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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Defense carries Wildcats

Mt. Spokane’s boys basketball team hung its hat on defense all season long during a fourth-place Greater Spokane League finish.

And it was defense that thwarted North Central three times this season, including Thursday night at Rogers in overtime during the 3A district championship game.

In nearly a replica of their game two nights before, both teams proved hard to score upon and the game was tied 34-34 at the end of regulation before the Wildcats (12-9) pulled out a 46-41 victory.

The win gave them a bye into the double-elimination portion of regionals next week in Richland. They’re scheduled to play Friday in Richland. NC (8-13) plays Tuesday in a loser-out game.

In the opening game of the 3A playoffs, East Valley’s girls trailed at halftime, but scored 38 second-half points for a 56-41 win over Mt. Spokane and top seed to regional in Richland as well.

Boys: Mt. Spokane 46, North Central 41 (OT): Mt. Spokane used a combination zone to keep tabs on NC scoring leader Nick Rijon, who finished with 11 points, but five of those were in the overtime. And the Indians didn’t get to the free-throw line, either, taking only three attempts, all misses, in regulation.

The Wildcats’ big scoring guns, Ryan Selland and Jordon Poynor, weren’t able to get untracked in the second half, but while scoring was at a premium for all, they had Connor Haley, whose athletic slashes to the basket produced the key scores.

Haley scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second half as game long he came up big when necessary.

“He just does his athletic thing,” said coach Bill Ayers. “He has a nose for the ball and sometimes we just have to let him go.”

Mt. Spokane was up 12-4 in the first half before David Butler cut loose for three 3-pointers and a 17-15 NC lead with less than two minutes remaining until intermission.

After the Wildcats regained a six-point lead, the Indians battled back for a 31-27 advantage in the fourth quarter as Scott and Sam Schaefer hit 3-pointers. Butler’s fourth 3-pointer, with a minute remaining, sent the game into overtime.

It was 39-38 NC when Haley scored and made a free throw with 1:35 remaining in the extra period. His score followed a Mt. Spokane miss that caromed off an Indian and out of bounds.

But it was just 42-41 before Selland made two free throws with 15 seconds remaining that secured the win.

Girls: East Valley 56, Mt. Spokane 41: The Knights (8-13) lost GSL scoring champion Kelsi Jacobson to a knee injury late in the first quarter against the Wildcats (6-15), but undeterred, kept their poise in the face of adversity.

Bryana Manchester, a 5-foot-4 senior wing, had a career game. Her younger sister Morgan ran the show, and Jenni White hit what proved to be the two biggest shots of the night.

EV trailed 20-18 at halftime. Ten of those points were scored by Bryana, whose highest-scoring game all year had been seven. She finished the night with 14 points and held her own against the taller Wildcats with a dozen rebounds.

“That was probably her best game all year as far as offensively,” said coach Rob Collins. White hit the first of two 3-pointers from the top of the arc to open the third quarter. She did so again on a kickout pass from Morgan Manchester from the right baseline.

The shots, with a pair of Morgan Manchester free throws in between, put the Knights ahead 26-20 with a minute gone in the quarter and they were never headed.

Six players divided up the scoring with Morgan Manchester and Kathy Tate finishing at 13 points apiece. Callie Bergstrom had 14 for Mt. Spokane. The Wildcats are scheduled to travel on Tuesday.