GSL boys: Lewis and Clark holds off Shadle Park to take over second place

A competitive Greater Spokane League lends itself to entertaining, unpredictable, back-and-forth games throughout the season.

Such was the case Friday at Lewis and Clark, where the Tigers were out for revenge after an early-season loss to the Shadle Park Highlanders.

Perhaps more important, though, was the fact that LC wanted to avoid losing two games in a row and putting itself in a hole in a crowded top tier of the GSL standings.

Thanks to a balanced offensive attack – 10 players scored for LC – the Tigers came away with a 69-66 victory over the visiting Highlanders in a crucial matchup.

“I liked how the ball moved for us,” LC head coach Jim Redmon said. “I still think we’re in the mode of trying to fix some things that we want to do defensively.”

Naje Smith, Justin Martin and Isaiah Hernandez each scored in double figures for the Tigers, with Smith leading the way with 14. Martin and Hernandez added 11 apiece. Martin hit three 3-pointers.

Andreas Brown led the way for the Highlanders, scoring 22 points, including four 3-pointers. Tanner Groves finished with 13 points in limited minutes because of some early foul trouble.

Redmon said the Tigers tried to focus on stopping Brown.

“He’s a great player and we struggled with him,” Redmon said. “He’s strong, he’s big and he can pretty much do what he wants. He had the stroke going tonight.”

Neither team went on any meaningful runs, and Shadle used a big third quarter to keep pace with LC. The Highlanders held LC’s Smith scoreless in that quarter, and used some key baskets by Kobe Reese to take a one-point lead into the final frame.

LC used six quick points in the fourth quarter to take a 60-56 lead, only to be answered by a Markieth Brown 3-pointer to keep Shadle close.

The Highlanders took a 62-61 lead after Groves connected on two free throws, but clutch baskets from Hernandez and Smith helped LC take the lead for good.

Shadle and LC rotated a number of players, and LC tried to exploit some advantages it held in the size department.

“Our main goal was trying to get mismatches because of our size,” Redmon said. “When Tanner got in foul trouble, that allowed us to try and get the ball inside a little more. Sometimes we were successful and sometimes we weren’t.”

The Tigers move to 10-3 overall and 9-2 in league play, while Shadle (9-4, 8-3)drops one game behind in league play. With Gonzaga Prep’s win over Central Valley, the Tigers also jumped over the Bears and are alone in second place.

LC is one game behind G-Prep. The teams split their two games this season, proving that each game between the top tier teams is critical.

“There are a bunch of teams in this league where every night it’s that way,” Redmon said. “That’s what’s fun about this year.”