Spotted Horse A Point Shy Of East Side’s Best

East Valley boys basketball coach Richard King scurried around this week to determine how James Spotted Horse’s one-game performance stacked up against the state’s all-time best.

Spotted Horse made 28 of 36 field goals Friday and scored a Frontier League-record 60 points in a 94-71 win over Clarkston.

Turns out Spotted Horse came up one point shy of the unofficial record for Eastern Washington basketball players, but well short of the statewide mark.

Jim Swannack scored 61 points for Lamont (near Sprague) in 1961, equaling the state record set by Elma’s Gary Nelson in ‘53. (Andy Roberson of Friday Harbor, currently with the University of Washington, also scored 61 in ‘92.)

The Swannack/Nelson mark fell two years later, when the “Tenino Tower,” 6-foot-10 Gordon Harris, scored 64.

Harris’ mark stood for five years, until Bob Wright of Green Hill (Chehalis) came along. Wright had games of 65 and 80 points in 1968.

Wright’s record is secure, although Green Hill isn’t. The reform school is gone.

Extra hour’s sleep

All right, State B basketball fans … DRAW!

Just don’t be so quick about it.

To allow more people the chance to attend, Sunday’s State B Tournament draw will take place at 10 a.m. - 1 hour later than usual.

The draw will be held at the Ridpath Hotel.

Invitations sent out

While districts 7 and 9 sort out matters, a few teams have already qualified for the State B.

Among the boys, defending state runner-up Toutle Lake, Morton, Summit and La Conner are on their way. The defending state champion Wishkah Valley girls, plus Rainier, Clallam Bay and first-timer King’s West have their bags packed.

, DataTimes