G-Prep Ends Mead Streak
In the second-highest scoring Greater Spokane League boys basketball game this season that didn’t involve an overtime, defense made the difference.
Gonzaga Prep shut out leagueleading Mead for the final 3:19, and scored the last 12 points for a 72-67 victory Thursday night to end the eighth-ranked Panthers’ five-game winning streak.
It also gave the Bullpups their fourth straight win before a wild, full-house crowd of about 1,000 at Prep.
“Coach just told us to play tough defense,” Prep guard Tyler Jordan said. “It seems like every time it comes down the line we play tough defense, and it came up again tonight. We tried to not let them penetrate; that’s where they hurt us the whole game.”
The biggest lead - in a game that featured 14 lead changes and eight ties - was seven, when Mead’s Jeff Pilkington followed his own miss with a putback with 3:19 remaining.
Sophomore Paul Sweeny, playing with four fouls, scored twice inside, cutting Mead’s lead to 67-64. Joe McFarland scored inside after the Bullpups missed a pair of free throws. After a Mead turnover just under the minute mark, Justin Powell fed Sweeny inside for a 68-67 lead.
The Panthers missed with 20 seconds left, and Jordan knocked down a pair of free throws. Again the Panthers missed, but when Bob Strahl missed the front end of a oneand-one for Prep with 9 seconds left, McFarland got the rebound - forcing Mead into an intentional foul. The game was over.
“We pride ourselves on defense, and they were very tough to stop,” Mead coach Jim Preston said. “I thought Prep played very well. Sweeny did a good job posting up and we didn’t get around (him) well enough. Jordan did a good job handling the ball and hitting the 3.”
“When we execute our offense well, we get open shots inside and outside,” Prep coach Jim Haugen said. “We didn’t execute as well (in the third quarter) and stayed with the perimeter shot.”
In the fourth quarter, it was Mead’s Adam Morris, with seven straight points, and Sweeny, who made the difference down the stretch. Also, though the Bullpups were outrebounded 34-29, they had an 11-7 rebounding edge in the fourth quarter with McFarland getting four of his eight.
Sweeny and Jordan finished with 20 points apiece.
It was the fourth straight win for Prep, including a 65-62 win over third-place Lewis and Clark on Tuesday.
“We’re playing a lot better than we were,” Jordan said. “Coming off a big win over LC, the motivation kept us going.”
“It’s a fine line between winning and losing and we got caught on the wrong side of the line,” Preston said. “We made some key mistakes and in a game like this you have to take advantage of your opportunities.”
Gonzaga Prep 72, Mead 67
Mead 21 15 18 13 - 67 Gonzaga Prep 20 16 20 16 - 72
MEAD Morris 3 3-4 10, Naccarato 0 0-0 0, Donovan 4 2-5 11, Armitage 0 0-2 0, Long 8 1-1 17, Smith 4 4-6 12, Pilkington 3 1-2 7, Castaneda 5 0-0 10. 27 11-20 67.
GONZAGA PREP Strahl 2 2-3 7, Kocharhook 0 0-0 0, Thielman 0 0-0 0, Herrin 1 0-0 2, Jordan 6 5-5 20, Powell 1 4-6 7, Sweeny 9 2-2 20, McFarland 6 0-0 12, Knight 1 2-2 4. Totals 26 15-18 72.
3-point goals - Morris, Donovan, Strahl, Jordan 3, Powell. Total fouls - M 15, GP 16. Fouled out - none. Technical fouls - Pilkington.
Rogers 65, Ferris 62 (OT)
At the Coliseum, Alfred Muse scored a career-high 17 points to lead four players in double figures as the Pirates beat the Saxons for the first time since the 1980-81 season.
Rogers led from the opening basket before Craig Henneberry beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer for Ferris, forcing the overtime. Leonard Harmon led the Saxons with a career-high 24 as the Pirates concentrated on Scott Stocum, holding him to 10 points.
Rogers 18 10 8 12 17 - 65 Ferris 10 10 7 21 14 - 62
ROGERS Muse 5 7-11 17, Simpson 0 0-0 0, Fischer 4 2-2 11, Metcalf 1 0-0 2, Olson 0 0-0 0, Dainty 0 0-0 0, Mergenthaler 2 4-4 9, Smith 5 1-3 11, Spencer 6 3-4 15. Totals 23 17-24 65.
FERRIS Coulter 1 0-0 2, Hardan 0 0-0 0, Gix 6 0-0 12, Henneberry 3 1-2 9, Oenning 2 0-1 5, Harmon 12 0-0 24, Stocum 3 4-7 10, Weatherred 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 5-10 62.
3-point goals - Fisher, Mergenthaler, Henneberry 2, Oenning. Total fouls - Rogers 16, Ferris 20. Fouled out - Metcalf, Gix.
Shadle Park 48, Lewis and Clark 47
The Tigers missed the front end of a one-and-one with 7 seconds left, finishing 5 of 12 from the line, as the Highlanders pulled out the win at home.
Shadle’s Rob Debeaumont missed a one-and-one before LC’s miss, but made up for it by controlling the final rebound to a teammate.
Lewis and Clark 15 11 11 10 - 47 Shadle Park 14 10 9 15 - 48
LEWIS AND CLARK Osborne 0 0-0 0, Lynch 1 0-2 2, Stueckle 0 0-0 0, Olson 6 0-0 13, Homer 3 2-2 9, Kane 3 0-4 6, Mencke 7 3-4 17, Haynes 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 5-12 47.
SHADLE PARK Grote 0 0-0 0, Kingsbury 0 0-0 0, Dunham 2 2-3 6, Anderson 2 0-0 4, Mobbs 5 5-6 17, Wood 2 0-0 4, Debeaumont 6 5-7 17. Totals 17 12-16 48.
3-point goals - Olson, Homer, Mobbs 2. Total fouls - Lewis and Clark 15, Shadle Park 11. Fouled out - None.
Central Valley 55 North Central 49
Corby Schuh had 21 points, including five of CV’s 10 3-pointers, as the Bears held off a second-half surge by the Indians at the Coliseum.
The Indians shot 18 percent to start the game, but went 11 for 12 to start the second half and cut an 18-point deficit to two. Schuh then hit a 3-pointer with 4 minutes left to give CV some breathing room.
Central Valley 23 15 10 7 - 55 North Central 5 14 18 12 - 49
CENTRAL VALLEY Nesbitt 5 0-2 14, Graczyk 0 0-0 0, Schuh 8 0-1 21, Jensen 3 1-1 8, Williams 0 0-0 0, Allen , DelMese 0 0-0 0, Platt 1 0-0 2, May 0 0-0 0, Courchaine 4 2-5 10. Totals 21 3-9 55.
NORTH CENTRAL Lake 2 0-0 4, Blanchat 0 0-0 0, Etter 5 2-5 14, Kuhlman 5 0-1 11, Holdren 2 1-2 5, Kapelke 4 2-2 10, Blotsky 1 0-0 2, Harmer Alberry 1 0-0 3. Totals 20 5-10 49.
3-point goals - Nesbitt 4, Jensen, Schuh 5, Etter 2, Kuhlman, Alberry. Total fouls - CV 14, NC 17. Fouled out - Jensen.
xxxx “GSL boys standings.”