Cheney Evens Score Laughlin’S 16 Points Spark Blackhawks

The first time Cheney’s Seth Laughlin faced West Valley in basketball was two months ago and he remembers simply being scared.

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” said the Blackhawk who was back playing the game for the first time since he was a freshman.

Two months later, he knows considerably more and was a major reason Cheney pulled out a 54-52 triumph in the latest thrilling episode of the series between two Border League rivals.

Laughlin scored 16 points, including two free throws late in the game and the Blackhawks held on to even the season series.

Like the first game in December, a 45-41 gut-wrencher won by WV, this game wasn’t decided until a partially blocked Lance Pecht shot fell short at the buzzer.

The game featured 13 ties and eight lead changes. Neither team held a lead larger than six points.

It was in most respects the same type of hard-nosed game as the first, one only with a different outcome and different heroes.

Laughlin was one.

“Seth had a huge game,” Cheney coach Denny Humphrey said. “We just asked the guys to see if we could play with them and we got a great effort out of the kids.”

He lauded in particular the defensive work of Chris Mount on Pecht, who scored a hard-earned 15 points, and the four guards he rotated throughout the game.

Played in Cheney’s spacious gym before a packed, ear-splitting spirit-game house vying for the Flying Feathers, WV took an early 14-8 lead.

Laughlin scored 10 second-quarter points on 5-of-5 shooting to offset the scoring efforts of Pecht and John Focht and leave the teams tied 26-26 at intermission.

“They let me loose tonight,” said Laughlin. “We pick-and-rolled all game and I was wide-open.” WV took another five-point lead in the third quarter, but again Cheney came back. The Blackhawks led 46-41 on a pair of Shon Volk baskets.

Two timely Luke Gordon 3-point baskets tied the game twice for the Eagles, including at 52-apiece after Laughlin’s free throws.

Ben Woodard scored the game winner on a well-defended 8-foot jumper with 25 seconds to go.

In those final frantic seconds, WV was whistled for carrying the ball and Mount missed a one-and-one free throw. But the Eagles couldn’t score the game-tying basket.

The loss ended WV’s season with a 16-2 Border League record and 18-2 overall. Cheney also has two league losses and two overall with a game remaining in Colville on Friday.

Beside’s Laughlin’s scoring, Woodard scored 14 points for the winners. Focht had 15 and Gordon 10 for the Eagles.

Cheney 54, West Valley 52

West Valley 14 12 13 13 - 52

Cheney 8 18 13 15 - 54

West Valley (18-2, 16-2) - Kopp 1 0-0 2, Sly 0 0-0 0, McIntyre 2 0-0 4, Pecht 7 1-2 15, Hamilton 2 0-2 4, Gordon 4 0-0 10, Focht 7 1-2 15, Hollifield 0 2-2 2, Allen 0 0-0 0, French 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 4-8 52.

Cheney (17-2, 15-2) - Humphrey 2 0-2 4, Larson 1 4-4 7, Harris 2 0-0 5, Volk 3 0-1 7, Hegney 0 0-0 0, Mount 0 1-3 1, Woodard 6 2-2 14, Laughlin 7 2-2 16, Marsh 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-14 54.

3-point goals - Gordon 2, Larson, Harris, Volk. Total fouls - West Valley 14, Cheney 12. Fouled out - None. Technicals - None.

Moscow 55, Lewiston 44

Adam Busch scored 20 and the Bears defeated the visiting Bengals, taking a step toward the No. 2 seed to the A-1 Region I tournament.

Lewiston 10 13 16 5 - 44

Moscow 7 13 16 19 - 55

Lewiston (10-9, 8-9) - Martin 2 0-0 6, Huff 0 0-0 0, Johnson 2 1-2 5, Zager 2 2-4 8, Anderson 2 1-2 5, Sullivan 0 0-2 0, Forth 0 0-0 0, Klamper 3 2-2 8, Huff 0 3-8 3, Bruce 0 0-1 0, Haines 3 3-4 9. Totals 14 12-25 44.

Moscow (10-8, 8-8) - Brown 1 1-2 3, Baysinger 2 0-0 4, Busch 6 4-4 20, Williams 6 2-5 14, Johnson 1 0-0 2, Harkins 0 0-0 0, Matthews 0 1-2 1, Richards 3 0-2 6, Twyman 1 0-0 3, Burton 1 0-4 2. Totals 21 8-19 55.

3-point goals - Martin 2, Zager 2, Busch 4, Twyman. Total fouls - Lewiston 16, Moscow 21. Fouled out - None. Techs - None.