Kevin Blocker

GU's Scott Morgan motions for a baserunner to hold his ground as Lewis-Clark catcher Ryan Wilson chases a loose ball. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Welcome to the Greater Spokane League, first-year Ferris coach Dave Jackson. The Mead Panthers defeated Jackson's Ferris Saxons 10-0 in the GSL softball opener for both teams at Mead on Thursday. In other GSL openers, University defeated Lewis and Clark 4-3, and the North Central-Rogers and Central Valley-Shadle Park games were rained out. The Titans (1-0) got a two-out RBI double from Heather Beach to score Stephani Shelton for the game-winning run in the seventh inning.

Gonzaga University baseball coach Steve Hertz is happy the university will be hosting a baseball tournament. And in light of the fact that the Bulldogs have played just one of their first 17 games at home, he's estatic. "This is such a great community to bring people into and to show them our hospitality for events like this," Hertz said. "And playing at home - gosh, we're road warriors right now."

Last year the Rogers Pirates were the darling underdogs who caught everyone's attention with their best softball season in history. Not anymore. The rest of the Greater Spokane League teams have the Pirates in their crosshairs.

Whitworth will miss senior Annette Sweeney, the NCIC player of the year. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

With his last breath, Captain Ahab subdued Moby Dick with a harpoon. Spokane's Tanner Grant decided the remnants of a golf club would be his best bet fishing on Sunday. Grant caught a 5-pound, 22-inch German brown trout on the dock at Rainbow Cove Resort at Clear Lake west of Spokane using a broken 5-iron that he had found in his mother's back yard a year ago.

The Whitworth women's basketball team has turned the corner behind coach Helen Higgs. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Hustle and scrappy play wasn't enough for Sally Palmer and the Tekoa-Oakesdale girls, who fell in the title game to Wishkah Valley, 47-34. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Wilbur-Creston's Martha Grant (23) and Jenny Haden put the squeeze on Mossyrock's Alex Dagnon during the fifth-place game. Wilbur-Creston won 56-53. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

1. Klickitat's Jill Pimley knocks the ball away from Mossyrock's Melissa Wingerter. Mossyrock won, 56-47. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. Morton's Sami Schinnel (30) attempts to slice between St. George's Dawn Trowbridge, left, and Buffy Mann. St. George's bowed, 68-65. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

1. Wishkah Valley center Sissel Pierce (32) proves too much for Jennifer Stinson, left, and the Davenport Gorillas. Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review 2. The Wishkah Valley bench celebrates an uplifting experience. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Seattle Lutheran's Mandy Dowding, left, attempts to strip the ball from Jamie Arthur of St. George's. St. George's won, 63-31. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

When all was said and done after the WIAA/U.S. Bank State B Girls Basketball Tournament drawing at the Ridpath Hotel Sunday, St. George's coach Ross Thomas was one of the happiest people in the hotel's Empire Ballroom. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it," Thomas said. If three of the state's top five teams were in the opposite bracket as you were, you'd be smiling to.

Welcome back Susie Jarosch. The Washington State University senior guard returned to the lineup Saturday night against Washington and helped the Cougars score a 72-67 win over the No. 14 Huskies at Bohler Gym.

Someone approached Whitworth Pirates basketball player Kevin Wright on campus this week and congratulated him for being selected to the Northwest Conference firstteam all-league squad. "Thanks a lot," Wright said. "But if I could, I sure would exchange the award for two wins." The Pirates went into last weekend's games against Pacific and Lewis & Clark at the top of the NCIC. Two defeats later, they were in third place. As a result, the Pirates (7-5, 18-9) will travel to Willamette (8-4, 17-10) tonight for a 7:30 tipoff for a first-round conference tournament game.

College women More than once this season, Community Colleges of Spokane women's basketball coach Bruce Johnson has accused his team of being "slow to get off the bus." It's just another cute euphemism meaning a team isn't completely focused on a game. In Spokane's 49-48 win against Columbia Basin Wednesday night at Spokane Falls, a number of players for both teams appeared to have missed the bus altogether.

The Community Colleges of Spokane Sasquatch were no doubt happy with their 80-69 double overtime win against Columbia Basin Wednesday night, but the win was secondary in the minds of those affiliated with the program. CCS freshman Kris Hampton's mother was killed in a car accident near Wallace, Idaho, earlier in the day while she was en route to watch Spokane take on CBC at Spokane Falls. Hampton is from Wallace. Spokane coach Sam Brasch didn't have any details of the accident.

And down the stretch they come! Get this. Mathematically, there is a chance that every local college women's basketball team could participate in a conference or national postseason tournament. Here's a closer look at how: The Whitworth Pirates (8-2 Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges, 14-11 overall) already have secured an NCIC playoff berth for the tournament that runs Feb. 22-25 at the site of the regular-season NCIC champ.

The Whitworth Pirates couldn't have finished the regular season at the Whitworth Fieldhouse with a better script Saturday night. It had everything from breakaway dunks, an arsenal of 3-point shooting, deep bench play, five players in double figures and a vociferous crowd of an estimated 2,500. The effort resulted in a 99-90 men's basketball win over the Whitman Missionaries. Whitworth moved into sole possession of first place when Linfield defeated Willamette 73-71, also on Saturday.

College women At the beginning of the season, the Eastern Washington women's basketball team was predicted to finish next-to-last in the Big Sky Conference. Don't listen to sportswriters. The Eagles defeated the Idaho State Bengals 76-52 Friday night at Reese Court. With the win, EWU (4-4, 8-12) stayed in a tie for fourth in the conference with Northern Arizona (4-4, 12-8).

As the Whitworth Pirates moved their overall record to 17-7 in an 81-58 men's basketball win over Carroll College on Thursday night, keen observers couldn't overlook the strategical genius that are a trademark of Pirates head coach Warren Friedrichs. With the Pirates holding a 36-30 lead with 42 seconds remaining until halftime, Friedrichs signaled to ballhandling guard Greg Stern to hold the ball to take some time off the clock.

Sweeney

Women's basketball The Spokane area has put itself on the Division I women's basketball map. And much of that is a result of the class of 1994. While there has always been a standout player or two from the area going on to the Division I level, one would be hard-pressed to find the overall talent of last year. Here is a list detailing how some of last year's class have done since moving on. Also included are a few area players having good seasons who aren't members of the class of '94. Statistics don't include last weekend's games.

Maybe the best way to think of the Whitworth Pirates basketball team is to think of the toy called the Transformer. Both can be manipulated to take whatever shape is desired, thanks to a variety of interchangeable parts. The Pirates used their morphogenetic ways to earn an 89-78 win against against Linfield in a Saturday night home game, claiming a share of first place in the Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges. Here's how: