Gsl Holds Court State Looms As Boys, Girls Face Big Nine At Regional

Eastern Washington Class AAA high schools begin their battle to reach Seattle tonight and odds are if Greater Spokane League basketball teams can beat their Big Nine rivals they can beat almost anyone.

That’s a big if.

Only one GSL boys team has made state the last two years, Ferris in 1994, and the Saxons won it all. The Big Nine, on the other hand, sent six teams the last two years.

What’s worse, GSL boys have not even won a regional “home opener” in the last two years.

Should the GSL reverse that trend, expect good things. In the first six years of the regional before Ferris won state, 12 teams advanced out of the regional and 10 placed at state, including Shadle Park’s championship in 1990.

Spokane girls have been more successful. The GSL has won 19 of the 30 state trips the past eight years and brought home 15 trophies, including five state titles - Shadle Park in 1988 and ‘89, Mead in 1990 and ‘92 and Central Valley in 1993.

After tonight’s first round, the regional, sponsored by Lamb-Weston, reconvenes in the Tri-Cities on Friday. Winners games are at the Coliseum and loser-out games are at Richland High School.

The top three finishers in each tournament advance to state.

Boys

It’s not going to be easy for the GSL to reverse the recent trend.

District champion Mead faces a Kamiakin team that humbled the Panthers 86-71 the third game of the season. Kamiakin is led by 6-foot-8 John Carlisle and his 15.6 average in the middle.

Ferris faces Wenatchee, which has a standout sophomore point guard in Josh Cooprider (13.5 points per game) and two other players at 13 ppg or better, Eli Effinger and Luke Prim.

CV faces Big Nine champion Pasco in Richland in a rematch of their third game, won by the Bulldogs 59-50 in Pasco. The Bulldogs ran up a 19-3 record with no player in the top 10 in scoring. Trent Ady, a 6-6 post, is the leader at 13.3.

Central Valley has tournament experience, making the regional for the eighth time.

Lewis and Clark has the long trip, going to Yakima to face Eisenhower. The Cadets have a tough one-two punch in 6-4 Josh McDonald at 16 ppg and Ross Hansen at 14.6.

Girls

There is some history the GSL would like to see repeated - no Big Nine team has won an opening round game at Gonzaga University. The GSL is 16-0 at GU and has won five times in road openers.

The pressure to remain perfect falls on Mead and Ferris.

The Panthers, in the regional for the ninth straight year, have made it to state the past six years. They have the inside track to make it again, or at least win their opener, facing a Richland team without a senior starter. The Bombers’ leading scorer is Rida Douglas at 11.4.

Ferris has a tougher challenge in Walla Walla, the only team to defeat Kamiakin this year. The Saxons lost at Kamiakin by six in their fourth game, a night after Mead lost there by 12. Jill Watkins of the Blue Devils led the Big Nine in scoring at 13.1.

The best hope for a GSL road breakthrough is Central Valley, which tackles Wenatchee. The Bears won early road games at Richland and Walla Walla, but had their meeting with Kamiakin canceled. Wenatchee plays tough defense but offensively only Jennifer Schooler is in double figures at 10.1.

Shadle Park will have a tough time with Kamiakin. The Braves, who have placed in the top four at state the past four years, are led by Big Nine player of the year Carmel Lampson, who averaged 11.7 points a game. She’s headed for Santa Barbara with Mead standout Stacy Clinesmith.

Notable:

The boys and girls teams from Mead and the boys and girls teams from Ferris have to play at the same time at different sites because Walla Walla and Wenatchee, Ferris’ foes, would not agree to any changes of sites or times….

The Mead girls have won 20 games for the seventh straight year…. The Panthers finished second to Kamiakin in the last two regionals…. The only regional Kamiakin has missed is 1991…. The CV girls missed state last year for the first time in the ‘90’s…. Shadle Park’s girls went to state the first two years of the regional and the last two…. The last state tournament for the Ferris Saxons was 1984 when they finished third.

Neal Robertson, a sharp-shooter from Richland who played a big role in knocking the LC boys out of the regional last year, led the Big Nine in scoring at 19.3 but the Bombers didn’t make regional…. The top three in the Big Nine boys scoring race are finished for the season…. Paul Mencke of LC led the GSL in scoring for the second straight year. He has scored 1,107 in his three years…. Damian Long has 996 points in his three years at Mead but also scored 555 points as a freshman at St. George’s when the Dragons played 31 games and placed seventh in the State B tournament…. Crystal Lee of CV should be the next GSL scorer to pass 1,000 points, she has 405 so far in her junior year and had 301 last year.

The Mead boys last made state in 1989…. LC has not been to state since 1964…. CV went to state five or six years before losing out in regionals the last two years…. Wayne Gilman has taken Ferris to state seven times in 12 years - so far - with six trophies, finishing first, second twice, third, fourth and fifth…. The Kamiakin boys have placed in the last four state tournaments.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: AAA REGIONAL Tonight’s first round BOYS: Wenatchee (15-8) vs. Ferris (19-3), at EWU, 6 p.m. Kamiakin (12-10) vs. Mead (14-9), at EWU, 7:30 p.m. Central Valley (13-9) vs. Pasco (19-3) at Richland HS, 7:30 p.m. Lewis and Clark (15-8) vs. Eisenhower (15-7) at Yakima Valley CC, 7:30 p.m. GIRLS: Walla Walla (16-6) vs. Ferris (18-4), at GU, 6 p.m. Richland (11-11) vs. Mead (20-2), at GU, 7:30 p.m. Shadle Park (12-11) vs. Kamiakin (20-1) at Richland HS, 6 p.m. Central Valley (18-4) vs. Wenatchee (16-6) at Eastmont HS, 7:30 p.m.