Gsl Basketball At New Arena Off And Running

Thu., Dec. 14, 1995

Dave Trimmer And Mike Vlahovich

The first basket came 13 seconds after tipoff, when Stacy Clinesmith knocked down a 15-foot shot from the right wing, and high school basketball was off and running at the new Arena.

All Greater Spokane League games were moved into the new building Tuesday night, with four games played on each of the two courts set up end-to-end.

“Wow. Very nice,” Clinesmith said after the Mead Panthers became the first winners in the Arena with a 53-33 victory over Ferris. “It’s a much better floor than the old Coliseum. It’s like being in the Kingdome.”

Clinesmith scored the first basket because the introductions for the Shadle Park-Rogers boys game were in progress when Mead and Ferris tipped off. And, because the Highlanders and Pirates couldn’t buy a free throw, the girls game had the honor of being the first in the book.

The event seemed to go smoothly in most instances and by the time the event is replayed on Jan. 23 when the second-round of league play kicks off, those few bugs should be worked out.

Only North Central was left out. The Indians had the opening night bye. If the major contributing factor to the poor shooting was the net hanging between the two courts, the Indians are lucky. If all teams are going to struggle in their initial Arena appearance, NC faces that prospect Friday - when only one court will be down - against Shadle Park, the boys at 7:15 and the girls at 9 p.m.

Shadle Park is the first boys winner, beating Rogers 52-44 although the teams combined to make just 17 of 47 free throws. The Shadle girls also won, Central Valley swept Lewis and Clark, Gonzaga Prep swept University and the Mead boys lost to Ferris.

The next time around, the divider should be a solid screen and the Arena won’t be so new.

Pre-season success

North Central’s boys and Mead and Shadle Park’s girls teams won three of four encounters prior to the start of the league season.

The Indians, led by the trio of Marshall Kuhlman, Ferris transfer Adam Hieb and Jerry Holdren topped Cheney, East Valley and Sandpoint and lost 64-48 to Pasco.

Kuhlman averaged 17.5 points, Hieb 16.8 and Holdren 14.5 in the quartet of games.

The Panthers routed three Big Nine foes before losing 63-51 to Kamiakin and had seven different players score in double figures, including five in one game.

Shadle beat teams from the Frontier League and Panorama, four different players scoring in double figures, led by Kelli Pilkington and JoEne Heimbigner.

Rogers and Mead won one of three games. De’Andrey Mosby and Nate Smith scored 13.7 and 12.3 points per game for the Pirates. Ralph Casteneda and Damian Long were at 17 and 16 points for the Panthers.

Shadle’s boys lost three of four games, four players in double figures. Rogers girls won one four games and NC was winless in four.

Area teams in wrestling features

Mead’s Panthers and the Central Valley Bears will be scratching and clawing in tonight’s Greater Spokane League wrestling feature.

Last year’s league runnerup, Mead won its opener over Shadle last week and finished fourth in the Inland Empire Classic during the weekend.

CV, making its league debut, won its IE Classic for the first time.

Panthers Lyle Beerbohm, who beat former Rogers teammate James Dawe and James Clark won the 141 and 148 pound championships respectively at the classic.

Pirate Shaun McMackin was second at 178.

North Side schools Mead, Rogers and NC had 15 top six finishers in the tournament, including third-placers Darren Steeneck at 129 for Rogers and Joe Collier of Mead at 275. Finishing fourth was Dan Gibson of Rogers.

While the Panthers and Bears go for the early lead, North Central will be after at least a share of first place when it hosts the Pirates. Rogers is looking to even its record.

And Deer Park kicks off the Northeast A League season on the road in Chewelah.

The two teams are among four considered as NEA contenders.

“It will be a good one,” said Stag coach Dean Largent. “The thing for us is to get our lineup together. We haven’t been able to yet.”

Deer Park 190-pounder Tom Barcklay, who broke a wrist in football, will see his first action.

Mixed results in NEA start

Lakeside and Deer Park’s basketball teams met with mixed results in their Northeast A League debuts.

The defending champion Eagle girls won easily over Chewelah, sophomore Linsey Heebink leading the way with 15 points.

The boys lost a heart-stopper, 52-50 to favored Chewelah, a fourthquarter rally falling short. Bill Bender scored 14.

Deer Park’s girls were also victorious, Jaime Stone scoring 17 points. But the Stag boys lost to Newport’s 48-point second half, despite the fact five Deer Park players scored in double figures.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Dave Trimmer and Mike Vlahovich Staff writers

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