Ccs Women Lose All-Star Guard Fralich

Sports Illustrated recently published a story about the disproportionately high number of anterior cruciate ligament knee injuries that women basketball players suffer compared to men.

SI could have talked to Community Colleges of Spokane guard Laura Fralich.

Fralich tore the ACL in her right knee in CCS’s Saturday loss to Columbia Basin. She tore the same ligament in her left knee when she was at Central Valley High School.

As a result, the Sasquatch (21-6) head into the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Tournament without their starting point guard, who was just voted to the NWAACC first all-star team.

“It was just one of those things,” CCS coach Bruce Johnson said. “She just made a simple crossover cut, but I guess she just cut too hard.”

CCS plays No. 1 Chemeketa (26-1) at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore., Thursday night at 6. Chemeketa is the site of this year’s NWAACC tournament.

The Sasquatch will take a few awards with them. Fralich is a firstteam selection while teammates Shelly Johnson and Missy Davies were named to the second team.

And for his efforts, Bruce Johnson was named the Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

Johnson is happy his team has received the attention, but he sure would like to have Fralich back.

“Her loss certainly makes our job a lot tougher now,” Johnson said. “We’re hoping that Chemeketa is looking ahead of us so we can sneak up on them.”

Chemeketa has a starting lineup featuring two players standing 6-foot1, another 6-footer, a 5-10 shooting guard and a 5-5 point guard.

“And four of those girls are in the top 15 in (league) scoring,” Johnson said.

CCS is going to have to get a handle on Chemeketa’s leading scorer, Angie Herr. She averages 21 points and 10 rebounds a game.

Chemeketa has been ranked No. 1 all year.

“If you’re going to the tournament, you might as well start off with the best,” Johnson said.

Replacing Fralich at point guard will be Larissa Mackin, Brandy Hurlbert or Annie Shepherd. “Whichever one performs the best will do it,” Johnson said.

“Naturally, you want to have the group that got you there together, but circumstances haven’t allowed that to happen,” Johnson said.

“I think we’re going to be all right. We know what we have to do. Certain people are just going to have to step it up. They’ll be ready to play,” Johnson said.