LC blows big lead, holds on to beat CV

Lewis and Clark had a comfortable 16-point lead and with 9 minutes remaining and appeared well on its way to victory over visiting Central Valley on Tuesday night in Greater Spokane League boys basketball.

The Tigers, however, frittered most of it away before getting a bailout from Sean Hoffmann and some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch to survive with a ragged 47-45 victory.

Ahead 37-21 with 1 minute, 4 seconds left to play in the third quarter, LC (9-8) was up just 37-36 before Hoffmann sank two free throws with 2:02 remaining in the game. Following a Bears basket, Hoffmann, tough on the offensive glass, tallied again to push the lead back to three points.

Kenyatta Davenport and Taylor Eglet then made both ends of 1-and-1 free-throw opportunities in the game’s final 35 seconds to hold CV (7-10) at bay.

“Hoffmann was a stud,” Tigers coach Jeff Norton said. “He bailed us out big time.”

The game wasn’t pretty. Both teams combined for 17 turnovers in the first half and 28 for the game.

CV, playing without leading scorer Michael Williams for undisclosed reasons, shot miserably in the first quarter. The result was an 11-2 Tigers lead, which they maintained when Austin Ehlo scored 10 second-quarter points to offset the effort of CV’s Evander Cobbs.

They extended it in the third quarter, with Hoffman scoring six points. But Bears junior Scott Simon and sophomore Joseph Guerrinha brought CV back.

LC led 47-42 before a Bears 3-pointer connected at the buzzer.

“We haven’t been that sloppy in a long time,” Norton said of the effort. “We didn’t make very good decisions. We defended well, but offensively weren’t strong with the ball. I thought that left us at Christmas break.”

A win, however, is a win, and LC is back tied for third place in the GSL.

With three dates remaining on the league schedule, a mere game separates six teams between third and eighth places among boys teams.

The six are jockeying for home-court advantage for the first round of District 4A and 3A playoffs, which begin Feb. 17.

Mt. Spokane 56, Rogers 51: Chaz Johnson scored 15 points and had nine rebounds, leading the Wildcats (7-9) to a 50-33 advantage on the boards and victory over the host Pirates (8-9). With the win, Mt. Spokane is one victory away from clinching the final 3A playoff berth. The visitors rallied from a first-quarter deficit to lead at halftime, built a 13-point advantage through three quarters and weathered Rogers’ comeback. Connor Haley added 15 points and Hunter Hahn had 13. Dillon Franklin led Rogers with 15.

Shadle Park 70, North Central 56: Three 3-pointers from Anthony Brown in the first quarter helped stake the Highlanders (14-3) to a seven-point first-quarter lead at the Arena over the Indians (9-8). Robby Douglas, one of three Shadle double-figure scorers, had 11 of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter to put on the finishing touches. Lucas Evans scored 16 points and Nathan Pelton 15 for NC, which won the Groovy Shoes.

Gonzaga Prep 63, Mead 47: The visiting Bullpups (16-2) outscored the Panthers (8-9) in every quarter to remain in first place. David Stockton scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half, Ryan Nicholas 11 of his game-high 20 in the second half. Grant Fink had 17 for Mead.

Ferris 60, University 56: The Saxons (9-8) led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, but had to come from behind at U-Hi (3-14) to pull out the win. Four players finished in double figures, led by Justin Stewart’s 14. U-Hi’s Curt Smith was 8 for 11 from the floor for a game-high 19.