Sneaker And Throne At Stake As Valley Rivals Clash On Court
Valley schools are getting into the spirit of basketball this week, with the Stinky Sneaker and Golden Throne up for grabs on successive nights.
In annual spirit contests, Central Valley hosts district rival University tonight for the Sneaker and West Valley entertains East Valley Friday night for the Throne. Girls games begin at 6:15 p.m., with the boys games starting at 8 p.m.
Seating should be less a problem at CV than WV. At West Valley the fire marshall has put a limit on the number of people the gym can accommodate and school officials expect a capacity audience by 5 p.m.
Tickets go on sale at 3:30 p.m.
More than an odiferous oxford or gilded water closet are at stake in the four games.
Focus may be on spirit in the stands, but on the court boys and girls teams from each school will be worrying more about post-season tournament berths than the bedlam around them.
All eight teams are in playoff position in their respective leagues.
CV-University game looms large
Much is on the line for the Central Valley and University boys teams.
Six Greater Spokane League teams, including the Bears and Titans, are within a couple games of each other for the second- through sixth-place district berths in the Greater Spokane League.
CV evened its record at 6-6 with Tuesday’s 53-45 win over North Central on Corby Schuh’s 27-point performance. University dropped to 5-7 when it lost heartbreakingly at home to Ferris 31-30 on a free throw with 3 seconds left. The Titans beat the Bears when the two teams first played.
The girls game, which opens the doubleheader, pits CV’s 10-2 second place team against sixth-place University, which is 5-7.
On Friday CV defeated Ferris 53-46 at home, three days after the Saxons had beaten league-leading Mead to briefly share a spot at the top.
The Bear girls built a 29-14 first half lead, then made enough free throws down the stretch to withstand Ferris’s rally.
Leading scorers from both teams, including Crystal Lee and Carrie Sanders of CV fouled out. CV starter Ginger Clark injured an elbow and also sat, but Marcy MacPhee and Jessica Ault came through.
Lee is the GSL scoring leader at just over 20 points per game.
Hot Knights take on leaders
Suddenly hot East Valley will pose the latest challenge to West Valley’s league-leading boys and the girls teams will help resolve a three-way tie for fourth place in the Frontier League.
The Knight boys won twice over the weekend to move into a tie for fifth place in league. They are currently 2-4 in conference and 5-9 overall, having won three of their last five games.
WV is 5-1 in league and 12-2 overall after losing 67-66 in Pullman Tuesday night. The Eagles are part of a three-way jam at the top with Pullman and Clarkston.
Friday the Eagle-Bantam game was snowed out. To date, seven Frontier games have been postponed by the weather.
The Knights were one of two schools to brave the elements last weekend. They traveled to Colville and got double-figure efforts from four players, including Kyle LeGrant, Brad Wilson, Don Snyder and Russ Freund during a 60-57 win.
Next night at home, James Spotted Horse scored 30 points and Wilson 21 during a 67-64 win over Cheney.
The Knights led by four points at halftime and virtually matched the visitors point for point during a wide-open second half in which a combined 83 points were scored.
EV’s girls missed an opportunity to move up in the standings when they lost twice. Included was a two-point loss to unbeaten league leader Cheney on a basket with three seconds left.
Star Olson scored 35 points during the weekend for the Knights. Both the Knights and Eagles are 2-4 in league, EV already having beaten WV once this year.
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