Ellie Thornton, Reese Frederick lead new-look Mead girls over University; Karson Maze paces Panthers boys to win

It’s been something of an atypical start for the Mead Panthers girls basketball team. First, it’s Christmas break and it had played just two games entering Friday’s contest against University. Second – the Panthers had lost both.

For the past three seasons, the Panthers have been at the top of the class in the Greater Spokane League with just six total losses – three of which came during the state tournament – and none in league play.

A lot of credit for those gaudy numbers went to Teryn Gardner, the two-time league MVP who is playing for Boise State.

So, a 0-2 start might have been a shock to the system, but the Panthers are working to round their game into shape before league play.

Ellie Thornton scored 17 points, Reese Frederick added 15 and the visiting Panthers withstood a furious comeback to beat the Titans 59-52.

McKenzie Handran and Sophie Carbajal scored 14 points apiece for U-Hi, which came back from 21 points down to get within four late.

“I think that it all comes down to mindset,” Frederick said. “In those tough times, it’s just pulling each other together and having a second and regrouping as a team – getting ourselves back together and saying, ‘We got this. We’re a team. We can do this together.’ “

“Credit to U-Hi, they didn’t quit,” Mead coach Quantae Anderson said. “They have six seniors, and that makes a difference. We’re just not in full game shape. This is only our third game – and we had a 10-day layoff in between games.”

Mead lost to highly regarded Davis of Yakima 70-50 and Central Valley 63-49 to start its season.

“We played the best team in the state in 4A at Davis,” Anderson said. “And then played CV, who’s the best, in my eyes, the best team in 3A and had them on the ropes until the fourth quarter, where our exhaustion showed.

“We’re gonna get some more games under our belts and I think we’re gonna be back to that team being able to play for 32 minutes.”

Those minutes will be spread out among a host of players.

“Teryn was such a big part of our success over the last four years,” Anderson said. “And now, everyone has a new role. Teryn was our main ball-handler last year. She was our main scorer. She was our main defensive stopper. And so now, we have three different people in all of those different roles.”

Thornton scored six points in the first quarter, Gracie Wenkheimer added a late 3-pointer and the Panthers led 17-14. In the second quarter, Caroline Spink sparked Mead with a 3, and reserve players Charlotte Picicci and Kianna Kostelecky – both sophomores – got loose for inside baskets, helping the Panthers to a 31-19 lead at the half.

“I don’t think people really realize how young we actually were last year and how young we still are this year,” Anderson said. “(The sophomores) came and gave us a little spark … and we’re gonna need those minutes from them later on in the season.”

A 14-5 run at the start of the third quarter opened the lead to 45-24. But Carbajal hit a couple of corner 3s, Handran had eight points in the quarter and the Titans (3-3) got the deficit back to 13 entering the fourth quarter.

Carbajal hit another 3, and Cam Roberts’ putback made it 57-47 with 2:04 left . Roberts hit a long 3 with 40 seconds left to make it a six-point game, but Mead ran out the clock to preserve the win.

“We’re a new team this year,” Frederick said. “We’re still trying to figure a lot of things out.”

“It was good to play a good team like U-Hi, who’s got a big win this year already,” Anderson said. “It let us know that we can still play, and we’re still who we are, and we’re still going to wreak some havoc.”

Boys

Mead 74, University 47: Karson Maze scored 24 points, Bryce Lynd added 19 and the Panthers (5-2) pulled away from the host Titans (0-5).

Jack Del Mese led U-Hi with 18 points.

Mead’s 6-foot-6 forward Vance Gustafson scored six points in the first quarter as the Panthers opened a 10-point lead. Maze added seven of his 11 first-half points in the second quarter and Mead led 34-20 at the half.

U-Hi’s Luke Gisolo hit a couple of 3s at the start of the third quarter to get the deficit to single digits. But Maze converted a three-point play, then hit a short jumper and Mead led 49-39 entering the fourth quarter.

Mead went on a 13-2 run, with Lynd scoring nine, to make it a 20-point game with 5 minutes to go. The Panthers outscored U-Hi 25-8 in the fourth quarter.