GSL boys basketball: LC beats CV for share of league lead

It’s seemingly unhealthy to be in sole possession of first place in Greater Spokane League boys basketball.

Just ask Central Valley.

For the second time in a week, the Bears were bounced from the GSL perch by themselves.

Defense and transition offense propelled visiting Lewis and Clark to a convincing 58-43 win Tuesday.

LC, 13-4 overall and 11-4 in league, moves into a tie with the Bears (13-4, 11-4).

It’s no coincidence that the Tigers’ second-half surge has been parallel with the growth of 6-foot-5 freshman Naje Smith.

Smith, who has the springs of a pogo stick, hurt the Bears inside. Then he had the wherewithal to step out behind the 3-point arc and bury his lone attempt. He finished with a game-high 13 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

“Since Christmas he’s had some big games and he’s just getting comfortable in his skin,” LC coach Jim Redmon said. “He takes shots that he didn’t take at the beginning of the season. He felt that his teammates believed in him and he loosened up a little bit.”

The nice thing about the Tigers is it’s not a one-player show. Guard Adam Thompson scored 10 of his 12 points in the second quarter when the Tigers were building some separation. They took a 24-15 lead into halftime.

“He’s hit some big 3s for us,” Redmon said. “He’s another kid who has grown since Christmas defensively and hitting big shots.”

It was a 25-point turnaround for LC considering it lost 54-42 to CV in the first half of league.

“No disrespect to them but we really played bad (the first time) and they played really well,” Redmon said. “Our defense was huge. Holding a team with that ability to 15 points at half …. We’re really focusing on that piece of it.”

CV threatened to make it a tight second half. The Bears used a 10-2 start to pull within 26-25 on a three-point play by Justis Simmons with 4:01 to go in the third quarter.

That’s when LC went on a 16-0 tear that CV had no answer for.

LC’s size gave CV problems. The Tigers’ 6-7 Dom Oliveri had 13 rebounds.

Like Redmon, Thompson has enjoyed watching Smith blossom.

“He’s really getting confident and coming into his own,” Thompson said. “His length and his athleticism are his best assets.”

Gonzaga Prep 45, University 44: Logan Adams hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Bullpups (11-6, 10-5) past the visiting Titans (12-5, 10-5). The teams are tied with Rogers in third. It was G-Prep’s fourth straight win.

Kea Vargas led G-Prep with 14 points and Adams had 10. Robert Little led U-Hi with 13 and Austin Dill had 12. U-Hi was 0 for 12 from 3-point range.

Shadle Park 88, Mt. Spokane 55: Five Highlanders (11-6, 9-6) scored in double figures as they cruised past the visiting Wildcats (1-15, 1-13). Andreas Brown, Bonson Leinweber and George Pilimai had 14 points each, Sam Stratton had 12 and Kobe Reece 10 for Shadle.

Sam Stiles and Michael Proudfoot had 15 apiece for the Wildcats.

Mead 61, Rogers 48: Rebounding and 3-point shooting propelled the Panthers (10-7, 8-7) past the visiting Pirates (11-6, 10-5). Max Hess led Mead with 19 points and Will McPhee had 11 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. Robert Rucker led Rogers with 17 points.

Ferris 53, North Central 47: The Saxons (6-11, 3-11) made six free throws late to hold off the visiting Indians (2-15, 1-14). Murphy Butte led Ferris with 12 points and freshmen Samrock Campbell and Mike Ervin combined for 21 points. Riley Smith led North Central with 11 points.