 82, Clarkston 80 (2OT)
It took two overtimes, and four players combining for 70 points, to earn the Eagles (17-3, 10-3) a share of second place. Greg Bradley’s tipin as time ran out was the game-winning shot.