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Mike Vlahovich

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Sports

Bullpups bounce Bears

The shot was taken more in desperation than by design, but it proved more precious than gold for Gonzaga Prep. Max Manix tossed up a 3-pointer – legs akimbo – that ended the third quarter and staked the Bullpups to an eight-point lead Tuesday. It held up in their 48-40 District 8 4A elimination victory over Central Valley.
Sports

Morrison, Shock join repeaters Noble, Walker

There were two repeat winners, one obvious choice and reward for a feel-good storybook ending when Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters voted their 2006 amateur and professional athletes, team and coach of the year. International track and field stars Becca Noble and Brad Walker are again the amateur female and professional athletes of the year.
Sports

State tourneys are on the way

Wrestling and gymnastics take center stage this coming Friday and Saturday, the first in a series of four successive winter state tournament weekends. State 1B basketball is in Yakima beginning the following Wednesday, Feb. 21.
Sports

GSL excels at face-off

After Greater Spokane 4A wrestlers earned just 15 state berths to state last season – when there were only three berths per weight – coaches weren't sure how they'd fare this year. During the regional tournament at University High on Saturday, they had their answer.
News >  Voices

Uh-Hi, CV hoops teams keep their eyes on state

Can University's girls basketball team make its fourth straight state appearance? Will Central Valley's boys get a chance to duplicate its state finals appearance? Those and other questions will be answered over the next week or two. District 8 4A high school basketball begins on Tuesday when the Bears (9-11) play at Gonzaga Prep.
Sports

GSL girls: Tiger champions

They say there's strength in numbers, and in the case of Lewis and Clark basketball that certainly was true in Thursday's Greater Spokane League championship-clinching victory over visiting Mead. The Tigers (19-1) liberally rotated a dozen players for freshness throughout the game and they helped to wear down the Panthers (16-4) during a 56-48 victory.
Sports

West Valley a surprise at top

West Valley boys basketball coach Jamie Nilles, as accustomed as he has been to success, is amazed. His Eagles are 10-0 and have a three-game Great Northern League lead with four games left to play and he can't pinpoint why.
Sports

3A/2A/1A/B: EV doesn’t show colors

As East Valley wrestler Dan Michalski said about the start of this wrestling season, "We were a pretty green team." No pun intended. The green-and-black-clad Knights were, except for Michalski and a handful of his upper-weight compadres, inexperienced and with plenty of uncertainty at year's start.
Sports

GSL boys: Shadle, Brown edge NC

Shadle Park ran into a formidable obstacle during Thursday's Groovy Shoes spirit game against North Central in the Spokane Arena. But Anthony Brown, who had done so much to keep his team in the game, produced a most amazing finishing shot for a 47-45 Greater Spokane League boys basketball escape.
Sports

GSL GIRLS: Shadle Park routs North Central

On a night when Shadle Park's starters saw little playing time Thursday during the Groovy Shoes spirit game against North Central, Highlanders sophomore Lindsay Niemeier made the most of hers. Niemeier scored all of her team-high dozen points in the first half of the Highlanders' 53-21 Greater Spokane League basketball triumph.
Sports

High school wrestlers take next step

Reclassification didn't necessarily do Greater Spokane League 3A wrestlers any favors. This weekend's 10-school subregional meet at East Valley is an amalgamation of five former 4A schools testing the mettle of traditional 3A powers, including Sunnyside and the host Knights.
Sports

Good coaches go beyond X’s and O’s

Years ago, when learning about coaching at the knee of West Valley track hall of famer Jim McLachlan, John Preston recalled an incident in which he wanted to kick a pair of misbehaving freshmen off the track team.
Sports

GSL Boys: Ferris clinches title

Ferris left no doubt about who is best in Greater Spokane League boys basketball, casting aside a hot Gonzaga Prep team much as it has the rest. The Saxons (17-0) rolled at Gonzaga Prep 74-49 Tuesday to clinch the league championship outright.
Sports

Shadle finding success

It may not be the biggest win in Chad Dezellem's girls basketball coaching tenure at Shadle Park. He recalled 2000 when the sixth-place Highlanders beat regular-season champion Mead twice, in district and regional, to qualify for state. "But this is certainly right up there," Dezellem said.
News >  Voices

Central Valley wrestlers finish unbeaten in league

Central Valley High School wrestling coach John Owen likened the Bears' week to a state tournament. "Tonight," he said following Wednesday's match with East Valley, "was the semifinals of state, and tomorrow is the finals."
Sports

Gonzaga Prep pulls out another OT win

A little of the karma from Gonzaga Prep's charmed football season spilled over Friday onto the basketball court where the Bullpups won their second overtime Greater Spokane League boys game this week, 66-53 over visiting Central Valley. Twice they overcame second-half, double-digit deficits to ultimately force the extra period.
Sports

Bears complete unbeaten GSL campaign

Central Valley wrestlers stormed out of the gates quickly in the second of back-to-back matches against their toughest Greater Spokane League opponents and reaped the reward. The Bears beat University 37-29 to finish undefeated at 10-0, win their first GSL title in nearly a decade and the Battle of the Bone for the first time since 2001.
Sports

CV prevails over EV

The Greater Spokane League wrestling match Wednesday between unbeatens Central Valley and East Valley wasn't settled until the night's final match, but the outcome of the Bears' 31-27 victory was determined much earlier. In the sixth of 14 contests at CV, Bears senior George DeLaRosa was on the verge of being pinned.
Sports

GSL Boys: Standings shift

Gonzaga Prep and Rogers added spice to the Greater Spokane League playoff picture at differing ends of the spectrum with Tuesday boys basketball victories. Only one game separates three teams from second place following the Bullpups' 66-64 overtime victory in their game with visiting Shadle Park.
Sports

Noble, Walker highlight sports awards finalists

Seven athletes, coaches or teams – including last year's Amateur Female Athlete and Professional Athletes of the Year – return as Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters sports awards finalists for 2006. Winners will be announced and recognized Feb. 14, during the annual Spokane Regional Sports Commission Youth Awards Luncheon in the new Convention Center.
Sports

Bjorklund sets mark

Two more scoring milestones were established Friday night during Greater Spokane League basketball. University's Angie Bjorklund became the single-season girls league record holder and Rogers' Scotty Livengood moved up to third among GSL boys career scorers.
Sports

Ferris routs Shadle

The Ferris Saxons put the defensive clamps on Shadle Park scoring leader Zack Humphrey and got a second-half lift from Jared Karstetter, for a 72-49 Greater Spokane League boys basketball win Friday at Ferris in the game between first- and second-place teams.
News >  Voices

Season comes down to matches next week

When Central Valley hosts East Valley and University back-to-back next week to complete the Greater Spokane League wrestling season, any of three things will happen. Either the Bears or the Knights (both 8-0) will finish as undisputed champion, or there will be a three-way title tie.
Sports

A child leads ‘em

The tiny freshman was swallowed up in a wave of jubilant East Valley wrestling teammates and it took him a while to surface for air. Sean Biltoft had just delivered the decisive win, a major 11-1 decision at 119 pounds in Wednesday night's final match at University. His four team points were just enough to eke out EV's 27-26 victory over the Titans and attract the congratulatory mob.
Sports

GSL boys: Home court the difference as U-Hi tops Mead

A month ago University's boys basketball team gave Mead a Greater Spokane League scare on the road, leading big early before losing by five points. On Tuesday, the Titans (5-9) had a similar advantage, but this time were able to finish the deal at home, upsetting the third place Panthers (10-4) 64-63.