Key Cheney Player Demulling Injured

The Cheney Blackhawks are hoping to be the surprise team of the boys State AA high school basketball tournament this week in Tacoma.

The original thought was with their 14-11 record, the Blackhawks would be overlooked and be rolling before anyone noticed.

Opponents probably don’t realize the Blackhawks have been impressive winning four straight loser-out games to get to Wednesday’s 1:30 p.m. first-round game in the Tacoma Dome against Lynden (17-6).

However, any shocker the Blackhawks pull off couldn’t be any bigger than the shock the team got Monday.

Standout senior post Rick DeMulling dislocated an ankle at practice and not only will he not be able to play, he probably won’t even make the trip.

“That puts a different outlook on things,” Cheney coach Denny Humphrey said. “Our kids are pretty down right now. We had quite a talk about it. He’s one of the main reasons we got where we are.”

DeMulling was still at the hospital late Monday, but Humphrey was expecting the worst, probably surgery.

Sophomore Paul Malisani, 6-foot3, will probably start at a wing and Bart Olson, 6-3, will replace the 6-4 DeMulling inside.

DeMulling will be missed against Lynden. Humphrey said the Lions revolve around 6-6 junior Martin DeLange, who averages 11 points and 10 rebounds in a balanced attack.

“He’s not real quick, like Rick, but he has good hands,” Humphrey said. “They’re man-to-man (defense); they really get after you, we heard.”

Speaking of injuries

The injury news for the Cheney girls is better - 6-foot senior post Christine Reagan is back.

Reagan tore up a knee Feb. 1, but diligent rehab work has allowed her to return after missing nine games. She had six points, four blocks and five rebounds in the district tournament championship game. She was averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds before the injury.

The Blackhawks (20-4) face surprising Arlington (15-9) in the 9 a.m. game Wednesday.

The Spartans entered their district tournament as a No. 5 seed out of their league and knocked off Lynden, 10th in the state and No. 1 out of its league, in the first game. Arlington lost to Monroe, a state team, but beat Lynden again to qualify.

Coach Mike Buckholz is in his second year. The year before he arrived, the Spartans were 0-20 and 1-19 the year before that.

Erin Helgeland, a 5-7 senior, leads Arlington at 15.8 points and 8.3 rebounds.

“We need to press and run,” Cheney coach Marty Jessett said. “We hurt ourselves when we get tentative.”

And speaking of defense

Lewis and Clark coach Glenn Williams spent a lot of time on the phone trying to find the best way to attack Sehome’s press.

The best answer he got was prayer.

The top-ranked Mariners (26-0) are heavily favored for their 10:30 a.m. Wednesday game with the Tigers (18-9) in the boys AAA event.

That’s progress

Eastlake, Mead’s first-round opponent in the 9 a.m. game of the girls AAA tournament, is a third-year school. The Wolves have improved from 3-13 to 13-10 to 20-8.

Coach Frank Michael is in his first year after he stopped coaching in 1986. He took Interlake to the state tournament in 1984 and ‘85.

Eastlake knows the key to beating Mead (21-3) is neutralizing standout point guard Stacy Clinesmith, the MVP at state last year.

The Panthers also have to stop Eastlake point guard Kim Sorenson, a 5-8 junior, who averaged 19 points to lead the KingCo in scoring for the second straight year.

The Wolves also have some size in 6-2 senior post Shera Looney, who averages 13.6 points and 10 rebounds.

Hornets have size

Ferris (21-5) drew the Enumclaw Hornets (19-7) for the first round of the girls AAA tournament, and coach Janet Skaife said, “They’re a pretty big team, but I think our defense can take care of itself.”

Leading the Hornets is 6-foot sophomore Erin Johansson at 12 points a game.

Enumclaw presses in a 1-3-1 and then drops back into a 1-3-1 zone.

, DataTimes