Eight Gsl Games, Two At A Time, Launch Prep Hoops In The Arena

The Greater Spokane League will offer a preview of the State B tournament when league play opens tonight at the Arena.

All eight GSL games will be played in the Arena, with two courts set up. Combined with the luck of the draw from the schedulemaker, the two-court extravaganza is a great way to open, to see all of the GSL except North Central, see the new arena and check out the set-up that will be used for the State B tournament in March.

The first games are at 3:45 p.m. with the Mead-Ferris girls on one court and the Shadle Park-Rogers boys on the other. The 5:30 games involve the same schools on the same courts but swapping the girls and boys matchups. At 7:15, it’s the Central Valley-Lewis and Clark boys and the University-Gonzaga Prep girls, with the final games, involving the same schools at 9 p.m.

Tickets for the whole schedule are $4 for adults, $3 for students and senior citizens. The Score, 970-AM radio, will broadcast four games and carry updates from the others.

GSL teams, both boys and girls, are 19-11 in non-league games. The boys record includes an 8-8 mark against the Big Nine and 8-3 against the Frontier League. The girls total includes 11-4 and 7-4 marks.

Boys

There’s really only one thing GSL coaches can’t seem to agree on - how many losses the league champion will have.

“I think we can beat anybody, but obviously that means anybody can beat us,” University coach Jay Humphries said. “The league champion can finish with two or three losses.”

Lewis and Clark coach Glenn Williams said, “(Coaches) talk about parity in (GSL) football but there is in basketball. The winner could have four losses.”

That comes one season after 19 of 72 games were decided in overtime.

“You look at the talent level out there, there’s some real talented players,” Humphries said. “We have a number of players being looked at by college coaches and that hasn’t always been the case in the past.”

Six teams advance to the District tournament with four moving on to regionals. Three survivors will make the state tournament in Seattle.

“It’s a dogfight, more so than I’ve ever seen it,” said CV coach Terry Irwin, who has coached in the GSL for 19 years. “That should draw some people in. It will be enjoyable to watch games because you don’t know who will win.”

Evergreen of Vancouver won last winter’s state championship by beating Sammamish. Mercer Island, Kamiakin, Everett, Lake Washington, Hudson’s Bay and Rogers of Puyallup rounded out the top eight.

Girls

Yes, the girls playing basketball in the GSL are getting bigger and better, but, until proven otherwise, it’s Stacy Clinesmith’s league.

“You could play five-on-two and if one of the two was Stacy Clinesmith, most of us would have a hard time winning,” longtime Shadle Park coach Linda Sheridan said.

Clinesmith, a 5-foot-4 point guard for Mead, shared MVP honors with Shadle Park senior Kelly Bartleson last year after finishing seven points behind her in the scoring race.

Mead ran its record GSL winning streak to 32 games last winter before losing its regular-season finale to Shadle Park, leaving the two teams tied for the championship.

The Panthers rebounded to finish fifth in the state tournament, eliminating Shadle Park along the way, behind an MVP performance from Clinesmith, who averaged 22.5 points per game, in the Kingdome.

In Clinesmith’s first two years, Mead is 31-1 in league games and 52-6 overall with third and fifth-place trophies at state. Clinesmith was a first-team All-GSL pick as a sophomore, and if she matches last season’s production, she will move among the top 10 all-time scorers.

The girls follow the same postseason schedule as the boys except the girls will return to the dingy Seattle Center Arena for state.

Kent-Meridian is the defending champion. The Royals beat Mountain View of Vancouver in the title game. Rounding out last year’s top eight were Prairie, Kamiakin, Mead, Foss, Lake Washington and Auburn.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GSL TONIGHT Court 1: 3:45 (boys) - Rogers (1-3) vs. Shadle Park (1-3) 5:30 (girls) - Rogers (1-3) vs. Shadle Park (3-1) 7:15 (girls) - Gonzaga Prep (2-0) vs. University (1-1) 9 p.m. (boys) - *Gonzaga Prep (2-0) vs. University (2-1)

Court 2: 3:45 (girls) - *Mead (3-1) vs. Ferris (3-1) 5:30 (boys) - *Mead (1-2) vs. Ferris (4-0) 7:15 (boys) - *Lewis and Clark (3-0) vs. Central Valley (2-1) 9 p.m. (girls)- Lewis and Clark (4-0) vs. Central Valley (2-1) *featured radio games