Mead Set For Finale

REPLAY (Sports section, page C2, March 10, 1996): Allison Beatty and Holly Turner were the players pictured with Mead teammate Stacy Climeshith in the photograph on page C1 of Saturday’s newspaper. They were misidentified in the photo caption.

Locked in a long, warm embrace, Mead coach Jeanne Helfer whispered to her star senior, Stacy Clinesmith, “I wanted this so bad for you.”

What Clinesmith and her Panthers teammates got was a spot in the girls State AAA high school basketball championship game after a 51-37 win over Greater Spokane League rival Ferris on Friday night in KeyArena.

Their reward is another game on the Sonics’ home court, a statewide television audience and a third meeting with Big Nine rival Kamiakin tonight at 7.

The second-ranked Braves, 55-47 winners over Foss, have two lopsided wins over the Panthers this season, the most recent coming last Saturday.

Ferris (23-6), the only other team to beat Mead (25-3) this year, simply couldn’t handle Clinesmith. Last year’s state tournament MVP, Clinesmith scored 20 points, dished off six assists and kept Ferris point guard Jayme Morrisette from effectively running the Saxons’ offense.

“She’s just incredible. She does it all,” Helfer said. “She ceases to amaze me. And she’s so humble.”

Ferris coach Janet Skaife said, “Too much Stacy Clinesmith. Their defense just took us out of some things we wanted to do. And we had a tough time stopping the penetration of Clinesmith. Even if you do stop her, she has four other threats that can score. Most teams don’t have that. Too many weapons.”

Jennifer Swinton, Ferris’ 6-foot-1 senior post, said, “Ever since I was a sophomore, they’re a name. Your whole heart is telling you to play hard, but they’re still the name. We can’t get past it.”

Once the Panthers opened with a 7-2 lead, Mead dictated the pace, especially with the Saxons on their way to a 27-percent half of shooting (6 of 22).

“I think we controlled the tempo,” Helfer said. “We rebounded with them and controlled Swinton in the first half.”

Jennifer Bennett and Jennifer Clark combined for 14 rebounds for Mead, giving the Panthers a 38-26 edge on the boards, and Holly Turner added 10 points.

Mead led 22-15 at the half, and it was 27-20 a couple minutes into the third when the Panthers broke it open.

Clinesmith nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, dished to Turner for a 3 from the same spot after a Ferris turnover, then took a feed on the left wing from Turner and drilled another 3, making the score 36-20.

The Saxons’ deliberate offense made it hard for them to rally.

“We’re real happy for them,” Clinesmith said. “We’re proud of what they’ve done. We’re real happy for our side of the state.”

Ferris plays in the third-place game today at 2:30 p.m. against Foss in Mercer Arena, trying to match the school’s 1984 trophy finish.

Once again Swinton, who battled 6-3 Angelina Wolvert of Mountain View in a quarterfinal win and 6-3 Bennett of Mead in the semifinal, will have her work cut out for her with 6-4 Tatum Brown of Foss.

“We’re not giving up,” Swinton said. “You go down swinging.”

Swinton only took eight shots, but made five to finish with 12 points, 10 in the second half. She also had six rebounds. Sophomore Karie Pruett had 13 points.

“We said all along only four teams finish with a win and we want to be one of them,” Skaife said. “We don’t settle for third, we want third.”

Mead is in the title game for the fourth time in seven years. The Panthers won in 1990 and ‘92, finishing second in 1991. Since then, they’ve finished fourth, third and fifth.

Kamiakin won a title in 1985.

“We just have to come out and play hard,” Clinesmith said. “The last [two) times we were intimidated.”

Kamiakin beat Mead 57-42 last weekend and 63-51 the third game of the season.

Mead 51, Ferris 37

Mead 11 11 20 9 - 51

Ferris 5 10 14 8 - 37

MEAD Lunzer 0 0-0 0, Beatty 1 1-1 3, C.Clark 2 0-2 4, Turner 3 2-2 10, Zelinski 0 0-0 0, Clinesmith 8 2-2 20, Leaf 0 0-0 0, Roberts 1 0-0 3, Wakefield 0 0-0 0, Edburg 0 0-0 0, J.Clark 3 1-2 7, Bennett 2 0-2 4. Totals 20 6-11 51.

FERRIS Pruett 4 3-4 11, George 0 0-0 0, Jay.Morrisette 1 0-0 3, Watkinson 0 0-0 0, Rasmussen 0 0-0 0, Brown 1 0-0 2, Curry 0 0-0 0, Swinton 5 2-2 12, Jan.Morrisette 2 3-6 7. Totals 13 8-12 37.

3-point goals - Turner 2, Clinesmith 2, Roberts, Pruett 2, Jay.Morrisette. Total fouls - Mead 12, Ferris 9. Fouled out - Bennett.

Kamiakin 55, Foss 47

Kristen Willis drained four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Braves (26-1) overcame Brown and the Falcons (24-2) in the early semifinal game.

With Carmel Lampson making 3 of 5 3-pointers in the first half, the Braves rolled to a 26-14 lead. Then Foss ran off the first 13 points of the third quarter to make it a game.

Foss was ahead 36-34 entering the fourth quarter before Willis saved the day. Her first 3 with 5:55 to play put the Braves up for good, 40-39. Her last with 51 seconds left made the score 51-44.

Lampson finished with 20 points and Willis had 17. The Braves’ three posts, Jorja Cox, Katy Shaw and Emily Autrey, combined for 12 points and 10 rebounds. Brown had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Foss 6 8 22 11 - 47

Kamiakin 8 18 8 21 - 55

FOSS Frazier 4 1-1 12, J.Davis 0 0-0 0, Reed 2 2-2 8, N.Davis 0 0-0 0, T.Brown 5 1-3 11, Harris 3 2-2 9, Hunter 3 1-2 7, Herd 0 0-0 0, Craig 0 0-0 0, P.Brown 0 0-0 0, Blakeslee 0 0-0 0, Christansen 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 7-10 47.

KAMIAKIN Geris 0 0-0 0, J.Keatts 0 0-0 0, E.Keatts 2 0-0 4, Erickson 1 0-0 2, Ramsgate 0 0-0 0, Lampson 6 3-4 20, Willis 6 1-2 17, Decoria 0 0-0 0, Cox 2 1-2 5, Shaw 2 0-0 4, Autrey 1 1-2 3. Totals 20 6-10 55.

3-point goals - Frazier 3, Reed 2, Harris, Lampson 5, Willis 4. Total fouls - Foss 14, Kamiakin 12. Fouled out - Reed.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Photos (1 color)