Cheney Serves Notice As Contender Among Border Girls

Cheney High girls basketball coach Marty Jessett hoped his team could be an underdog in the Border League this season.

That lasted all of one game Friday. Jessett’s Blackhawks used defense among assorted other things to stall Lake City 44-35.

Cheney snapped LC’s 18-game league winning streak. The Timberwolves were undefeated in conference (16-0) last season.

The loss also knocked LC, the early league leader, out of first place. The game was Cheney’s league opener after the Blackhawks opened the season Thursday with a 54-42 win over Shadle Park.

“They completely took us out of any offense or any semblance of continuity,” LC coach Dave Fealko said. “Give them a lot of credit. They did a really nice job.”

After the teams went to halftime tied at 24-all, LC hit a cold spell offensively that lasted seemingly the entire second half.

Much of that was because of Cheney’s defense. Still, LC went 9:17 between baskets in the second half.

Erin Colwell’s putback with 2:57 left in the third quarter pulled LC within 35-31. The Timberwolves’ next basket came with 1:40 left in the game when Janessa Schuh sank a 17-footer to cut Cheney’s lead to 44-35.

Jessett knows the win will catch the attention of the other league teams.

“That’s our goal,” Jessett said of a league title. “But we’re underdogs this year. We graduated some key seniors. But we’ve got a number of other kids who can step up and play, and they’re eager to prove it.”

Blackhawks senior guard Kara Weitman, a threat from the 3-point arc and a few more feet beyond, scored a game-high 15 points. Ten Blackhawks scored.

“We really feel like one of our strengths is our depth,” Jessett said. “If we keep bringing fresh legs in and keep having kids play hard then good things will happen for us. We’re just going to try to wear teams down.”

It worked Friday as Cheney exposed some of LC’s vulnerabilities.

“We did a lot of standing around, and it just wasn’t one or two. It was a team effort,” Fealko said, smiling.

Post Kellie Stern led LC with 14 points, 13 in the first half.

Cheney 44, Lake City 35

Cheney 11 13 13 7 - 44

Lake City 13 11 7 4 - 35

Cheney (2-0, 1-0) - Fockler 4, Anderson 4, Conrath 7, Weitman 15, Urdahl 1, McLauchlin 1, Birchler 2, Marsh 6, Oyoloker 2, Schade 2.

Lake City (3-2, 2-1) - Chamberlin 0, Schuh 2, Hayes 0, Carpenter 2, Colwell 4, Bro 7, Hanson 0, Dodge 6, Stern 14.