Cougars defeat KF in NEA opener

Ben Johnstone scored 16 points and Brandon Smith added 15 as Chewelah opened Northeast A League basketball play with a 57-44 win Friday night at Kettle Falls.

The Bulldogs (4-2, 0-1) struggled to score in the second quarter after Chewelah (2-2, 1-1) switched to a zone defense.

Tyler Johnson scored 15, Nathan Disque had 12 and Conner McKern 10 for Kettle Falls.

Lakeside 56, Newport 32: Coleton Collins scored 15 points and Conner Moffatt added 10 as the Eagles (1-4, 1-0) routed the visiting Grizzlies (1-4, 0-1). Jeron Konkright led the way for Newport with 13 points.

Medical Lake 53, Riverside 28: Adam Paulson made five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and the Cardinals (3-3, 1-1) gained control in the first half and eased past the host Rams (2-4, 0-1). Medical Lake made nine 3-pointers in all and led 27-9 at halftime. Tyler Axtell tallied a team-high eight points for Riverside.

Northeast 2B

Colfax 64, Reardan 37: Brady Ellis scored 11 of his game-high 22 points in the first quarter and the Bulldogs (5-2, 2-1) cruised past the visiting Indians (2-5, 1-2). Brandon Gfeller added 18 points, five assists and five rebounds for Colfax.

Lind-Ritzville/Sprague 64, Liberty 56: Dylan Hartz made 8 of 9 free throws and finished with 22 points and seven assists as the host Broncos (4-0, 3-0) held on to beat the upset-minded Lancers (3-3, 0-3). Ryan Whitmore added 10 points and eight rebounds for Lind-Ritzville/Sprague, which converted 23 of its 27 free-throw attempts. Zach Kunkel had 20 points and eight rebounds for Liberty.

Northwest Christian 62, Springdale 40: Jonathan Morris scored 17 points and Tyler Stephens added 14 as the Crusaders (4-1, 2-1) pulled away in the third quarter and beat the host Chargers (0-6, 0-3). Nick Kiourkas added 11 points for Northwest Christian. Springdale was led by Chase Fitzgerald’s 16 points.

Northeast 1B North

Northport 55, Columbia 22: Jeremiah Johnson scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the Mustangs’ dominating first-half and Northport (4-3, 2-2) went on to beat the visiting Lions (0-5, 0-3). Johnson added six rebounds, six steals and six assists for the Mustangs, who forced 34 turnovers.

Cusick 69, Republic 40: Alex Bluff erupted for 31 points as the Panthers (6-0, 5-0) gained an early advantage and eased past the host Tigers (4-2, 2-1). Aaron Fritts tallied a team-high nine points for Republic.

Selkirk 51, Curlew 28: Avery Miller had 22 points and 12 rebounds and Dominic Cain added 19 points and 13 boards as the Rangers (4-2, 3-1) routed the visiting Cougars (2-5, 0-2).

Southeast 1B

Garfield-Palouse 55, Rosalia 49: Jesse Lopez scored 20 points and Tyler Thurman added 14 points and five steals as the Vikings (5-1, 2-0) pulled away late and beat the host Spartans (1-3, 1-1). Zane Brown and Craig Nelson had 13 points apiece for Rosalia.

LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus 64, St. John-Endicott 54: Jed Zimmer made 14 of 23 shots and finished with 30 points and Justin Wargo added 19 as the Tigercats (4-0, 3-0) beat the visiting Eagles (0-4, 0-3). Zach Hollingsworth and Kaleb Simon combined for 33 points for St. John-Endicott.

Colton 61, Liberty Christian 37: Dalton Patchen scored 25 points and Jake Straughan added 20 as the Wildcats (2-1, 2-0) topped visiting Liberty Christian (0-2, 0-2).

Garfield-Palouse 55, Rosalia 49: Jesse Lopez scored 20 points and Tyler Thurman added 14 points and five steals as the Vikings (5-1, 2-0) pulled away late and beat the host Spartans (1-3, 1-1). Zane Brown and Craig Nelson had 13 points apiece for Rosalia.

Nonleague

West Valley 63, Sandpoint 45: Jake Love scored 21 points and Hunter Wells added 17 as the Eagles (5-1) defeated the host Bulldogs (1-5). Jeremiah Gagnon led Sandpoint with 21 points.

Deer Park 54, Freeman 46: Guards Caleb Guske and Nathaniel Guske led the way with a combined 30 points and the Stags (4-3) rallied to beat the host Scotties (0-5). Reese Ferguson added 13 points for Deer Park. Freeman, which got 19 points from Brady Unfred, led by seven points in the third quarter but struggled from then on as the Stags rallied.

Almira/Coulee-Hartline 56, Kittitas 32: Mitch Hunt scored 16 points and Thunder Wellhausen added 14 as the Warriors (3-3) topped visiting Kittitas. ACH outscored Kittitas 16-5 in the opening quarter and led by 18 at halftime.

Odessa-Harrington 59, Tekoa-Oakesdale 14: Justin Hunt had 14 points and Cade Weber added 11 points and seven steals as the Titans (4-1) locked down defensively and routed the visiting Nighthawks (1-3). Markus Smith and Jacob DeWulf each grabbed nine rebounds for O-H.