Mead, Shadle Girls Win Easily, Face Each Other Today

Just as the seasons always change, the Greater Spokane League sends teams to the girls State AAA basketball tournament here and they return with a trophy or two or three.

This year it will be only one but it was guaranteed on Thursday afternoon when Mead and Shadle Park rolled to victories that put them in the same loser-out game this morning.

Mead clobbered Olympic 69-55 and Shadle Park dumped Rogers of Puyallup 63-46. The Panthers and Highlanders, who tied for the GSL regular-season title, meet at 10:30 today with the winner advancing to Saturday’s game for fifth- and eighth-place.

Mead 69, Olympic 45

The third-ranked Panthers (23-4) took care of business against the Trojans (14-10), getting points from all 11 players and giving starting post Jennifer Bennett, who is battling mono and sprained an ankle Wednesday, a chance to sit out.

“It’s a coach’s delight,” Mead coach Jeanne Helfer said. “One of the goals is to win a state championship. Another is to try to get everybody to play in a state tournament.”

Stacy Clinesmith scored 21 points, Jodi Cory had six assists and six steals and the Panthers forced 36 turnovers, which they turned into 38 points, and had 22 steals.

Typical of the Mead game was sophomore Kelly Benad, who started for Bennett. The 5-10 sophomore had seven rebounds, eight points, three steals and two blocked shots.

“She’s the most athletic post,” Helfer said. “What we expect her to do is rebound and contest shots.”

“I just try for every ball,” Benad said. “I’m kind of over aggressive, but that’s not the right word. Jeanne’s calmed me down, you learn as you go.”

Benad wasn’t surprised to make the varsity and playing in the Kingdome didn’t faze her after playing in a national AAU U-14 tournament in Florida last summer.

“I learned you need to stay under control, play clean defense, not foul,” Benad said.

Olympic 12 13 14 6 - 45 Mead 15 17 20 17 - 69

OLYMPIC Jowdy 3 0-0 7, Hendershot 4 1-2 9, Meeker 0 0-0 0, Rayburn 0 0-0 0, Hanagami 1 1-2 3, Russell 2 3-4 7, Allen 0 0-0 0, Petersen 0 0-0 0, Adamson 0 0-0 0, Jess 1 4-4 6, Grahn 4 5-6 13. Totals 15-42, 14-19 45. MEAD Beatty 1 0-1 2, C.Clark 0 3-4 3, Cory 2 2-7 6, Turner 2 0-0 5, Clinesmith 9 1-2 21, McInerney 1 1-2 3, Benad 3 2-2 8, Roberts 0 2-3 2, Wakefield 2 3-4 7, Edburg 1 0-1 2, J.Clark 4 2-4 10. Totals 25-58 16-30 69.

3-point goals - Jowdy, Turner, Clinesmith 2. Total fouls - O 23, M 15. Fouled out - Jess, Grahn.

Shadle Park 63, Rogers 46 The sixth-ranked Highlanders (23-5) are nothing if not consistently inconsistent, starting off against the second-ranked Rams (23-3) like they couldn’t wait to get home.

They took an 11-9 lead in the first quarter then turned the ball over seven straight times without getting a shot off to fall behind 17-11. Then they gave up the last seven points of the half to trail 31-22.

This time, however, they didn’t wait until the fourth quarter to rally, using a 15-0 run to outscore Rogers 19-4 in the third quarter and pull away. The Rams made just 18 of 62 shots (29 percent) and 6 of 16 free throws.

Shadle Park’s Kelly Bartleson made up for her 0-for-15 Wednesday with 17 points (4 of 7 shooting, 9 of 10 free throws) but the glue was the tenacious rebounding of 5-11 senior Kristen Miller, who had 15 boards and 12 points.

“I pride myself in rebounding,” Miller said. “If that was going to be my last game I wanted it to be a good one. I just go after the ball, nothing gets in my way. If it’s in the air, I know it’s mine.”

Highlanders coach Linda Sheridan has been singing Miller’s praises for a long time.

“She’s like (former Shadle star) Lori Lollis,” Sheridan said. “She knew where the ball was going to come off and she’s there. Some players just stand there and it’s an accident when the ball comes to them. Kristen is mobile.”

Miller claims her rebounding is natural but it seems to be a reflection of a good student whose athletic skills as a soccer and basketball player will become secondary when she goes to Washington State to study veterinary medicine.

“She’s always been a soccer player, basketball is something she just liked,” Sheridan said. “I don’t think she sees herself as a basketball player who could keep playing.”

Her future could include more than intramurals judging by the way her best games come when the stakes are biggest - her career high in scoring (17) was in a state tournament game last year.

“I don’t know why,” she said. “I guess I’m not as intense during the regular season.”

Shadle Park 11 11 19 22 - 63 Rogers (Puyallup) 15 16 4 11 - 46

SHADLE PARK K.Miller 4 4-4 12, Pilkington 5 0-0 10, Heimbigner 1 0-0 3, Clark 0 0-0 0, T.Miller 1 2-5 4, Alexander 0 0-0 0, Bartleson 4 9-10 17, Drake 0 0-0 0, Rainer 5 1-5 11, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Short 2 2-4 6. Totals 22-47 18-28 63.

ROGERS (PUYALLUP) - Iversen 0 0-0 0, Nielsen 0 0-5 0, Colson 1 1-2 3, Davis 0 0-0 0, Clancy 1 0-0 2, Stoltenberg 2 1-2 5, Hayes 2 0-0 4, Farias 7 0-1 15, Kramer 0 0-0 0, Allen 0 0-2 0, Preston 1 2-2 4, Howard 4 2-2 12. Totals 18-62 6-16 46.

3-point goals - Heimbigner, Hayes, Farias, Howard 2. Total fouls - SP 15, R 19. Fouled out - Rainer, Stoltenberg.