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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

THURSDAY, FEB. 9, 2012

A chat with Mike Breske 

COUGARS FROM CORVALLIS -- We're in Oregon for the basketball games this weekend, but wanted to pass along a partial transcript of our conversation with defensive coordinator Mike Breske last week. Read on.

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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8, 2012

Zags trying to preserve streak

Less than 24 hours before the Gonzaga-Saint Mary's showdown at the MAC. The Bulldogs' 11-year rule of the WCC is in jeopardy as GU (18-4, 8-2 WCC) trails the Gaels (22-2, 11-0) as the regular season winds down. That was the topic of my article…

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Caelyn Orlandi of Coeur d'Alene girls basketball team

Tuesday night prep hoops 

The Coeur d'Alene girls basketball team captured the 5A Region I tournament championship, 50-22, over Post Falls. In the photo above, taken on my company Iphone, is Coeur d'Alene junior guard Caelyn Orlandi, who had a team-high 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Here's…

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Times change but complaining doesn't 

A GRIP ON SPORTS For the first time in quite a while, we're suffering through a tough Internet day. It's tough to connect with sites, it's tough to tweet, it's just tough to do anything. And we know it's our problem because it's intermittent. So…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 7, 2012


Preps this week 

Idaho girls basketball teams are in the midst of state-qualifying tournaments. The Greater Spokane League and Great Northern League boys and girls basketball teams conclude regular-season play this week before launching into district tournaments next week. Washington small schools are in the midst of their…

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Tuesdays with Ken Bone

COUGARS FROM PULLMAN -- As usual, we have our summary of Ken Bone's Tuesday teleconference. However, other duties kept us from listening in on his segment on the Pac-12 coaches call. Read on.

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Update on Idaho coaching vacancies

It’s been eight weeks since Idaho offensive coordinator Steve Axman announced his retirement. Days later, news filtered out – via a player’s Twitter feed – that wide receivers coach Luther Carr was no longer with the Vandals. And just over a week ago, offensive line…

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Big Sky = Big Two 

Montana clinched a playoff spot last night with a dominating win over Idaho State, joining Weber at the top of the men's basketball standings. Barring some upsets, those two will get the first-round byes in the Big Sky tournament which begins on March 3. The…

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Gonzaga guard Gary Bell Jr. drives past Loyola Marymount’s Anthony Ireland during the second half. (Associated Press)

GU's timely freshmen

I had hoped to post this last night, but it wasn't up on our site by 11 p.m. I explored the amount of playing time GU freshmen Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. (pictured above) are logging this season and compared it with past Bulldogs…

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Davis Vandane (3) of the Spokane Chiefs backhands a shot past Seattle goalie Calvin Pickard for a 2-1 Spokane lead in a busy first period. (Christopher Anderson)

Chiefs grind out win over Seattle

Here's a touch of irony for you. The Spokane Chiefs beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 7-3 on Monday night, and as you'll see in the game story, it wasn't the prettiest game. But the ugliest play of the night, well, that belongs to me. At the…

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MONDAY, FEB. 6, 2012


GU falls out of poll, Gaels 16/13

As expected, Gonzaga dropped out of the A.P. Top 25 when the newest poll was released earlier today. GU is 30th (fifth in receiving votes), 27th in ESPN/USA Today's Top 25. Gonzaga was No. 24 entering last week but lost to BYU on Thursday. Here's…

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Eagles' next home game looms large

Following a tough home loss to Sacramento State, Eastern Washington is still in playoff position, but you can't help but look ahead to next Wednesday's (Feb. 15) home game against Northern Colorado as a defining moment for the Eagles. There are five conference games to…

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The day after the Super Bowl

A GRIP ON SPORTS • UPDATED: 10:20 A.M. Super Bowl Sunday is usually a day of fun for the American sports fan. Gather with friends or sit with family and watch the game (and commercials). Yesterday was no different for most of you, I'm sure.…

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Not much to read on a Monday 

COUGARS FROM PULLMAN -- There must have been some other game yesterday that required most folks' attention, because Pac-12 reading material is scant on this Monday. Oh, well. We still found a couple stories, at least, so read on.

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SUNDAY, FEB. 5, 2012

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few signals to his team during the first half of its game against Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. (Associated Press)

Day after Pepperdine

Made it home for the Super Bowl and got my homework done on the plane -- just didn't have a chance to post it until now with a quick connection in Portland. You know the routine. The links: S-R game story and another from A.P.…

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This day is perfect 

A GRIP ON SPORTS When I awoke this morning, something felt different. No, the knees still hurt. And the waistline hadn't shrunk. But something was strange. Was the sun actually brighter? Were the birds really chirping louder? Did the air seem fresher? Yes. It is…

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SATURDAY, FEB. 4, 2012

Gonzaga's Katelan Redmond, right, lets out a victorious howl at teammate Kayla Standish, left, after sinking a clutch fall away jumper with three seconds left on the shot clock in the second half as the Lady Bulldogs pulled away from the San Diego Toreros. (Jesse Tinsley)

Area women's basketball roundup

Local NCAA Division I women's basketball teams had a successful Saturday - with the exception of Washington State, which lost at UCLA. We were at Gonzaga today, where the Bulldogs turned up the heat in the second half and beat a defensive San Diego team.…

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Vandals pull off stunner at Nevada

As I wrote this morning, there was no reason to think Idaho -- teetering at 11-11 -- could topple Nevada. But the circumanstances around this matchup made me wonder if it would at least be a close game, and it was more than that. The…

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