Gonzaga Prep pulls away

Trailing 5-0 early during its game with North Central, unbeaten Gonzaga Prep ultimately had too much depth, which, matched with a non-stop defensive work ethic, produced a 65-35 Greater Spokane League boys basketball victory Tuesday night.

The Bullpups (9-0) parlayed the offense of point guard David Stockton and impressive defense by sophomore reserve Chris Sarbaugh into a rally from late in the first quarter to early in the second quarter. And they put the game out of reach in the second half by outscoring the visiting Indians (5-3) 26-8.

Stockton, who finished with a game-high 21 points, put the capper on it with a highlight-film three-point play to make the score 56-31. He used his body to shield off his defender, shifted the ball to his right side and banked in the basket while drawing the foul.

“I usually don’t have to score,” Stockton said. “We have so many great players on the team, but tonight I just shot a little more. People have got to start guarding Sean Fischer because he’s such a great player, and if it gets me a shot I guess I’m all right with that.”

Fischer had an off night and G-Prep was trailing 7-4 in the first quarter before scoring 12 straight points. The catalyst was Sarbaugh off the bench. His defensive rebound and assist provided one fast-break basket, by Travis Long. He then blocked a shot and later had a steal for two fast-break Stockton layins. A third-quarter steal led to a basket in the 10-minute scoring tear that put the game away.

“I just try to get up in the guy, because we play such good help defense it helps me pressure the ball and get steals and tips,” Sarbaugh said. “Everybody’s running the court and getting open.”

Coach Mike Haugen said Sarbaugh, a 6-foot-2 guard, caught his attention as a freshman during a defensive drill.

“He is incredibly quick and just has a nose for the ball,” Haugen said. “He always gets his hand on the ball, whether it’s in a passing lane or a dribble.”

NC opened the game with a 3-pointer by Darwin Nelson and slashing drive and catch for a layin by Justin Materne. The Bullpups had three turnovers and missed several shots, but Haugen said he wasn’t concerned.

“I thought we were playing some decent defense and were getting the shots we wanted, but just weren’t making them,” Haugen said. “I’m more concerned if it’s 10-10 and we’re letting them score at will.”

Post Ryan Nicholas got G-Prep untracked with a pair of free throws and a layin. After Lucas Evans’ basket, G-Prep held the Indians scoreless for nearly 7 minutes, forcing NC into long-range shots while taking an 18-7 lead.

NC closed to within four points, 22-18, with Dylan Harris hitting a pair of 3-pointers. Then Stockton made two free throws, drew a charge and picked Nathan Pelton’s pocket. That led to a Nik Hellenthal 3-pointer with less than 20 seconds left until halftime.

“We wanted to make sure we got back in transition and make them play half-court basketball,” Haugen said. “And we had to pay quite a bit of attention to Pelton. We just wanted to make sure they had long possessions.”

Pelton scored three points to open the third quarter, but Stockton answered with a 3–pointer. The Indians trailed 30-23 when the Bullpups took control of the game. Nicholas finished with 14 points. No NC player scored more than seven.

There were two other GSL games played. Mead at Shadle Park and Ferris at Mt. Spokane were postponed because of school closures.

Rogers 85, Lewis and Clark 61: The high-powered Pirates (4-4) led at home by three points after a quarter and added on to the lead each quarter thereafter to dispatch the Tigers (3-6). A 24-13 fourth-quarter advantage put the game away. Jake Partridge scored a career-high 17 points and added eight rebounds. Jesse Vaughan scored a game-high 21 points, had six assists and three steals. Two others finished in double figures, including Zach Nelson, who added six assists. Levi Taylor had 20 points for LC and Sean Hoffmann contributed 17.

Central Valley 56, East Valley 54 (OT): The Knights (0-8) remain winless, but it nearly wasn’t so. The Bears (4-5) needed rallies to prevail in overtime. CV jumped to a 16-7 lead after a quarter and carried a three-point lead into the final period. But EV rallied back and led by six points with about 2 minutes left in the game. Sophomore Joseph Guerrinha hit two 3-pointers, the second with 39 seconds left, to tie the game. The Knights led by four points in OT before Michael Williams, who scored 17 for CV, made 5 of 6 free throws. Korie Sherman scored 14 for EV.

Girls

Gonzaga Prep 56, North Central 43: For every challenge posed by the Bullpups (6-3), the visiting Indians (0-8) provided an answer, until the game’s final 4 minutes when G-Prep finished with a 13-0 run. G-Prep led 19-15 in the second quarter before taking a 31-17 lead. NC scored the final seven points before intermission and trailed 44-43 with 3:46 left in the game. Sarah Manix, who scored 16 points, and Tia Presley, with 18, were a combined 9 for 10 at the free-throw line in the final quarter. Lindsey Schaefer scored 12 points and Brigid VanWeerdhuizen tacked on 10 for NC.

Lewis and Clark 68, Rogers 21: Four Tigers (9-0) scored in double figures and they outscored the host Pirates (0-8) 26-0 in transition during the first quarter. Sarah Kliewer (14), Hayley Hendricksen (13), Nakia Arquett (12) and Mary Blevins (10) accounted for 49 of LC’s points.

Central Valley 62, East Valley 52: The visiting Knights (3-5) hung tough until the fourth quarter, when the Bears (6-3) scored 25 points. Freshman Katie Estey made three of her four 3-pointers (one of them a four-point play) in the final period and finished with 16 points. EV’s Brooke Myre scored eight of her 16 points in the final quarter as well.