Stinky Sneaker Game Showcased Some Sweet Basketball

Regardless of preference in the game’s outcome, those in attendance generally agreed. Last week’s boys basketball game between University and Central Valley, won by the Titans 56-53, was entertaining and well-played.

“If somebody just drove in and didn’t care who won, they saw an excellent game,” said Titan coach Jay Humphrey.

Both teams played hard, yet clean. Athletes on both sides ran their offenses with patience, shot well when it mattered and passed unselfishly for scores.

“Add in the whole atmosphere,” said Humphrey, “and, while it was disappointing if you lost, you had to be happy with the effort.”

It was a game that had third-place implications, that went down to the final second before a packed house during the Stinky Sneaker spirit game.

U-Hi won for just the second time in the last eight games between the two rivals since Humphrey became the Titan coach.

A succession of baseline 3-point baskets, two by Jeff Price, two by Nick Earling and another by Marc Heimbigner, offset five CV turnover baskets and kept the Titans close in the first half.

U-Hi added three more treys in the second half, two by Aaron Fryer and another by Price.

“For the most part we’ve shot well all year,” said Humphrey.

U-Hi attacked CV’s zone defense at the high post with Zaq Flanary doing a good job of finding open players and controlling the tempo.

The Titans won despite the fact season scoring leader Erik Carlson sat over half of the game in foul trouble.

U-Hi won even though Ryan Smith fired home 22 points and CV, thanks to Tom Perkes, wiped out a 55-48 deficit in the game’s final 30 seconds.

“Obviously it went better for us,” said Humphrey. “But all things considered, everyone could look back and say it was a great high school game.”

Clark-led Bears share lead

Prior to Central Valley’s first-place GSL girls basketball showdown with Mead, coach Dale Poffenroth said the Bears needed to do three things.

“We have to keep Holly Turner from driving, we have to keep their big kids off the boards and we have to keep Ginger (Clark) out of foul trouble,” he said.

The Bears stopped Turner, limiting her to two baskets and nine points. They earned a rebounding push, even if stopping 6-foot-3 Jen Bennett proved impossible.

But Clark saddled herself with three first-half fouls and sat much of the second quarter.

Still, it was her 10-point second-half that enabled the Bears to hold off Mead 56-55 and gain a tie for the league lead.

Hot-shooting CV built a 22-11 first-quarter lead and nursed it through the second quarter when Crystal Lee’s 3-point buzzer beater made it 35-30 at intermission. Lee had 16 of her game-high 22 points at the half.

The Clark finger roll produced 7 of CV’s 9 third-quarter points to keep the Bears in front 44-43.

Clark, who came back this year after breaking a leg last summer, finished with a season high 16 points. It was her fifth double figures game in the last six.

Next Tuesday CV hosts third-place Gonzaga Prep in its bid for a fifth GSL championship.

Freeman’s day of reckoning

Freeman High’s boys basketball team is facing its weekend of reckoning.

The Scotties, who until last weekend shared second place in the Northeast A League, host current runnerup Medical Lake on Friday.

Saturday night they are at Lakeside against the league leaders.

“Medical Lake is the key component in all of this,” said Scotties coach Mike Thacker. “We can’t depend upon them losing, we have to depend upon ourselves winning.”

After going 0-3 to start the season, the Scotties won 11 of their next 13 before being upset last weekend by Chewelah.

“We didn’t play the offensive end of the court very well,” he said. “We didn’t score a basket in the whole fourth quarter.”

Still, he’s been satisfied with the year to date.

“I knew we had tough kids who could play defense,” said Thacker. “My concern was whether we could put the ball in the hole.”

A balanced group of eight and nine players has averaged between 7 and 11 points per game each.

Freeman will finish no worse than fifth in the the NEA and could place substantially higher depending upon the weekend outcome.

“Each team has different weapons,” said Thacker. “Medical Lake has two guards out front who make things happen. Lakeside has multiple threats.”

, DataTimes