Ferris boys takes control in 4th quarter to beat LC

Ferris and Lewis and Clark played give- and-take for three quarters of the boys basketball half of the annual Rubber Chicken spirit games in the Spokane Arena.

In the fourth quarter, however, the Saxons seemingly shifted gears. They took command of the tempo and with it a 51-40 win to go 2-0 in the Greater Spokane League and improve to 8-1 overall.

“We just tried to get them to be a little more patient and attack offensively; moving the ball and swinging it,” said coach Barry Olson. “I thought we did a much better job in the second half of making them work harder on defense. For us defensively, it was a matter of letting them make mistakes. They weren’t hurting us unless we tried to commit and do stuff.”

The Saxons led by as many as seven points in the first half before T.J. Lee-Hill and sophomore Skylar Kliewer sparked a comeback that put LC (2-6, 0-2) ahead 23-22.

In the final 50 seconds before intermission, Jon Clift hit a 3-point basket, then stole the ball for a layin and four-point lead that Ferris nursed through the third quarter.

In the final 8 minutes, Ferris took control with patience and ball movement.

Jeremy Templeton opened the quarter with a 3-point basket.

Clift scored on a fast break following a blocked shot, despite getting fouled hard. It gave the Saxons a 49-36 lead that settled the outcome with 1:53 left.

Jace Mattinson and Joel Wukelic each scored four points in the quarter off the bench.

– Mike Vlahovich