District 6 roundup: Rogers boys ease season-long frustration in lopsided district win; West Valley, Pullman girls advance

After qualifying for state last season, the Rogers boys basketball team admitted to being a little frustrated with their trip through the Greater Spokane League this season, going 4-8 and landing the fourth seed to the District 6 tournament.

The Pirates took out some of those frustrations on unsuspecting East Valley on Monday.

Brady Krebs scored 20 points, Treshon Green had 17 and Hands Warrick added 15 off the bench and the Pirates (9-12) eliminated the visiting fifth-seeded Knights (3-18) 76-26 in a first-round game.

Tyson Rigby led East Valley with 11 points.

Rogers faces top-seeded West Valley (17-3) in a semifinal on Tuesday.

“Tonight was just an opportunity for (the seniors) to play our last home game together,” Green said. “You never know when it’s your last game, you know? Same thing for tomorrow’s game. They’re a tough team, seeded higher than us. We just have to come out with the same energy.”

Rogers coach Karim Scott said the win was “a relief” and motivation for their next matchup.

“I think our guys are are ready to prove that, you know, our early season with just some of the injuries and some of the illnesses, we have something to prove,” he said. “I always tell our guys, the only way to change things is to beat (teams). We can complain, and think about some of the things that could have been, but at this time we just have to beat people.”

After facing “almost zero adversity” last season, the Pirates have been figuring out how to deal with that this season.

“It was frustrating,” Green said. “But as frustrating as it was, we still kept it positive. I kept telling guys, ‘Hey, one game at a time. Just let it motivate you.’ “

“I didn’t think we’d have as much (adversity) as we have,” Scott said. “I think we were waiting for this moment right here. Now we just have to go and do it, and we can control all that.”

Warrick, a sophomore JV call-up, has provided a spark the last couple of games.

“We moved him up for this, right here,” Scott said. “He’ll help against (WV) guards tomorrow.”

Rogers rushed out to an 8-0 lead and East Valley coach Ty Fowler asked for an early timeout. The pause didn’t slow the Pirates down, and Green’s three-point play made it 13-2 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the period. Green added a contested layup in the waning moments and Rogers led 18-2 after the first quarter.

Warrick slashed to the bucket for a pair of layups, then Jackson Ables hit from beyond the arc and the lead grew to 27-4. Warrick had seven in the quarter, Krebs and Alex Peabody added four apiece and Rogers led 38-12 at the half.

Early in the third, Green drove the baseline for a slam to push the lead to 30. A free throw by Krebs with 1:01 left in the third prompted a running clock.

Scott sees tomorrow’s matchup against West Valley as a measuring stick for the Pirates’ season. They’ve lost the previous two meetings this season by four and 20 points.

“I think the first game (against West Valley) we trusted each other – we had a chance to win it,” he said. “The second one, we were trying to figure some things out. We know it’s going to be tough, but we’re ready for the challenge.”

Clarkston 75, Deer Park 37: Jason Rinnard scored 18 points, Niko Ah Hi added 17 points with 10 assists and the third-seeded Bantams (11-11) eliminated the sixth-seeded Stags (2-18). Kendry Gimlin had 14 points and Isaiah Woods chipped in 12 for Clarkston, which plays at second-seeded Pullman on Tuesday. Davin Kemano led Deer Park with 13 points.

Girls

West Valley 60, Rogers 34: Brynlee Ordinario scored 14 points, Joey Fried added 11 with three 3-pointers and the fourth-seeded Eagles (10-11) eliminated the visiting fifth-seeded Pirates (2-19). Saige Stuart led Rogers with 15 points and Tumorraw Williams added 10. West Valley travels to top-seeded Deer Park on Tuesday.

Pullman 65, East Valley 24: Grace Kuhle scored 19 points, River Sykes and Eloise Clark had 17 apiece and the third-seeded Greyhounds (14-7) eliminated the sixth-seeded Knights (2-19). Italia Salina led East Valley with eight points. Pullman plays at second-seeded Clarkston on Tuesday.