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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Teryn Gardner helps Mead girls edge Gonzaga Prep; Henry Sandberg heats up in second half for G-Prep boys

The Mead girls team has played on Saturday at the State 3A tournament each of the past two seasons.

With all-state guard Teryn Gardner now in her senior year, the Panthers expect to make that trip again.

Gonzaga Prep thinks it has a team that can make some noise in the 4A ranks, featuring heralded freshman Aylah Cornwall – who scored 36 and 23 points in the Bullpups’ first two games of the season.

It was far from a shooting clinic, but if Friday is any indication, the trip through the Greater Spokane League girls 4A/3A division will be a fight every night this season.

Gardner scored 21 points, eight in the fourth quarter, and the visiting Panthers edged the Bullpups 47-43 a nonleague game on Friday.

“Coming into the game we we’re like, ‘OK, we need to have a lot of energy, we need to come ready to go,’ ” Gardner said. “I think we did that. Second half I think we had a little dip, but other than that we came with energy, we played for each other, and we just kept the intensity up.”

Cornwall finished with 24 points, 10 in the fourth.

“She’s really good, and she’s crafty,” Mead coach Quantae Anderson said of the freshman. “She can shoot the ball from anywhere. She’s gonna be dangerous.”

It was a tough nonleague test this early in the season.

“Nonleague games are meant to prepare us for league play and for postseason,” Gardner said. “All of our nonleague games this year are super intense and going to be a super hard battle. So, we just come ready every game and know what we’re getting ourselves into, but we want to fight for it. And we do.”

“I think overall our league is so much stronger this year than it’s been in the last couple of years,” Anderson said. “That’s an ode to these players and coaches in the Spokane area. We’re getting back to where it was when every night was a battle for everyone.”

Both teams struggled with shooting early as the defensive pressure was turned up from the tip. Mead’s Reese Frederick came up with a steal and fed Gardner on a fastbreak at the horn and Mead (2-0) lead G-Prep 10-8 after one quarter.

Cornwall picked up two early fouls and sat much of the quarter.

Gardner hit a 3-pointer to open the second quarter and the Panthers went on an 8-0 run. Cornwell responded with a 3-pointer and a runner but committed her third foul with two minutes left in the half and went to the bench.

Mead led 20-15 at the half. Morrison led scorers with eight points.

Cornwall scored six of the first eight points in the third quarter and the Bullpups (1-2) took a 25-22 lead. Mead’s Miah Cyr hit a 3-pointer to even it up and Gardner hit one from well beyond the arc and the Panthers led 31-28 after three quarters.

Mead’s Gracie Wenkheimer nailed a 3-pointer, and Cyr’s putback gave the Panthers a five-point lead with 3:06 left.

“(Cyr) hits them when we need her to hit them,” Anderson said. “She has a calming presence about her that radiates throughout the team.”

Up four points with less than a minute to play, Gardner grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on consecutive possessions to put Mead into the bonus. She hit four straight free throws to seal it.

“That’s what we want; we want (Gardner) to have the ball in her hands at the end of the game,” Anderson said. “And I know she’s gonna make the right decision. And she’s gonna make free throws for us.”

“I feel comfortable with it. I think (Anderson) trusts me,” Gardner said. “I think my team trusts it. And you know, if I don’t have a shot, then I’ll pass it and someone else will get the shot. That’s who we are; we’re unselfish and we play for each other.”

Boys

Gonzaga Prep 56, Mead 49: Henry Sandberg scored 25 points, all but two after halftime, and the host Bullpups (4-0) came from behind in the second half to beat the Panthers (1-1) .

Sandberg went 1 of 7 and Dylynn Groves went 1 of 6 in the first half as Mead built a 27-17 halftime lead.

“That was a character-building game,” Gonzaga Prep coach Matty McIntyre said. “Things were not going well for us in the first half. We couldn’t find a rhythm. We talked about believing in each other. And if you truly want to be a team, you got to overcome adversity.”

Sandberg heated up in the third quarter, scoring 12 of G-Prep’s 21 points, and the Bullpups led by one entering the fourth quarter. G-Prep started the last quarter with an 8-2 run – six by Sandberg – and led by six with 3:40 left.

“(Sandberg) can score from all three levels,” McIntyre said. “He started using his muscle more in the second half. We’re just kind of trying to make the game easy and take whatever is given us.”