Hot Gsl Closes Arena In High Style

District 8 AAA

The Greater Spokane League said goodbye to the Coliseum on Friday night by trying to burn it down.

In four games to determine seedings in next week’s state-qualifying eastern regional tournament with Big Nine teams, 3,016 fans saw 40 3-pointers made.

And in the last night the GSL appeared in the Coliseum, the top-seeded Mead boys and Shadle Park girls celebrated District 8 championships.

Mead defeated Lewis and Clark 68-48, but both teams will be at Eastern Washington University on Tuesday in the first round of the regional. Rogers survived a stirring CV comeback for a 71-69 win for the third seed, but both will be on the road Tuesday night.

Shadle Park edged third-seeded Ferris 53-50, setting the top two girls seeds for regional games at Gonzaga University on Tuesday. Mead beat CV 45-36 in the battle of road teams.The last GSL night in the Coliseum drew 3,016 fans.

Boys

Mead 68, LC 48 The Panthers (17-5) turned the table on the Tigers (15-7) after LC won by nine and 10 in the regular season.

Mead used a 19-2 run to open a 26-11 lead a minute into the second quarter, and with a balanced attack behind Jason Smith’s 22 points, the Tigers never threatened. The closest LC got after that was 52-44 with 6 minutes left, but the Tigers couldn’t convert on three opportunities to get within six.

“I think it was a combination of their good defense - they stepped up the pressure on us - and we lost our poise offensively,” LC coach Glenn Williams said. “It was a tough, frustrating night for us, but credit Mead.”

LC made only 18 of 58 shots, with Paul Mencke getting 24 points.”I think we’re playing better than we have all year,” Mead coach Jim Preston said. “We’ve played good defense, but now we’re executing better on offense.”

Lewis and Clark 11 11 15 11 - 48 Mead 22 12 14 20 - 68

LEWIS AND CLARK Osborne 0 2-2 2, Lynch 1 2-2 4, Stueckle 0 0-0 0, Thompson 0 0-0 0, Olson 6 1-2 16, Homer 1 0-0 2, Lockridge 0 0-0 0, Kane 0 0-0 0, Mencke 10 4-6 24, Haynes 0 0-0 0, Adams 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 9-12 48.

MEAD Morris 1 2-2 4, Naccarato 0 0-0 0, Donovan 3 2-3 9, Foils 0 2-2 2, Armitage 1 0-0 2, West 1 0-0 2, Long 3 2-2 10, Smith 10 2-3 22, Pilkington 2 5-5 9, Castaneda 3 2-3 8, Wyrick 0 0-0 0, Walton 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 17-20 68.

3-point goals - Olson 3, Donovan, Long 2. Fouls - LC 20, Mead 13. Fouled out - Kane.

Rogers 71, Central Valley 69

The Pirates (11-10) were stunning for three quarters before the Bears (11-12) made up a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter with a 33-point outburst.

The Bears hit six of their 11 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, but Rick Mergenthaler answered with two 3s in the final minute, including the game-winner with 6 seconds left. He scored 24 points.

“The kids played real well for three quarters and responded well under pressure,” Rogers coach Rick Mergenthaler said. “That’s something we wouldn’t have done early in the year.”

Jeremy Nesbitt had 27 points for CV, including 11 straight as the Bears cut a 27-15 deficit to one in the second quarter. But the Pirates responded, hitting 22 of 34 shots through three quarters to push the lead as high as 21. Then Corby Schuh scored 17 of his 20 and Nesbitt had nine.

Schuh scored seven straight points to put CV up 66-65, the first time the Bears led, with 1:16 to play. Mergenthaler hit a 3 with 53 seconds left but Schut hit one at 26 seconds before Mergenthaler won it. “I told them at the end of the third quarter it would be realy easy to lie down and quit and we haven’t done that all year,” CV coach Terry Irwin said. “We got a lot accomplished in this game that could carry us in regional. It doesn’t matter except for pride who finishes third or fourth in district. You have to go down there and they’re both tough teams.”

