Chris Derrick

District 7-B boys Valley Christian's 3-S Club has waited four years to earn the school's first berth to the State B tournament. All they needed, it turned out, was a fourth 'S.'

Players on the Ritzville bench celebrate the school's 34th consecutive girls basketball victory, an easy district triumph over St. George's. Photo by Jason Clark/The Spokesman-Review

All-Greater Spokane League gymnastics: Front row: Coleen Pierce, senior, University, uneven bars; Kacey Frederickson, sr., Ferris, all-around; Tara Hulbert, sr., U-Hi, all-around. Back row: Coach Kim Brunelle, Central Valley; Kimberly George, junion, Ferris, balance beam, floor exercise; Amber Baines, freshman, North Central, all-around; Emily Roverts, sophomore, CV, all-around; Alisa Brandle, fr., U-Hi, floor. Not pictured, Lindsay Linerud, sr., CV, all-around. Photo by Roger Ames/The Spokesman-Review

Trout Lake may be a fish out of water. The District 5 eligibility committee ruled Tuesday that Trout Lake's 6-foot-10 forward, Mark Gottschalk, is ineligible for the rest of the basketball season. Gottschalk transferred to the Class B school this year from nearby White Salmon. He and his father lived in Trout Lake while the rest of the family remained behind, including a sister who plays basketball at White Salmon.

Central Valley gymnast Lindsay Linerud has her sights set on a fourth-straight trip to the state tournament. Photo by Jason Clark/The Spokesman-Review

Defending State B champions find themselves in different positions as league tournaments begin tonight. The Ritzville girls, of the Bi-County League, are top-ranked and 20-0. They have won 30 consecutive games, including the final 10 of 1996-97 that ended with the Broncos capturing their second state title. "We know we have the capability, but we're going to respect our opponents," said first-year Broncos coach Howard Manke.

U-Hi freshman Alisa Brandle works the balance beam during the district championships Friday night. Photo by Jason Clark/The Spokesman-Review

Looking at Selkirk's average-sized basketball players, it's hard to believe they'll achieve anything greater than the last 24 Rangers teams. But Selkirk's Don Almquist doesn't use a ruler to measure the stature of his team. "When you're shorter, you use what you have," said the second-year Rangers coach. "So we use our quickness and our smart play, and we full-court press the whole time."

1. Litton 2. Retired teacher Bob Litton started out as a volunteer coach at North Central, but has become a mainstay for the Indians. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Girls basketball Riverside gave off the wrong impression during the first 4 minutes of Friday's game with Lakeside. The Rams made it appear they were in charge. The next 23 minutes showed otherwise, as Lakeside strung together runs of 20-2 and 16-0 to smother the visiting Rams 54-32 and break a first-place tie in the Great Northern League.

Prep gymnastics Coleen Pierce and Tara Hulbert have something in common, other than fine gymnastics abilities. The seniors have never seen, and never will see, their University Titans lose a Greater Spokane League meet. Fourth-ranked U-Hi (24-0) completed its fourth consecutive unbeaten GSL season Thursday, dominating the vault, uneven bars and balance beam to hold off seventh-ranked Central Valley (20-4) at CV.

Even at 6 feet, 6-1/2 inches, Brent Cummings can score from outside as well as under the basket. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Boys No Valley Christian individual instills fear in the opposition. But taken together, the Panthers are a mighty tough bunch. The seventh-ranked Panthers (7-0 Bi-County League, 12-1 overall) used a 15-0 second-half run to pull away from visiting Wilbur-Creston 61-41 in a meeting of divisional leaders Friday.

Coleen Pierce of University was a key performer for the victorious Titans. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Colfax boys basketball coach Ross Swan has landed in the middle of a winning tradition, returning to the school that he twice helped reach the state playoffs as a player. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

The Coles family of Garfield is a living legacy of basketball. From left, Logan, Tina, Tim, Tiffany and Katie. Photo by Torsten Kjellstrand/The Spokesman-Review

It has taken more than a leap of faith to make Kacey Frederickson, who had a bad fall in 1995, a threat on the balance beam. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

UNPUBLISHED CORRECTION: The name of football player Jeremey Williams is misspelled in this story. The correct spelling was confirmed by his mother.

GSL gymnastics Single out the balance beam as the main ally/culprit. Both coaches did after Ferris edged host Central Valley Thursday during a five-way meet. All-around winner Kacey Frederickson of Ferris scored 9.05 on the beam, 1.2 points better than runner-up Mary Bass of Shadle Park. That alone explains Ferris' 154.7 to 154.35 advantage over CV.

Lakeside needs Nikki Petticrew to put up some points. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Lakeside's girls prepare to begin the meaty part of their schedule, the Great Northern League season. In the Eagles' case, the "meat" shouldn't be as tough as the "bread," the top and bottom of a schedule few 2A teams would tackle.

(From Replay, December 5, 1997:) The photograph appearing with a Thursday prep page feature about University High School gymnast Tara Hulbert was not of Hulbert. The person in the picture was teammate Coleen Pierce. For the record, this is Tara Hulbert. (Photo appeared with correction) University senior Tara Hulbert returns to defend her district all-around title, but isn't overwhelmed by high expectations. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

The rest of the state has witnessed the abilities of Spokane-area cross country runners. Twelve other states will see the show Saturday at the Foot Locker West Regional in Fresno, Calif. Around 70 local runners will compete on the 5,000-meter course at Woodward Park. The top eight finishers in the boys and girls seeded races will qualify for nationals, Dec. 13 at Orlando, Fla.

Okanogan fans, jazzed by a touchdown late in the second quarter, were in accord during halftime chit-chats. We're in this game if we can stop that No. 9 for Colfax, they said.