Jim Allen

How about some extra shots with that espresso? A dunk with your doughnut? No problem: The Eastern Washington basketball team will serve them up on Friday at Reese Court.

In weather so cold even the winners sprinted to the bus, Central Valley forward Kelsey Turnbow opted to chill for a moment Tuesday afternoon and talk about mental toughness. “We told ourselves at the beginning: don’t let the weather affect our game – and we didn’t,” said Turnbow, who scored three goals to help Central Valley to a 6-1 win over Snohomish in a first-round State 4A girls soccer playoff game at Spokane Falls Community College.

For the fourth straight year – a first for the program – Washington State is sending its women’s soccer team to the NCAA Division I tournament.

Even after a 34-point win Sunday afternoon, Eastern Washington basketball coach Jim Hayford saw plenty of room for improvement. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been happy as a coach in November, because it’s such an early work in progress,” Hayford said after an 89-55 romp over Puget Sound in an exhibition game at Reese Court.

Moments after Eastern Washington’s 36-26 Big Sky Conference win over Montana on Saturday, Eagles football coach Beau Baldwin pondered the last three years and wondered aloud: “Before this, have we ever beaten both Montana schools three years in a row?”

Almost from the opening kickoff Saturday afternoon, Montana was going after Eastern Washington cornerback Jake Hoffman. Hoffman’s reward: a school-record six pass breakups and a big boost of confidence.

Eastern Washington proved it again Saturday afternoon: Steady doesn’t always win the race. For the second time in a row against their biggest rivals, the Eagles sprinted toward the finish line, took a short nap, then reawakened in time to hold off Montana, 36-26, in a football game that once again had a storybook feel.

With everyone’s attention focused on the Montana defense and the will-he-play-or-won’t- he questions surrounding Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., it’s easy to overlook the other key matchup in Saturday’s Big Sky Conference showdown at Roos Field. That would be Eastern’s improving defense against Montana’s steady offense – a battle that will go far in deciding the game.

Come Saturday at Roos Field, folks will be making a big fuss over Eastern Washington linebacker Ronnie Hamlin. At some point in the game, Hamlin will throw a Montana ball carrier to the ground and become the leading tackler in school history. The action will stop, teammates will slap his back, and the feat will be announced over the loudspeakers.

Come Saturday at Roos Field, folks will be making a big fuss over Eastern Washington linebacker Ronnie Hamlin.

Another year older, another year wiser? That’s the idea, anyway, as Jim Hayford begins his fourth year in charge of the Eastern Washington basketball program.

Patience doesn’t come naturally for Eastern Washington athletic director Bill Chaves. Better than anyone, Chaves can relate to the restlessness of Eagles football fans. Many are waiting impatiently for the program to take the next step forward with the Gateway Project, a potentially game-changing, multi-use endeavor that’s been up in the air for 2 1/2 years while the school courts potential donors.