Offensive rebounds spark U-Hi

There are times when missing shots can work in a team’s favor.

It did for University High on Friday night.

The Titans grabbed nine offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter alone and went on to hand host Ferris its first loss, 61-51, in a non-league basketball game between the Greater Spokane League foes.

“Both Calvin (Jurich) and Ian (Williamson) played great on the offensive boards,” Titans coach Marty Jessett said, “and that gave us extra chances. It’s not like we shot it real well.”

They didn’t need to. With the 6-foot-5-inch Jurich pulling down 10 offensive rebounds (19 total) and the 5-11 Williamson jumping to the rim to grab another eight (12 total), U-Hi was able to overcome its 36 percent shooting.

The Titans also had to overcome foul trouble, and they did it in a big way. With Jurich, who finished with 15 points, sitting with four fouls, the Titans broke from a 38-all tie with 10 unanswered points early in the fourth quarter. The run was fueled by three offensive rebounds by Williamson, who scored five of his 10 points, and another putback by guard Inderbir Gill, who completed a 3-point play en route to a game-high 19 points.

Gill hit 8 of 9 fourth-quarter free throws as the Saxons (5-1) scrambled to try to close the 10-point gap.

“We knew before the game we had to do a great job of blocking out,” Saxons coach Barry Olson said. “We saw they did a great job of attacking the offensive boards and they did it again tonight. That was the difference in the game, their second and third shots.”

“We definitely had a height advantage, as you could see,” said Jurich, who teams with 6-8 Nate Thompson on the Titans’ starting front line. “Tonight I brought out the ammo and went for everything I could get.”

With the Saxons’ front line also battling foul trouble – one starting post, 6-3 Caleb Rath, fouled out and the other, 6-3 Brian Hallett, had four – Jurich and Williamson combined for 12 rebounds in the final quarter, pacing U-Hi’s 38-35 overall edge.

No team led by more than four until U-Hi’s run, partly because Ferris was misfiring offensively with 20 turnovers and eight missed free throws.

Junior Jon Clift was the only Saxon who posted double-figure scoring (11 points) and no Ferris player had more than five rebounds.

The glass work has keyed the Titans’ rebound from an 0-2 start with four consecutive wins, though Jurich said a mental adjustment has helped as well.

“We need to keep our intensity up for the entire game,” the senior said. “We have had a tendency to slack off late in the game and get careless. We’ve worked on that a lot in practice and that showed tonight.”

West Valley 51, Clarkston 49

The Eagles stayed undefeated (6-0) in a battle of 3A schools, receiving 30 combined points from posts E. J. Richardson (17 points) and Tyler Hobbs (13). Guard Ryan Turnbow led host Clarkston (2-3) with 17 points.

Cheney 84, North Central 67

The host Blackhawks raised their record to 2-3 with the inside game of 6-6 Matt Brunell (22 points and nine rebounds) and the outside game of Derek Miller (21 points and five assists). NC’s Eric Beal led all scorers with 24 as the Indians fell to 3-3.

Central Valley 40, Lewis and Clark 33

Braden Jensen scored 14 points, including eight in the second half, as the 5-1 Bears rallied from a two-point halftime deficit. CV also won the battle of the boards, 18-13, to drop the host Tigers to 2-4 overall.

Gonzaga Prep 54, Mead 53

The Bullpups, who led by 18 at the half, held off a furious second-half Panthers rally to raise their record to 3-2. With 6 seconds left, Mead missed the second of two free throws that would have tied it, and Prep grabbed the clinching rebound. Prep’s Michael Johnson led all scorers with 18 points, 13 of them in the first half. Mike Hoover of Mead (3-3) scored a career-high 17 points.

Mt. Spokane 67, Rogers 36

The host Wildcats (2-2) had three players in double figures, led by the 12 apiece of Curtis Justice and Matt Dorr. The Pirates, led by Scotty Livengood’s 15 points, dropped to 0-5.

Riverside 41, Shadle Park 40

The host Highlanders (1-5) didn’t score until 6:47 was left in the second quarter. By then the 2A Rams (3-1) had a 12-point lead. Still, when freshman Zach Humphrey hit a 3-pointer with 3:07 left, Shadle led 36-33. Riverside rallied and Pat Smart’s two free throws with 5.8 seconds left supplied the final margin. Shadle’s Josh Landsverk led all scorers with 14 points. Buddy Wood led Riverside with 10.

EV 63, Coeur d’Alene 58

The Knights traveled across the border to even their record at 3-3. Jared Smith’s 18 points and Dylan Sattin’s 17 paced East Valley, while Matt Palmer of the Vikings (2-3) led all scorers with 21, including five 3-pointers.