Dave Trimmer

One day after failing to climb past top-ranked Sehome, Lewis and Clark failed to scale Mount Tahoma. The 68-60 loss to Mount Tahoma at KeyArena Thursday morning eliminated the Tigers from their first State AAA boys basketball tournament in 20 years and made their first trip to Seattle in 33 years a disappointing two-and-out. One game after battling Sehome's 6-foot-7, 6-5 front line, the Tigers faced 6-8 Dontay Harris and 6-10 Matt McDonald of the Thunderbirds. "Spokane can definitely play with these guys over here," LC 6-5 standout Paul Mencke said, proving his point with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Neither was dominating but their presence made it easier for 5-9 guard Charles Pinkett to go off for 32 points. Harris added 17 points and 14 rebounds but McDonald, in foul trouble, was limited to three points and five boards. "We threw everything we had defensively at them," LC coach Glenn Williams said. "I thought we had them at the end with the press." Trailing 61-51 with 4:25 to play, the Tigers forced two missed shots and three turnovers to close within 61-58 with 2:25 to play and they had the ball. Mike Homer had a good look at the basket for a tying 3-pointer from the right wing but missed the shot. Pinkett missed a 3 but was fouled. After making the first two free throws, Harris sneaked inside to grab the missed third one and scored on the putback to make it 65-58 with just 1:10 remaining. "Obviously I'm disappointed with the loss," Williams said. "We had the ball and if we make that shot, who knows what might happen." Pinkett hoisted 26 shots, knocking down 11, including 7 of 16 from 3-point range. He had 16 points in the first half as the Thunderbirds went up 33-30 after eight lead changes. He started the second half with a long 3 from the left wing. "They said he could be really off some nights," Williams said. "Unfortunately he was really on today." The win was the first in state competition for the Tacoma school, making just its second appearance. The first was in 1989, also under coach Mac Fraser, who is stepping down. Homer finished with 17 points, including two beautiful baskets on backdoor lobs from Mencke. The Tigers even had a 40-37 rebounding edge with Mike Lynch grabbing nine. Mencke said West Side teams are more aggressive, reaching and slapping more at the ball, things that draw fouls in Spokane. "Their size didn't have anything to do with it," he said. "It's aggressiveness." Williams said, "I hope we represented Spokane well. We just didn't get the wins we were hoping for." Mount Tahoma 68, LC 60 Mount Tahoma 17 16 15 20 -68 Lewis and Clark 14 16 12 18 -60 MOUNT TAHOMA Key 3 1-1 7, Mathews 2 0-0 4, Mattley 0 1-2 1, Wells 1 0-0 2, Harris 8 1-4 17, Towne 1 0-0 2, Pinkett 11 3-6 32, McDonald 1 1-2 3. Totals 27 7-15 68. LEWIS AND CLARK Steuckle 1 0-0 2, Homer 6 4-7 17, Lynch 3 0-0 6, Thompson 0 0-0 0, Etter 0 2-2 2, Vick 1 2-2 4, Stack 0 0-0 0, Mencke 12 5-8 29. Totals 23 13-19 60. 3-point goals - Pinkett 7, Homer. Total fouls - MT 16, LC 15. Fouled out - none.

Karie Pruett, Ferris dominate Valerie Nater, Enumclaw. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

1. Billy Thompson, left, and Lewis and Clark hold on against top-ranked Sehome and Keith Koskela before the Mariners pull away in the fourth quarter of the first-round game. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review 2. Dealy Etter of LC scores over Sehome's Mark Spink (54) in Tigers' first-round loss. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

State AAA notebook First Stacy Clinesmith handled her future teammate, then Ferris handled the athletic prodigy. Only Lewis and Clark couldn't handle the name game. The Mead girls won their opener in the State AAA basketball tournament at Mercer Arena, blowing past Eastlake of Redmond 60-49.

The Cheney Blackhawks are hoping to be the surprise team of the boys State AA high school basketball tournament this week in Tacoma. The original thought was with their 14-11 record, the Blackhawks would be overlooked and be rolling before anyone noticed. Opponents probably don't realize the Blackhawks have been impressive winning four straight loser-out games to get to Wednesday's 1:30 p.m. first-round game in the Tacoma Dome against Lynden (17-6).

1. Glenn Williams, the fifth coach at Lewis and Clark since it last played in Seattle, has the Tigers headed back to the State AAA tournament. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review 2. LC teacher Bob Lobdell, a member of the last Tigers' team to make it to Seattle, proudly carries the 1963 trophy he helped win. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Cheney basketball fans won't have to wait long between Blackhawks games at the State AA high school basketball tournament. The Cheney girls open the tournament with the 9 a.m. game at the Tacoma Dome on Wednesday and the boys hit the floor at 1:30. The girls (20-4), making their second straight appearance, face Arlington (15-9). A second-round opponent could be Chief Sealth, which the Blackhawks faced in the second round last year on their way to the semifinals.

Irwin

The good ol' boys of the State AAA high school basketball tournament thumbed their noses at one of the newcomers. Sunday morning in Bellevue, Lewis and Clark, headed to Seattle for the first time in 32 years, was matched up against pre-tournament favorite Sehome, 23-0, for Wednesday's opener. "Imagine that," LC coach Glenn Williams said. After a long pause, he added, "Wow." The Tigers, 18-9, play Sehome at 10:30 Wednesday morning at Key Arena.

