Kruz Wheeler comes off the bench to lift Ferris over University in physical nonleague battle
With no obvious boys front-runner in the Greater Spokane League this season, every game is going to be a physical, competitive contest in which one break here or there will make a huge difference.
Thursday’s game between University and visiting Ferris was Exhibit 1.
Kruz Wheeler came off the bench to score 12 points and the Saxons edged the Titans 52-50 in a non-league game.
Ray Ray Bergersen scored 11 points for Ferris and Dylan Skaife added nine, with six points in the pivotal fourth quarter.
U-Hi was led by Conrad Bippes with 20 points, all but three in the first half as he was forced to the bench early in the third quarter with foul trouble. Jeremiah Sibley added 14 for U-Hi.
The game started roughly 20 minutes late due to Ferris’ buses battling the winter weather.
“As far as being a competitive-type game, it was great,” Ferris coach Sean Mallon said. “It wasn’t the prettiest basketball. There’s a lot of things we can clean up. I’m sure they’re talking about that as well.
“Execution-wise, we have some things to work on.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Bergersen made a 3-pointer, and Wheeler’s follow-up inside gave Ferris its biggest lead at 46-40.
“The things Kruz brings to our team are the things our team wants to be about,” Mallon said. “He’s competitive, he’s physical. He plays defense. He just makes momentum plays for us.”
U-Hi scratched back and Bippes’ first basket since the second quarter made it a one-point game with 1:19 left.
Skaife hit three straight free throws after getting fouled on a 3-pointer, then Bergersen made the first of a 1-and-1 with 12.4 seconds left but missed the second to make it 52-50. Bippes grabbed the rebound with 10 seconds left and U-Hi got a timeout.
The Titans couldn’t find the shot they wanted and Timmy Brummett’s desperation heave was off as Ferris held on for the win.
“Our offensive floor balance wasn’t very good (in the second half),” University coach Garrick Phillips said. “Give those guys a lot of credit.”
Ferris ran out to an 11-6 lead, then Sibley hit a couple of runners to pull U-Hi within one. Wheeler was a late-quarter sub for the Saxons and made two baskets in the lane as Ferris led 15-12 after the first quarter.
Bippes took over in the second. He made a reverse layup and the free throw to put U-Hi up 19-18 with 5 minutes left in the second quarter. His emphatic dunk 2 minutes later put the Titans up 23-18. Bippes finished with 13 points in the quarter and U-Hi led 28-21 at halftime.
“He’s a big, physical kid who’s hard to handle,” Mallon said of Bippes. “We really didn’t do any of our big kids a service by the way we played in the first half.”
Bippes picked up three quick fouls at the start of the third quarter and the Saxons took advantage with a 13-5 run to tie it at 34. Ferris outscored U-Hi 17-10 in the third quarter and it was tied at 38 headed to the fourth.
“There’s a lot of teams that are going to be competing and knocking each other off (this season),” Phillips said.