Saxons use defense to bag Bears
The Ferris boys were predicted to be atop the Greater Spokane League standings this season; the Central Valley boys were not.
Yet both entered Tuesday’s night game at Ferris’ Wayne Gilman Court with 8-1 overall records and tied for first in the GSL at 2-0.
But the Bears couldn’t handle Ferris’ defensive pressure, turning over the ball 20 times as the Saxons pulled away in the second half for a 55-39 win.
“We talked today that this would be a good game to make a statement,” said Ferris reserve post Joel Wukelic. “If we come out and beat them, put some points on the board, it would make a statement to the rest of the league that we’re better than they think.”
With the 6-foot-2 Wukelic and junior post Brian Hallett scoring 11 points apiece, the Saxons made a statement about depth and scoring balance.
Ferris has extensively used 10 players this season, and nine have averaged between four and 13 points.
Jeremy Templeton, a senior guard who scored 13.5 points a game last season, dropped to 12.4 after an eight-point, five-steal performance. But according to Ferris coach Barry Olson, Templeton is accounting for more points because of his assists.
“There’s a good and there’s a bad to that,” Olson said of the offensive balance. “We tried to feature Jeremy last year and he came through many times, but teams tried to take him away. This year you can’t key on him. We told him he needs to look to have double-digit assist numbers every game, because that’s where’s he’s going to make his living in college.”
Templeton may not have hit double figures in assists, but he did find Wukelic and other Saxons racing down the court often enough to get close.
“My goal tonight was to run the floor, seal their big guys and give Jeremy a chance to make a great pass,” Wukelic said.
Offense isn’t how the Saxons are making their living. The 20 turnovers were an example of Ferris’ strong defense. So were CV’s 39 points, well less than the Bears’ season average of 58 a game. CV hit 14 of its 35 shots and was limited to 12 first-half attempts.
“We kind of picked it up defensively tonight,” Olson said, “and not just with the first trap, but with the second one as well. Even if they broke the first trap, we rotated well and got hands on the ball.”
One of 9 from beyond the arc, the Bears seemed to want to attack the Saxons’ matchup zone inside. Nick Ambrose, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, did a good job early, scoring nine of his 12 points in the first half. But the inside opportunities became scarce until the fourth quarter, when 6-1 Brad Johnson got loose for eight of his game-high 15 points.
Wukelic, for one, thinks the Saxons’ lack of height is a mirage.
“We’re all about 6-feet tall,” he said, “so we don’t go for fancy blocked shots. We all try to go straight up and lots of times guys jump into us, so we affect their shot that way.”
In other GSL boys action:
Clarkston 53, Cheney 49
The Bantams (4-5, 1-2) led 7-0 and never lost the lead in the battle between 3A teams. The host Blackhawks (5-5, 2-2) cut the lead to one with a minute left but called timeout when they were out and received a game-clinching technical. Ryan Turnbow and James Bennett split 24 points for Clarkston while Derek Miller was the only Blackhawk in double figures with 12 as well.
North Central 64, Mt. Spokane 61
Louis Hurd scored a game-high 17 points to lift the host Indians (4-7, 1-2). Hurd’s total included three 3-pointers as NC hit 11 of 23 from beyond the arc. The Indians, leading by the final score, did miss two front ends of one-and-ones down the stretch, but Mt. Spokane (4-6, 1-2) was unable to convert. Matt Dorr led the Wildcats with 17 points.
Eric Beal, who had 13 points, hit 7 of 8 free throws and combined with Hurd for 11 of NC’s 13 fourth-quarter points.
West Valley 47, University 35
The host Eagles (10-0, 3-0) turned up the pressure defensively to remain tied atop the league standings with Ferris. The Titans, who scored just 13 points after halftime, dropped to 6-4, 1-2 with their second consecutive defeat.
Junior post Tyler Hobbs had 10 rebounds, eight points and four steals while the Eagles other post, junior E.J. Richardson, added 12 points. U-Hi’s Calvin Jurich was the only Titan in double figures with 12 points.
Mead 56, Gonzaga Prep 51
The Panthers (5-5, 2-1) rallied in the fourth quarter to edge the host Bullpups (6-4, 2-1). Zach Nichols more than doubled his average with a season-high 27 points, including converting 14 of 19 free throws. Ryan Murphy led Prep with 19 points.
Lewis and Clark 54, Shadle Park 52
After freshman Zach Humphrey tied the game with his fourth 3-pointer with 7 seconds left, Tigers sophomore Andre Jennings went the length of the court to score at the buzzer and give host LC (3-6, 1-2) its first GSL win. Jennings had 12 of his 17 points after halftime. Sophomore Leo Avila paced Shadle (3-7, 1-2) with a career-high 17 points.
East Valley 56, Rogers 45
The Knights (5-5, 2-1) jumped ahead early and kept the visiting Pirates (2-9, 0-3) at bay thanks in large part to the long-range shooting of Dylan Sattin. The junior guard hit 4 of 9 3-point shots en route to 16 points. Scotty Livengood paced Rogers with 17 points.