Early games give something to chew on

Dec. 7: With a 20-game schedule and teams still nursing injuries and illness, it’s way to early to make any assumptions about the Greater Spokane League basketball season. But after seeing half the league here are a few observations.

First the boys: What a difference a year has made. The teams I’ve seen – Mead, Ferris, Central Valley, Gonzaga Prep, Lewis and Clark, Rogers and Mt. Spokane – are more physically developed, so the GSL won’t rely solely on finesse, which is a good thing.

After watching state last year, one sees you have to have strength to be able to make a stand inside or else you won’t succeed against the aggressive (and not just big, aggressive) teams you face in postseason.

There’s much more depth in league; witness the scores. Shadle, picked to contend for a title, had to scramble against University, which was picked near the bottom of the league. Lewis and Clark hung in with Gonzaga Prep even without injured guard Mathew Henry-Proost. Injured in football, he re-injured his knee in basketball practice.

“That’s a shame,” coach Jeff Norton had said prior to the season. “He had an outstanding summer and an outstanding football season. We’re missing a great player.”

I was impressed with the play of Mead against the Saxons, and the Panthers haven’t lost since. (Mt. Spokane and Rogers went down to the wire on Friday).

Central Valley’s two losses came against both Shadle Park and Ferris, and the Bears aren’t at full strength. Luke Clift has yet to play, and Bears were missing Chris Burdick against the Saxons.

The teams will be battle tested and likely not unscathed by the time the playoffs roll around, but that’s not a bad thing. As coaches like to say, you learn more from losses than from wins.

GSL girls: It would appear Lewis and Clark and University are the top two teams again after the Tigers’ 75-71 overtime win over the Titans.

As Gonzaga Prep coach Mike Arte said after a 69-54 loss to LC, “Their relentless pressure, relentless traps and things just kind of wear you down.”

Tigers coach Jim Redmon was equally complimentary of his opponent:

“When you play Prep, you know you have to play for 32 minutes. They don’t give you anything. Mike does just a great job with them.”

Despite Gonzaga Prep’s inexperience entering the season, Arte was encouraged.

“We have eight girls who never played a varsity game,” he said. “I knew this game would be a game which would tell us what kind of team we’re going to be.

“I was pleased with their determination and grittiness. I think we’re going to be all right.”

Shadle hasn’t been playing on all cylinders with junior post Lexie Pettersen just returned from injury and Lexi Bishop gone when the Highlanders played East Valley.

EV (3-0) beat Shadle and topped CV three days earlier.

You’d have to go back to the embryonic stages of girls basketball – 1975 – for the last time that happened.