Juniors, Sophomores Keep Coming Through For Bears

Ever since Central Valley High’s girls basketball team, peopled with sophomores, reached last year’s state 4A tournament with the prospect of more talented sophomores on the horizon, expectations have been high.

“Expectation is a hard place to be,” said coach Dale Poffenroth. “When you score over 100 it ticks people off. When you don’t win by 25 they ask what happened?”

This new season is early, but the young Bears have done nothing to diminish the hopes, winning their first three games, two against Greater Spokane League contenders.

Two double-figures scoring sophomores have joined six players, now juniors, who helped the Bears to the state semifinals last year.

To date, the Bears have four players scoring in double figures, led by highly touted sophomore Emily Westerberg with an 18.3 average and senior Raeanna Jewell at 17.0.

Westerberg’s addition had been anticipated. Poffenroth said last year that she would have helped his sixth-place state finishers.

“That probably cost us,” he said. “We could have used the post badly.”

Jewell, Westerberg, Caitlin Courchaine and the other juniors and sophomores were spectacular in Tuesday’s remarkable 82-63 win over Gonzaga Prep. The team rallied from a 10-point deficit with 30 second quarter points for a 41-31 lead.

“Caitlin’s done a great job,” said Poffenroth, “When I saw her this summer, I thought she’d be at this point.”

Jewell, who didn’t score until 2:50 remained in the half, finished with 25 points, 12 by intermission.

Courchaine and improved junior point guard Jayme Heinen, who helped lift CV past Mead in a key game as well, scored 16 points each.

And that has been with last year’s secondleading scorer, Katie Rodgers, getting off to a slow start after being hit in the eye in CV’s opener.

“Everybody says we’re going to be really good,” said Poffenroth. “You have to understand with one senior we’re going to be outsmarted sometimes. They’ll have to learn quickly.”

Pivotal period for Knights

Two difficult losses to start the season gave way to an encouraging win as East Valley’s girls team enters a pivotal period in its season.

“We’re in the place we need to be to make a move,” said coach Rick Meddock prior to two important games in its GSL schedule.

Included is next Tuesday’s game at University, another team working to move up in the standings.

The Knights lost to unbeatens Gonzaga Prep and Ferris before last Friday’s 53-43 win over Shadle Park.

“A lot of it was my fault,” said Meddock. “I was giving them too much too soon and they were thinking more than playing. I simplified things the last few practices and they looked more relaxed.”

He inserted Dawn Clift into the starting lineup for more offense and moved leading scorer Sarah Shogren, enabling her to post up and roam outside.

“She really has a nose for an offensive rebound and solidifies what we’re doing,” said Meddock.

Shogren had a 14-point first half and the Knights led Shadle by 17 at half in the Highlander gym. She is averaging 18 points per game.

Jennifer Frazier is scoring 10 per game.

Tuesday night the team defeated Mt. Spokane, 63-50 and now has a bye before playing the Titans.

“Like I told the girls, if we can hang in there with those upper echelon teams and beat people we should, I think we’ll be OK,” said Meddock. “It’s a matter of getting comfortable and having people in the right places.”

Like EV, University lost its first two games, to Prep and Mead, before beating Rogers, and on Tuesday night, Shadle Park 58-35.

Sophomore Heidi Bunkowske is averaging 19 points per game and Lindsey Steblaj is averaging just under 10.

Valley Christian explodes

Valley Christian School, unbeaten in five games overall, is off to a stunning Bi-County League start.

The Panthers won their first two games by an average of 41 points against last year’s second and third place finishing teams, Wilbur-Creston and SpragueHarrington.

This weekend the Panthers play two other Bi-County challengers, Davenport and Almira/CouleeHartline.

Kasie Cupp had games of 19 and 21 points and upped her season average to 15.8 per game. Carli Smith had a 31-point outing and is now averaging 24 per contest.

Brandi Nunnally had her fourth straight double-figures game and Kristen Lanker scored 19 against Sprague-Harrington.

Ever-improving Freeman won its first and second games of the season after playing unbeaten Chewelah close last weekend. Sophomore Emily Hendrickson, scored in double figures in each of Freeman’s first five games and is averaging a team-leading 14.0 points per game. Fellow sophomore Alyssa Moberg had 15 points against Medical Lake, while Krista Freeman had games of 14, 11 and 19 against the 2A classification schools.