Rogers girls snap 69-game skid

Mary Crossley hit four free throws in the final 2 minutes Friday as Rogers defeated visiting Mt. Spokane 39-35 in non-league girls basketball to snap a 69-game losing streak.

The game was tied at 27 entering the fourth quarter, then the Pirates (1-4) took over when their trapping zone defense forced three straight Wildcats turnovers.

“It was really important to get a win early in the season, even if it was a non-league game,” said fourth-year head coach Nicole Kilgore, who earned her first win at Rogers. “I think that the girls needed a taste. When you start losing so many games in a row, you start to forget how to win.”

None of the Rogers players had experienced victory in high school. The streak started when Rogers lost the final seven games of the 2001-02 season.

Cleveland High of Seattle reportedly had the longest girls losing streak in state history, snapping a 72-game streak in 1995.

Point guard Denisha Whitehead, one of four juniors who have formed the nucleus of the Rogers program, led the charge for the Pirates with 14 points, three 3-pointers and five assists.

Whitehead, fellow three-year starter D’Erica Jones, Crossley and Mary Fairbanks have all seen extensive varsity action since their freshman year and lost 43 games together before Friday night.

“Those four juniors have been the players I’ve worked with the most. They’ve been playing a lot since they came in as freshmen,” Kilgore said.

Jones had seven points and a team-high 11 rebounds, Crossley scored nine points and Fairbanks added six.

Sam Patrick led Mt. Spokane (1-4) with 13 points.