Mead Boys Bump Off Cv, 50-43

There were four sighs of relief at the Arena Thursday night but only one was audible.

That’s because Greater Spokane League basketball fans only got to enjoy one close game out of four matchups.

The Mead boys held off Central Valley 50-43 in the closest of the “stay at home” games of the GSL District 8 Tournament.

The Panthers, joined by GSL champion Ferris, play a Big Nine team at Eastern Washington University Tuesday. CV and Lewis and Clark, which lost 68-50 to Ferris, go on the road to neutral Big Nine sites, which will be determined Saturday.

On the girls’ side, the same two schools stay home, Ferris, after a surprisingly easy 54-31 win over CV, and Mead after a surprisingly hard 40-29 win over Shadle Park.

GIRLS

Ferris 54, Central Valley 31

Jennifer Swinton didn’t answer with words but her response was obvious as the Saxons (18-3) destroyed the Bears (17-4) in the second half.

“Coach asked me what I wanted out of this game,” Swinton said of the halftime talk.

She responded with 18 points, clogged the middle in a suffocating 2-3 zone and helped control the boards. Even then, the rout was a surprise since the teams split regular-season games.

“It was a result of how hard we were playing, so it wasn’t a surprise,” said Swinton, who also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Ferris scored the last six points of the first half to open a 21-16 lead and added the first nine of the second half as CV went 6:53 without scoring.

Central Valley 9 7 5 10 - 31

Ferris 10 11 16 17 - 54

CENTRAL VALLEY Kallas 0 0-0 0, Carpenter 0 0-0 0, Ault 0 0-0 0, Clark 1 2-3 4, MacPhee 0 1-2 1, Sanders 2 0-0 4, Shoquist 0 0-2 0, Dahlgren 0 2-2 2, Lee 1 4-5 6, White 1 0-0 3, Coyle 1 0-0 3, Jackson 3 0-0 8. Totals 9 9- 14 31.

FERRIS Pruett 1 4-4 6, George 3 3-4 9, Jay.Morrisette 4 6-10 15, Rasmussen 0 2-6 2, Brown 0 0-0 0, Williams 0 0-0 0, Swinton 8 2-3 18, Jan.Morrisette 2 0-1 4. Totals 17 13-24 54.

3-point goals - White, Coyle, Jackson 2, Jay.Morrisette. Total fouls - CV 21, Ferris 13. Fouled out - Clark.

Mead 40, Shadle Park 29

The third-ranked Panthers (19-2) made four 3-pointers in the first quarter, opening a 15-5 lead and then struggled offensively the rest of the way against the Highlanders (12-10), who had lost both regular-season matchups by 27.

No player reached double figures for either team but Mead’s defense kept Shadle Park from threatening. The Highlanders only hit 8 of 38 shots, while Mead was 15 of 53.

“I know this team is better than that,” Mead coach Jeanne Helfer said. “If we get that many open shots and miss, then….

“Defensively we played hard. On offense we got a little out of sync, then started pressing.”

Shadle Park 5 7 7 10 - 29

Mead 15 9 9 7 - 40

SHADLE PARK Larkin 0 1-2 1, Christensen 1 4-4 6, Pilkington 2 2- 4 6, Heimbigner 0 0-0 0, Drake 1 2-2 4, Alexander 0 0-0 0, Clary 1 0-0 3, Nelson 0 0-0 0, Potter 0 0-0 0, Johnson 2 1-2 5, Harchuck 2 0-0 4. Totals 9 10-14 29.

MEAD Lunzer 0 0-0 0, Beatty 0 0-0 0, C.Clark 0 1-2 1, Turner 3 1-2 9, Zelinski 1 0-0 3, Clinesmith 4 0-0 9, Leaf 0 0-0 0, Roberts 3 0-0 8, Wakefield 0 2-2 2, Edburg 0 0-0 0, J.Clark 3 0-0 6, Bennett 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 4-6 40.

3-point goals - Clary, Turner 2, Zelkinski, Clinesmith, Roberts 2. Total fouls - SP 11, Mead 14. Fouled out - none.

BOYS

Mead 50, Central Valley 43

The Panthers seemed to have righted their ship, shutting the Bears out for more than four minutes late in the game.

Two free throws by Ryan Smith gave CV a 39-36 lead with 4:41 to play, but the Bears didn’t score until 37 seconds remained and the Panthers had forged a 44-39 lead. Mike Walton then hit four clutch free throws to ice the win.

“We had a couple of key performances from guys who don’t get their name in the paper,” Mead coach Jim Preston said. “Mike Walton hit the clutch free throws and Allen Inderrieden had a big steal and a big 3.”

The Panthers were perfect on 11 free throws, 10 in the fourth quarter.

“I hear everybody yelling but I know it’s going to go down,” Walton said. “That’s what they need me for and that’s what I’m there for.”

Mead 14 7 8 21 - 50

Central Valley 8 14 10 11 - 43

MEAD Morris 3 1-1 8, Klaus 0 0-0 0, Inderrieden 1 0-0 3, Armitage 2 0-0 4, Long 5 4-4 15, Walton 0 4-4 4, Castaneda 7 2-2 16, Myers 0 0-0 0. Toals 18 11-11 50

CENTRAL VALLEY Nesbitt 0 0-0 0, Smith 3 4-4 11, Schuh 5 3-4 15, Abrahms 0 0-0 0, Allen 1 2-4 4, Hinckley 1 0-0 2, Platt 2 1-2 5, McFarlane 0 2- 2 2, May 1 0-1 2, Schulz 0 2-2 2. Totals 13 14-19 43.

3-point goals - Morris, Inderrieden, Long, Smith, Schuh 2. Total fouls - Mead 16, CV 12. Fouled out - none.

Ferris 68, Lewis and Clark 50

The second-ranked Saxons (19-2) closed out the first half with an 8-2 run and then pulled away from the Tigers (14-8) throughout the second half.

The unselfish Saxons’ recorded assists on 20 of their 28 baskets, but also turned the ball over 25 times.Chris Hardan had a big game for Ferris with 18 points, matching his total in the two regular season wins over LC.

Paul Mencke led LC with 22 points.

Lewis and Clark 10 9 13 18 - 50

Ferris 14 12 18 24 - 68

LEWIS AND CLARK Bowman 0 0-0 0, Canton 0 0-0 0, Steuckle 3 0-1 6, Homer 5 7-11 19, Lynch 0 1-2 1, Thompson 0 0-0 0, Morse 0 0-0 0, Etter 0 0-0 0, Vick 0 0-0 0, Adams 1 0-0 2, Stack 0 0-0 0, Mencke 8 5-13 22. Totals 17 13-27 50.

FERRIS Bursch 1 3-5 5, Schuchart 0 0-0 0, Jess 0 0-0 0, Servine 0 0- 0 0, Brown 0 0-0 0, Hardan 8 2-2 18, Lucke 3 0-0 6, Henneberry 4 1-1 9, Harmon 4 2-4 10, Stocum 7 2-4 16, Weatherred 0 2-2 2, Gordon 1 2-2 2. Totals 28 12-18 68.

3-point goals - Homer 2, Mencke. Total fouls - LC 19, Ferris 20. Fouled out - Vick.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Today’s district games Boys Central Valley (13-8) vs. Lewis and Clark (14-8), 5:30 p.m. Mead (13-9) vs. Ferris (19-3), (championship), 9 p.m.

Girls Central Valley (17-4) vs. Shadle Park (12-10), 3:45 p.m. Ferris (18-3) vs. Mead (19-2), (championship), 7:15 p.m.