WHL honors Chiefs’ Johnson

Hockey: Spokane Chiefs forward Tyler Johnson, the Western Hockey League player of the month for December, has added a WHL weekly award.

The Central Valley graduate, who is tied for the league-lead in points with 74 including a league-leading 36 goals, had 10 points in four games last week.

Johnson has a 14-game point streak that includes 13 goals and 16 assists.

Johnson and the Chiefs, second in the U.S. Division, three points behind Portland, return to action against Everett at the Arena on Wednesday. They’re also home against Chilliwack on Friday and Tri-City on Saturday.

Dave Trimmer

It’s Vandersloot in WCC again

Women’s basketball: For the second week in a row, the third time this season and 11th time in her career, Gonzaga star Courtney Vandersloot is the West Coast Conference player of the week.

After scoring 36 points with 18 assists and seven steals in just 52 minutes in a pair of lopsided home wins, Vandersloot shares the honor with Portland guard ReZina TecleMariam.

TecleMariam, whose twin sister Ariam was a walk-on guard at Gonzaga, had 35 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and 10 steals in 65 minutes as the Pilots edged the same two teams.

Dave Trimmer

Grand Coulee cowboy a winner

Rodeo: Until last weekend, Shane Proctor’s claim to fame was winning the 2008 Toughest Cowboy reality show.

Now the 25-year-old bull rider from Grand Coulee, Wash., and 2003 Lake Roosevelt graduate can add another big win to his resume after he dominated his event at the National Western Stock Show in Denver.

Proctor won all three rounds with scores of 91, 87 and 90 points with his average-winning total of 268 points 17 clear of second place.

Proctor won $17,350 and is currently leading the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association standings. He has never qualified for the National Finals Rodeo.

Now living in North Carolina after attending Montana State, Proctor was 23rd in the standings last year with winnings of $52,710.

Dave Trimmer

Pac-10 selects Huskies’ Thomas

Men’s basketball: Washington junior point guard Isaiah Thomas is the Pac-10 player of the week.

Thomas averaged 20.5 points, 9.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals as the Huskies swept Arizona and Arizona State in Seattle and moved to 7-1 in Pac-10 action for the first time since 1987.

The Huskies will be in Pullman Sunday to take on Washington State. Tipoff is 7 p.m.