Girls AAA Regional And they still had enough energy to dance. The Ferris Saxons earned their first trip to the State AAA tournament since 1984 behind a marathon 32-minute performance from four starters. And, after the 47-37 victory over Central Valley, they congratulated their family and fans in the stands and danced in the locker room. "Since we were freshmen this has been our plan," senior standout Jennifer Swinton said after scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

Boys AAA Regional The second-longest drought in Greater Spokane League boys basketball came to an end late Saturday night when Lewis and Clark rallied to defeat Mead 60-52 for a state berth. Down 33-22 at halftime, the Tigers battled back to defeat the Panthers in the Eastern Regional AAA Tournament at the Tri-Cities Coliseum, propelling them to the state tournament in Seattle next weekend for the first time since 1964, the second-longest drought for a GSL team.

Scott Stocum helps Ferris slam dunk Wenatchee, 84-54, in first round of AAA regional in Cheney on Tuesday night. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

Lewis and Clark's Paul Mencke may end up being voted Most Valuable Player in the GSL, but how will he do against Eisenhower? Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

GSL basketball It was a night for Panthers to growl. They also scratched, clawed and basically mauled Ferris to give Mead a sweep of the Greater Spokane League District 8 Tournament titles at the Arena Friday night. First, the Mead girls pounded Ferris in the third quarter before coasting to a 52-36 victory. Then, the Mead boys shredded the Saxons' vaunted matchup zone with 57-percent shooting for a 69-55 win.

There were four sighs of relief at the Arena Thursday night but only one was audible. That's because Greater Spokane League basketball fans only got to enjoy one close game out of four matchups. The Mead boys held off Central Valley 50-43 in the closest of the "stay at home" games of the GSL District 8 Tournament.

Justin Bursch has quarterbacked Ferris on football field and basketball court. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Kasey Ahrens of Riverside led the Frontier League in scoring this season. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Postseason basketball begins tonight for eight Greater Spokane League teams in the Arena, and ends tonight for four of them. Winners in the District 8 Tournament advance to the Region IV Tournament next week, which means survivors can play at least four more games. Girls games today are: No. 3 Central Valley (13-3, 16-3) vs. No. 6 University (7-9, 9-10) at 3:45 and No. 4 Shadle Park (8-8, 11-9) vs. No. 5 Gonzaga Prep (7-9, 11-9) at 7:15.

Now Andy Hilzer can wash his socks and retire his shoes. He's done walking all over his brother. The Ritzville senior won the 158-pound championship at Mat Classic VIII in the Tacoma Dome Saturday night, joining Chris Padayao, a senior from Lakeside at 115 pounds, as the only champions from the Northeast A/B district.

University High School's Tara Hulbert competes on uneven parallel bars. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Deer Park's Clint Umbach, left, throws Tenino's Jamie Colard around in victory at 141. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

The University gymnastics team rode an emotional roller coaster in the Tacoma Dome Friday night, but when all was said and done, the Titans were jumping for joy. University finished fourth in the team competition, its highest ever placing at the WIAA/U.S. Bank State Gymnastics Championships. That came despite two injuries and the controversy over the spring (foam block) floor used for the floor exercises.

GSL boys Central Valley continued its second-half roll, clinching a tie for second place in the Greater Spokane League boys standings with a 50-42 victory over Mead at the Arena Tuesday night. The Bears completed the regular season with a 10-6 league record, a half-game ahead of Mead, which finishes up against University on Thursday. If the Panthers win, Mead and CV will meet in a tiebreaker on Saturday at North Central. The Bears (13-7 overall) earned their fifth straight win by racing to a 31-17 lead at halftime and blunting Mead's charge by hitting 11 of 14 fourth-quarter free throws.

GSL girls The Mead Panthers achieved the near impossible Tuesday night - they got a rave review from their cautious coach. Mead, the third-ranked girls team in the state, won its third straight Greater Spokane League title by demolishing No. 5 Central Valley 54-33 at the Arena. And the game wasn't that close. "Didn't we play great," Mead coach Jeanne Helfer acknowledged with an ear-to-ear grin. "That is by far the best overall game my team has played from the first girl to the last player on the bench." Mead scored off the opening tip - Jennifer Bennett tipping to Stacy Clinesmith who dished to Jennifer Clark for a 5-footer - and never trailed. After CV's Crystal Lee, the league's scoring leader, converted a three-point play to cut the Mead lead to 11-8 with 3:15 left in the first quarter, the Panthers went on a 16-0 run over the next 8:12 to break the game open. "We got beat," said CV coach Dale Poffenroth, who had a wry smile of his own. "Mead stepped up. Stacy came to play but don't just say that. All their other kids did, too. They're not a one-person team, that's what makes them so tough to beat." The Panthers (17-2, 14-1) pushed the lead to 36-14 at halftime, 44-16 after three quarters and the lead was 29 points with 6:21 to play. "Others expect it more than we do," Mead forward Jennifer Clark said of the Panthers' fourth title in five years. "You never expect it but that's one of our goals." Clinching by beating CV (16-3, 13-3) is a bonus. "It's always fun to play CV," said Clinesmith, who had 14 of her 17 points in the first half. "CV is one of our biggest rivals in basketball." Mead did for a half on offensive and the whole game on defense. "We played them straight up man," Helfer said. "We got after it defensively. They played their guts out. " With CV controlling the tempo and the non-related Clarks and Bennett dominating the inside, the outcome was never in doubt. The inside trio combined for 24 rebounds as the Panthers had 15 more rebounds than the Bears and allowed just more than 20 percent shooting.