Rogers 24 15 16 16 - 71 Central Valley 15 13 8 33 - 69

ROGERS Muse 3 0-0 7, Fischer 4 0-1 9, Metcalf 4 0-0 8, Olson 1 0-0 2, Olsen 0 0-0 0, Mergenthaler 8 3-5 24, Smith 3 0-0 6, Spencer 5 5-6 15. Totals 28 8-12 71.

CENTRAL VALLEY Nesbitt 10 1-1 27, Larson 1 0-0 3, Graczyk 0 0-0 0, Schuh 7 2-2 20, Jensen 1 0-0 2, Williams 2 5-6 9, DelMese 0 0-0 0, Platt 1 2-2 4, May 2 0-0 4. Totals 24 10-11 69.

3-Point goals - Muse, Fischer, Mergenthaler 5, Nesbitt 6, Larson, Schuh 4. Fouls - Rogers 14, Central Valley 14. Fouled out - Jensen.

Girls

Shadle Park 53, Ferris 50

The way things were going, it seemed fitting that someone for the Saxons (18-5) would hit a 3 and force overtime, but the sixth-ranked Highlanders (19-3) played stifling defense the final 29 seconds and only allowed an off-balance heave at the buzzer.

The difference was Kelly Bartleson, limited to two late field goals in the fourth quarter after getting the Highlanders in the game by scoring 12 of her 21 in the second quarter.

The Highlanders needed that after Ferris, led by Jennifer Swinton’s nine points, hit 8 of 11 shots to lead 19-9 after one quarter.

“I told the kids this is a 32-minute game and we’re not traditionally quick starters,” Shadle coach Linda Sheridan said. “And they shot well. Then we relaxed … and Kelly took over.”

“She hurt us … she controlled the game for them,” Ferris coach Janet Wolkey said. “Every time we went man-to-man, Bartleson took it right at us. I’m proud of our Saxons. After 16 and 24 point losses (to Shadle during the regular season), our hearts are finally showing and it’s the time for it to happen.”

Ferris 19 9 10 12 - 50 Shadle Park 9 20 9 15 - 53

FERRIS Pruett 2 0-0 6, Morrisette 4 3-4 12, Brown 0 0-0 0, Ireland 5 0-0 14, Tutt 2 0-0 4, Swinton 5 1-1 11, Williams 0 0-0 0, George 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 4-5 50.

SHADLE PARK K.Miller 1 2-4 4, Pilkington 0 0-0 0, Heimbigner 5 0-0 13, Clary 1 0-0 2, T.Miller 2 1-2 5, Alexander 0 0-0 0, Bartleson 9 3-8 21, Rainer 1 0-0 2, Short 3 0-0 6. Totals 22 6-14 53.

3-point goals - Pruett 2, George, Morrisette, Ireland 4, Heimbigner 3. Fouls - Ferris 15, SP 7. Fouled out - None.

Mead 45, Central Valley 36

The game wasn’t a walk in a park, but a walk in the park helped the Panthers (20-2) beat the Bears (11-12).

“Before the game, we went to the park, walked around, threw the football around, just took a break to try to loosen up,” Mead coach Jeanne Helfer said. “We were all pressing.”

The Panthers hit just 13 of 45 shots, but after Katie Carpenter hit back-to-back 3s to pull the Bears within 21-20, Mead didn’t tense up and worked with a lead around 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Central Valley 3 9 12 12 - 36 Mead 7 11 14 13 - 45

CENTRAL VALLEY Ang. Kallas 0 0-0 0, And. Kallas 0 0-0 0, Carpenter 2 0-0 6, Ault 0 0-0 0, G.Clark 3 0-0 6, MacPhee 1 0-3 2, Sanders 0 3-6 3, Lee 3 8-10 14, White 2 0-0 5. Totals 11 11-19 36. MEAD Beatty 1 0-0 2, C.Clark 2 2-2 6, Cory 0 6-6 6, Turner 1 0-1 3, Clinesmith 2 2-2 7, Benad 3 3-4 9, Roberts 0 0-0 0, J.Clark 2 1-4 5, Bennett 2 3-5 7. Totals 13 17-24 45.

3-point goals - Carpenter 2, White; Turner, Clinesmith. Fouls - CV 19, M 19. Fouled out - Carpenter, G.Clark, Benad.