Post Players Come Through For L-C Tigers
In each of the Lewis and Clark girls’ first two basketball games of the year - a 56-39 win over Colville on Thursday and a tough 59-53 loss to Kennewick on Saturday night - Tiger post players combined for more than 20 points. Coach Jim Redmon sees that as a promise of good things to come.
At least, he said, the Tigers’ play in the paint shows a marked improvement over last season, when Tiger posts averaged just 10 points a night.
“One big surprise was Dee Ford,” Redmon said.
Ford, a 5-foot-10 junior post, had 12 points against Colville. In each of the games, junior posts Carlin Oeljin and Mary Thompson chipped in eight points apiece, while post Cassie Weiler, one of only two seniors on the team, scored six points from the post against Kennewick.
The team’s other senior, 5-8 guard Becki Huddle, led LC scorers with 13 points against Colville and 19 points at Kennewick.
Redmon said he was pleased with the way LC fought back into the game against Kennewick after the Lions jumped out to a 13-point lead in the third quarter. A tenacious fourth-quarter press helped the Tiger ladies tie the game with just 30 seconds left. LC finally succumbed to a series of Kennewick free throws.
LC (1-1 overall, 0-0 in the GSL) plays at Pullman Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Ferris boys win at Pullman
A solid performance from 6-4 senior Jason Weatherred, who scored 20 points on 10 of 11 shooting, corraled eight rebounds, and blocked a couple of shots, led the Saxons (1-0, 0-0) to a 64-45 win over the Greyhounds. Junior Tommy Servine added 12 points.
The Saxons double-teamed Pullman’s Jason Keep, holding the 6-11 giant to just 13 points. And while Ferris ran the transition relatively well, coach Wayne Gilman says he’ll look to improve the team’s half-court offense in practice this week.
The Saxons are at home Friday against Cheney - which clobbered both NC and Shadle Park last weekend - and play Kamiakin in the Tri-Cities on Saturday.
“We had some early season lapses, but those are things we’ll definitely be able to take care of,” said Gilman.
Ferris’ game against Richland, originally set for last Saturday, will be rescheduled. The Bombers postponed the game after their football team reached the state championship.
Ferris wrestlers fourth at Colville
The Saxons lost their first match at Saturday’s Colville Invitational to eventual champion Quincy High School, but bounced back to beat GSL rival Shadle Park 52-23 and Newport High School 62-12.
“It was a great way to break in the season,” said coach Tim Owen. “It exposed a few weaknesses we have, and we know we’ve got a lot of work to do before the league starts.”
Junior Jack Claros (101 pounds), one of the Ferris wrestling triplets, won all three of his matches, two of them by pins. Ryan Ellis, also a junior, duplicated Claros effort at 122 pounds.
Claros’ brother Joe won two of three matches at 108. Juniors Jeremy Eaton (129), Ty Williams (190), Jeremy Morton (215) and sophomore heavyweight Sean Flaherty also won two of three matches at the invitational.
The Saxons begin their GSL season against tough Gonzaga Prep on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. (the JV wrestles at 5:30 p.m.) and then heads to Central Valley for the Inland Empire Classic on Friday evening and Saturday.
LC wrestler shows varsity stuff
158-pound Ronny Russomanno wrestles in one of the toughest weight categories in the GSL, said LC coach Dan Thew.
But after three wins last Saturday - including a pin against a Wellpinit wrestler - at the Junior Varsity Wrestle-In, the 11th-grader looks like he might be ready to make the jump to varsity, Thew said.
“I think there’s a good chance you’ll be seeing him there,” Thew said. “Ronny is comin’ on pretty well.”
The Tigers open their GSL varsity season tonight at home at 7:30 against North Central.