Mead Outlasts Rogers

GSL BOYS

The Mead Panthers broke the hearts of the Rogers Pirates Tuesday night, pulling away for a 74-67 overtime win at Rogers and guaranteeing themselves a tie for the Greater Spokane League boys basketball title.

The victory didn’t secure the automatic berth in the state-qualifying Eastern AAA regional tournament that goes with the GSL title.

The GSL standings now resemble a train wreck. Four teams have eight wins, three behind Mead, and are guaranteed a spot in the six-team District 8 league tournament.

Ferris or Lewis and Clark and Gonzaga Prep could catch Mead if the 10th-ranked Panthers, who tied for the league title in 1988, lose all three remaining games. Central Valley is also in.

The final four teams - Rogers, North Central, University and Shadle Park - are within a game of each other for the final spot.

The first- and second-place teams get a bye in the district tournament, earning a spot in the regional. Shadle Park, CV and Rogers are the teams with a bye over the final three games.

It all adds up to a wild finish to the regular season, much like Mead’s game at Rogers.

The Pirates, down nine when Mead scored the first basket of the second half, passed the Panthers in the third quarter with an 11-0 run over 5 minutes and led by eight midway through the fourth. However, it took Mead less than 2 minutes to catch up. Jeff Pilkington’s free throws with 2:32 to play tied the game at 56.

Baskets by Richie Fischer and Ryan Metcalfe put Rogers ahead by four at the 1-minute mark, but Pilkington fed Jason Smith for a basket, and after the Pirates missed a foul shot, Adam Morris canned two free throws to tie the game with 18 seconds left. Two seconds later, Modesto Spencer’s free throws put the Pirates ahead, but Damian Long hit a 10-footer from the left baseline with 6 seconds left, tying the game at 62 and forcing the OT.

With Mead ahead by two midway through the extra period, the Panthers got two points when Rogers was called for pinning the ball against the backboard. Trailing by four with 2 minutes left, the Pirates never recovered.

“It was a combination of us being very fortunate and players stepping up and making big plays in key situations,” Mead coach Jim Preston said. “The defense did a better job in overtime.”

Besides the clutch shots by Morris and Long, Terry Donovan and Rich Naccarato finally slowed down Fischer, who had 23 points in a game that featured nine double-figure scorers.

“It’s hard to lose those kind,” Rogers coach Rick Mergenthaler said. “They key was defense down the stretch. We played such good defense to get back in, then let down at the end. I’m proud of our kids. They didn’t lay down. It was a fight to the end.”

Mead 74, Rogers 67 (OT)

Mead 14 18 8 22 12 - 74 Rogers 17 8 19 18 5 - 67

MEAD Morris 2 8-10 13, Naccarato 2 0-0 4, Donovan 4 1-2 9, Long 5 0-0 13, Smith 8 2-3 16, Pilkington 4 2-3 10, Castaneda 5 1-4 12. Totals 29 15-22 74.

ROGERS Muse 3 4-4 10, Simpson 0 1-2 1, Fischer 9 3-5 23, Spencer 3 4-6 11, Metcalf 5 4-4 14, Olson 0 0-0 0, Mergenthaler 1 0-0 3, Smith 2 1-3 5. Totals 23 17-24 67.

3-point goals - Morris, Fischer 2, Spencer, Mergenthaler. Total fouls - Mead 17, Rogers 23. Fouled out - Muse, Mergenthaler.

Central Valley 60, Ferris 56

The Bears, who hit just 5 of 10 free throws through three quarters, made 5 of 6 in the fourth quarter to hold off Ferris at the Coliseum.

Geoff Courchaine, who made 1 of 4 early, made 3 of 4 in the fourth quarter, including a oneand-one with 5 seconds to go to seal the game.

Ferris 11 14 13 18 - 56 Central Valley 17 8 16 19 - 60

FERRIS Coulter 1 0-0 2, Hardan 3 0-0 9, Gix 1 0-0 2, Henneberry 5 0-0 14, Oenning 0 0-0 0, Harmon 8 3-4 19, Stocum 4 2-4 10. Totals - 22 5-8 56.

CENTRAL VALLEY Nesbitt 6 2-2 18, Graczyk 0 0-0 0, Schuh 3 0-0 8, Jensen 0 0-0 0, Williams 5 1-2 11, DelMese 0 0-0 0, Platt 2 3-4 7, May 0 0-0 0, Courchaine 6 4-8 16. Totals - 22 10-16 60.

3-point goals - Hardan 3, Henneberry 4, Nesbitt 4, Schuh 2. Fouls - Ferris 12, CV 11. Fouled out - none.

LC 67 University 50

Mike Homer had 24 points, 17 in the second half, and Paul Mencke added 23 points and nine rebounds and Soren Olson have 14, six assists and five steals as the Tigers pulled away from the visiting Titans in the second half.

University 12 16 11 11 - 50 Lewis and Clark 18 15 15 19 - 67

UNIVERSITY Burningham 4 4-4 16, Jeffries 0 0-0 0, Fryer 0 0-0 0, Johnson 2 0-0 4, Wetzel 1 0-0 2, Dewey 0 0-0 0, Stark 1 2-3 4, Cortez 0 0-0 0, Hineman 3 1-3 9, Carlson 3 5-6 11, Massey 0 0-0 0, Allen 2 0-0 4. Totals - 17 11-13 50.

LEWIS AND CLARK Osborne 0 0-0 0, Lynch 0 0-0 0, Stueckle 0 0-0 0, Thompson 0 0-0 0, Olson 5 1-2 14, Homer 8 7-10 24, Lockridge 0 0-0 0, Kane 3 0-0 6, Mencke 9 5-7 23, Haynes 0 0-0 0. Totals - 25 13-20 67.

3-point goals - Burningham 4, Hineman, Olson 3, Homer. Fouls - U-Hi 20, LC 19. Fouled out - none.

G-Prep 57 Shadle Park 56

Sophomore Paul Sweeny scored 21 points Tyler Jordan converted a three-point play with 17 seconds left as the Bullpups beat the Highlanders for their fifth straight win.

Shadle Park 14 18 12 12 - 56 Gonzaga Prep 18 13 13 13 - 57

SHADLE Grote 0 1-2 1, Kingsbury 0 0-0 0, Dunham 4 0-0 10, Anderson 5 1-1 11, Mobbs 6 0-0 15, Wood 1 0-0 2, Debeaumont 4 9-11 17. Totals 20 11-14 56.

GONZAGA PREP Strahl 5 0-0 10, Kocharhook 0 0-0 0, Thielman 0 2-2 2, Herrin 3 2-2 10, Jordan 3 1-1 9, Powell 0 1-2 1, Sweeny 10 1-1 21, McFarland 0 0-0 0, Knight 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 7-8 57.

3-Point goals - Dunham 2, Mobbs 3, Herrin 2, Jordan 2. Total fouls - Shadle Park 14, Gonzaga Prep 13. Fouled out - Debeaumont.