NC gets in Groovy groove

For the better part of three quarters Thursday, Damal Neil was a difference maker in North Central’s 56-41 victory over Shadle Park in the 16th Groovy Shoes spirit game.

Neil scored 18 points and was a big factor on the boards and on defense as the Indians built an early 11-point lead and maintained it in the Greater Spokane League boys basketball showdown.

But when Neil fouled out with 5 minutes, 17 seconds to play, it left the Highlanders with a window of opportunity.

Eric Beal helped close it as the Indians pulled away late to remain tied for first place with three games left in the GSL season.

“When you have this guy here,” said NC coach Jay Webber, pointing to Beal after the game, “there’s a lot less worries. Put the ball in his hands and good things happen.”

The victory left the Indians (15-2, 9-1 GSL) tied with Ferris and Gonzaga Prep in the league standings.

Shadle Park (11-6, 7-3) fell two games behind, tied for fifth with Central Valley.

The game was part of a doubleheader at the Spokane Arena before a spirited crowd of 4,747. Shadle’s “Got Game?” board games theme won out over NC’s “NC/HS Back in Black rock and roll” to win the spirit contest for the fifth time in the series.

In the opening game, Shadle’s girls (10-7, 5-5) remained in the District 8 postseason hunt, beating cold-shooting NC (3-14, 1-9) 50-31.

In contrast to the girls, NC’s boys came out on fire. After an early miss, the Indians hit five straight shots, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Cody Hauenstein and Beal.

“Our shots fell and everything was going for us in the beginning,” Beal said. “It’s a lot easier to play having a lead the whole game.”

Neil, who had his way inside, scored four first-quarter baskets as the team built a 17-6 lead. He had 14 points at halftime.

When Neil sat in the second quarter with his second personal foul, Shadle cut the lead to a point. Neil returned to score a couple of baskets and NC shot back up by nine.

The Highlanders cut the lead to three in the third quarter before Neil scored twice to open ground. NC took advantage of four free throw misses by Josh Landsverk to expand its lead to 12.

But Neil also sat after picking up his third and fourth fouls and the Highlanders made one last run when he picked up his fifth, lasting just 10 seconds upon his return early in the fourth quarter.

Shadle cut the score to 44-39 before Landsverk was hit with a personal foul and technical, fouling out with 3 minutes left to play.

NC put the ball in the hands of Beal.

He made 5 of 6 free throws – the Indians were 8 for 10 while outscoring Shadle 12-2 – as well as directing traffic. The main thing, he said, was to slow down the game and try to get a good shot.

“We wanted to waste as much time as we could so my role was to just control the ball, get everyone moving around and get good shots off,” Beal said.

Girls

Adjusting to the spacious confines of the Arena posed shooting problems for both teams.

But Lexi Bishop became the exception.

She made three 3-pointers on her way to 21 points in Shadle’s victory.

“I came about an hour early,” said Bishop, Shadle’s season-long scoring leader. “I started shooting 3s and got used to it.”

By contrast, NC scored only 16 points from the field on eight field goals and made just 21 percent of its attempts.

Telling in the outcome was the fact that Ashlee Michelson, who averages 14 points per game for the Indians, did not make a basket and took only four shots the entire game.

Bishop was her primary defender, with rotating help.

“Our offense struggled at times, but I think defensively we were pretty solid,” Shadle coach Chad Dezellem said. “We didn’t take too many risks, tried to play straight up and make them work for the shots they got.

“For the most part we did that.”

Early in the game NC missed numerous layup attempts, but led 8-5 early in the second quarter.

Bishop outside and Lexie Petterson inside then took over.

They combined for 16 points as the Highlanders closed out the quarter, and in essence the game, with an 18-3 flurry.

Jackie Gabriel scored three fourth-quarter baskets and had nine second-half points as Shadle built its biggest lead, 46-23.