Crusaders End Season

Thu., March 2, 2000

By Janie McCauley janiem@spokesman.com

The Northwest Christian boys basketball team feels cheated.

The Crusaders believed they had the talent to qualify for the State B tournament that began Wednesday in the Arena.

But Curlew dealt NWC a 64-57 loss Friday in a loser-out, winner-to-state District 7 tournament game at Spokane Falls Community College. The Crusaders finished 19-7, three of those losses coming to Curlew.

Senior Gabe Goldman and the rest of his teammates played with all they had and dominated the boards 45-20.

“We just had such a great team effort and so much excitement,” said Goldman, who had 10 points and 15 rebounds. “We were ready to get it done. It just didn’t happen tonight.

“It’s always disappointing for a team like ours that had all that potential to not make it to state and have a chance at a trophy,” he said.

District 7 is traditionally one of the toughest.

“It was tough all the way through,” Goldman said. “We always felt like underdogs. All the way through the team didn’t get recognized, and people didn’t realize we were a team to beat. Any given day we could play and beat anyone else in the state.”

Unity was the key to the team’s success, said Goldman and coach John Edwards.

Edwards coached this class of seniors since they were seventh-graders.

“They had a dream about going to the state tournament and came up short,” Edwards said. “But their attitude and effort, I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Funny things happen with upsets, he said of Sprague-Harrington’s Tuesday win over second-ranked Curlew that put NWC against Curlew on Friday.

The Crusaders had to play top-ranked and undefeated Valley Christian on Thursday, then follow with Curlew.

“I told them that I’m absolutely not disappointed about anything about this game,” he said Friday. “We believe we gave everything we had with regard to attitude and effort, and there’s no explanation as to why (we aren’t going to state).”

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.