Cheney Takes Loss

Border League

If the Lake City-Cheney boys basketball game had been played in a theater Friday it would have been a 3-D movie.

Lake City coach Jim Winger will treasure his team’s hard-fought 56-53 win over the Blackhawks for three reasons - defense, determination and depth.

The Border League game served as LC’s season opener. Cheney, also playing its first conference contest, fell in a season opener at home to Shadle Park, 58-55 on Thursday.

Winger, who will go to his bench early and often this season, used 11 players in the first half. It was obvious the Timberwolves still need some conditioning.

Particularly if they continue to play at such a frenetic pace.

“The only thing I was concerned with is we’re not in very good condition,” said Winger, who’s 7-0 in season-openers. “When they announced the starting lineups, we were winded.”

The Timberwolves needed every ounce of effort against the taller, athletic Blackhawks. Justin Nipp made one of two free throws to extend LC’s lead to 56-53 with 21 seconds remaining.

Needing a 3-pointer to force overtime, Cheney moved the ball around the perimeter trying to find Chris Oyoloker.

But Oyoloker was sandwiched by three T-Wolves as the clock showed 5 seconds. He passed to Charlie Berryhill, but Berryhill’s double-pump shot from about 27 feet fell well short as time expired.

The final defensive stand was a microcosm of LC’s game-long effort.

Although LC led most of the game, the margin fluctuated between two and six points.

The T-Wolves appeared as if they’d finish Cheney off when Richard Novotny hit two free throws to give LC its biggest lead at 54-47 with 3:37 left.

A running, one-handed leaner in the key by J.D. Larson pulled Cheney within 54-53 with 47 seconds to go.

LC managed to take time off the clock and protect the ball as Cheney had to foul three times to put the T-Wolves in the bonus.

Before Nipp hit the clinching free throw, LC’s Connor Quinn made the first of a one-and-one with :24 left.

Quinn scored 10 points off the bench to match starter Chad Bramlet. Ten LC players scored.

“They have a nice ballclub,” said longtime Cheney coach Denny Humphrey, who is two victories away from 500.

“They’ve got quickness. They have kids who can score on the perimeter and they have the big kid inside.”

Cheney’s big post, 6-foot-4 junior Chris Bond, picked up three fouls and played just 3:29 in the first half.

He scored his team-high 14 points in the second half.

Lake City 56, Cheney 53

Cheney 13 11 17 12 - 53

Lake City 15 12 18 11 - 56

Cheney (0-2, 0-1) - Larson 9, Volk 0, Oyolokor 11, Mount 3, Berryhill 6, Woodard 8, Mansell 0, Bond 14, Randall 2.

Lake City (1-0) - Novotny 4, Barlow 8, Bramlet 10, Schuh 6, Reiswig 2, Lenz 4, Wilder 0, Nipp 4, Stroh 4, Quinn 10, Dennis 4.

Moscow 56, Clarkston 44

Adam Busch, Corey Comstock and Darnell Williams combined for 17 points in the fourth quarter and the Bears broke from a 32-all tie to defeat the visiting Bantams.

Williams and Jon Shupe combined for 13 rebounds for Moscow, which finished with 16 offensive boards. Clarkston had 22 rebounds and 20 turnovers.

Clarkston 10 6 13 15 - 44

Moscow 11 9 12 24 - 56

Clarkston (0-2, 0-1) - Hayes 1 0-0 3, Smith 4 1-4 9, Cridlebaugh 0 0-0 0, Sheldon 1 0-1 2, Bollend 1 3-4 6, King 0 0-0 0, McCall 1 0-0 2, Howell 3 0-0 6, Cummings 1 2-2 4, Harrington 3 0-0 6, Storm 2 2-4 6. Totals 17 8-15 44.

Moscow (1-0, 1-0) - Garrett 0 0-0 0, Walker 0 3-5 3, Busch 6 0-1 14, Comstock 7 0-3 14, Shupe 3 0-4 6, Johnson 0 2-2 2, Williams 6 1-1 13, Lee 1 0-2 2, Keep 1 0-2 2. Totals 24 6-20 56.

3-point goals - Hayes, Bollend, Busch 2. Total fouls - Clarkston 17, Moscow 15. Fouled out - Harrington.

GIRLS

Cheney 44, Lake City 35

Cheney coach Marty Jessett hoped his team could be an underdog in the Border League.

That lasted all of one game. Jessett’s visiting Blackhawks used defense among assorted other things to stall the Timberwolves.

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.

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 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 LC’s vulnerabilities.

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

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.

Moscow 56, Clarkston 37

Andrea Sorbel and Amber Matthews scored 13 apiece to guide the Bears over the visiting Bantams.

Clarkston 11 5 16 5 - 37

Moscow 16 9 20 11 - 56

Clarkston (0-2, 0-1) - Tucker 4 0-0 9, Kaschmitter 1 0-0 2, Johnson 4 4-6 13, Pavey 2 3-3 7, Rodgers 1 0-2 2, Munden 2 0-1 4.Totals 14 7-12 37.

Moscow (5-1, 4-1) - Robinson 2 0-0 4, LeFors 3 0-0 6, Vasquez 0 0-0 0, Bonine 0 2-2 2, Thomas 1 0-0 2, Sorbel 6 1-1 13, Bisbee 0 0-0 0, Matthews 6 1-1 13, Hawley 0 0-0 0, Goetz 8 0-2 16. Totals 26 4-6 56.