Bus Stops At First For Ccs

College women

More than once this season, Community Colleges of Spokane women’s basketball coach Bruce Johnson has accused his team of being “slow to get off the bus.”

It’s just another cute euphemism meaning a team isn’t completely focused on a game.

In Spokane’s 49-48 win against Columbia Basin Wednesday night at Spokane Falls, a number of players for both teams appeared to have missed the bus altogether.

Once everyone found a ride to the gym, however, the game came closer to resembling the first place duel it was supposed to look like.

With the win, the Sasquatch (10-1 NWAACC, 18-5) moved into a tie for the Eastern Division lead with the Hawks (10-1, 17-3).

Clutch baskets by Laura Fralich and Shelly Johnson, who hit the game-winner with 59 seconds to play, pulled CCS through the tight defensive battle.

“They’re the no. 1 defense in the NWAACC and we’re no. 4,” Bruce Johnson said. “Their pressure is so intense, they really take you out of your offense.”

One player who wasn’t taken out of her offense was Fralich. She finished with 19 points to lead all scorers. Her eight first-half points kept CCS in the game as it trailed 19-17 at halftime.

“We got more aggressive,” Fralich said. “We were very timid in the first half. They beat us pretty bad at their place the first time, and I think that was in the back of some of our minds.”

Neither team built more than a six- point cushion. When the buzzer finally sounded, CBC had three shots at the basket, but couldn’t get anything to drop.

“Well I don’t know if we ever did get on the bus,” Shelly Johnson said. “They are a really good defensive team,, and they never let us get a chance to play the way like to.”

The Sasquatch wrap up the regular season Saturday at Spokane Community College at 6 p.m. against Big Bend. CBC finishes against Wenatchee Valley.

CBC owns the tiebreaker against Spokane. In the event the two teams finish with the same conference record, the tiebreaker to determine the Eastern Division’s No. 1 seed will be played at CBC Tuesday.

CCS 49, CBC 48

Columbia Basin (10-1, 17-3)

Koehler 0-2 0-0 0, Johnson 3-5 0-0 7, Manolopolous 4 -10 0-0 11, Willis 1-6 0-0 2, Whitemarsh 1-6 0-0 2, Hayes 4-8 2-2 10, Porter 1-1 0-0 2, Spencer 5-18 2-2 12. Totals 19-56 6-6 48.

Spokane (10-1, 18-5)

Hurlburt 3-7 0-0 8, Field 0-0 0-0 0, Mackin 0-0 0-0 0, Shepherd 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 4-12 3-4 11, Fralich 6-15 6-8 19, Holder 1-1 0-0 2, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Gaines 1-6 3-4 9, Boston 0-0 0-0 0, Davies 2-8 0-2 4. Totals 17-50 12-18 49. Halftime- Columbia Basin 19, Spokane 17. 3-pt goals-Columbia Basin 4-11 (Johnson 1-3, Manolopolosu 3-8). Spokane 3-6 ( Hurlburt 2-4, Johnson 1-2). Rebounds-Columbia Basin 30 (Spencer 13), Spokane 34 (Davies 11). Assists-Columbia Basin 12 (Johnson 4), Spokane 11 ( Johnson 5). Turnovers-Columbia Basin 21, Spokane 22. Total Fouls-Columbia Basin 17, Spokane 10. Fouled out-Willis. Technical fouls-None. Att.-500.

Portland 60, Gonzaga 48

With Portland coming into the Martin Centre, Gonzaga coach Kellee Knowles preached to her team the importance of stopping Pilot center Amy Claboe.

Knowles’ Bulldogs followed instructions, holding the two-time All-West Coast Conference center to seven points. But Pilot forward Tina Geis derailed the plan by pumping in 25 points and adding 11 rebounds.

“We did a great job on Claboe - she’s their go-to player - and then we let Geis go off,” said Knowles, who saw her Bulldogs slip to 4-7 in the WCC and 9-13 overall. “One thing that’s been a thorn in our side is we don’t make adjustments out on the floor to stop what’s hurting us.”

The Bulldogs get another shot at the league-leading Pilots (10-1, 19-4) Saturday at Portland.

“I felt like our reactions were off,” Knowles said. “We were slow getting off shots, slow getting to the boards, slow on defense.”

Knowles wondered if, in this final home game of the season, “they were pressing too hard to get a win for the seniors.”

GU got a season-low four points from WCC leading-scorer Ivy Safranski, who sank just two of 14 attempts. Sarah Christensen picked up the slack a bit with 15 points, and Kelli Howell not only offered a solid rendition of the National Anthem, but added 11 points and 15 rebounds.

That late spurt (along with Gonzaga’s 22.6 percent shooting) helped give UP a 30-19 halftime lead.

PORTLAND (10-1, 19-4)

Petersen 2-4 0-1 4, Lansing 4-11 0-0 10, Claboe 3-13 1-2 7, Sale 4-13 2-2 10, Geis 11-17 2-3 25, Idsinga 1-2 2-2 4, Green 0-0 0-0 0, Johanson 0-0 0-0 0, Stein 0-2 0-0 0, Toonen 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-63 7-10 60.

GONZAGA (4-7, 9-13)

Herman 2-8 0-0 4, Christensen 7-18 1-2 15, Andrews 0-1 0-0 0, Pauley 1-8 0-0 2, Silva 2-5 6-6 10, Gere 0-10-0 0, Howell 5-13 1-4 11, Safranski 2-14 0-0 4, McCliment 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 19-68 10-14 48.

Halftime - Portland 30, Gonzaga 19. 3-Point goals - Portland 3-9 (Lansing 2-7, Sale 0-1, Geis 1-1), Gonzaga 0-11 (Safranski 0-6, Herman 0-1, Pauley 0-4). Rebounds - Portland 54 (Claboe 17), Gonzaga 38 (Howell 15). Assists - Portland 14 (Lansing 4), Gonzaga - 7 (Safranski and Silva 2 each). Total fouls - Portland 13, Gonzaga 12. Fouled out - none. Technicals - none. Attendance - 579.