State Trophies Likely Prize In Gsl-Big Nine Regional
This is the week, they like to say with a touch of pride, Greater Spokane and Big Nine basketball teams play for a state trophy.
True, the Class AAA state tournaments begin next week, but odds are that any team that survives the statequalifying eastern regional will earn a state placing.
In the seven years of the GSL-Big Nine regional, 27 boys teams have gone to state and brought home 16 trophies, 10 in the top four, including state titles by Ferris last year and Shadle Park in 1990. The girls have picked up 22 trophies in 27 chances, including 19 in the top four and five state champions, the most recent Central Valley’s 29-0 in 1993.
The Lamb Weston Eastern AAA Regional Tournaments begin tonight with eighth boys and girls teams competing for state berths.
Because there are only three state berths available for both boys and girls due to the complicated state allocation formula, the tournament has a slightly different format than in six of the previous seven years.
The first change is in sponsorship. The Spokane law firm of Evans Craven and Lackie hands off to TriCities-based Lamb Weston because the finals of the tournament will be in the Tri-Cities for the first time.
Also, the third-place games for the final state berths will be after Saturday’s championship games. That forces two girls teams and two boys teams to play morning-night doubleheaders. In 1989, when three teams advanced, the tournament was four days over two weekends.
There are two rematches of early season non-league games, both on the girls side.
CV (11-12) lost to Kamiakin (19-3) 53-37 in the second game of the season and has a rematch tonight at 6 in Richland. Mead (20-2) beat Wenatchee (11-10) 74-38 in the third game. They’re at Wenatchee Valley Community College tonight at 7:30.
The other two girls games are at Gonzaga University with Ferris (18-5) playing Walla Walla (16-6) at 6 and Shadle Park (19-3) facing Pasco (13-9) at 7:30.
In games involving playoff teams, GSL girls won four of six meetings with the Big Nine. The other loss was also by CV, 52-49 to Walla Walla, the Big Nine’s regular-season runner-up. Overall, the GSL was 9-6 against the Big Nine.
On the boys side, the GSL was 7-8 against Big Nine teams, 2-3 in matchups involving playoff teams.
Tonight’s pairings are Lewis and Clark (15-7) against Pasco (13-9) at 6 and Mead (17-5) against Eishenhower (13-9) at 7:30, both at Eastern Washington University; Central Valley (11-12) meeting Kamiakin (18-4) in Richland at 7:30; and Rogers (11-10) vs. Richland (20-3) in Pasco at 7:30.