Tigers saddle Mustangs with loss

Five Greater Spokane opponents who have played Lewis and Clark’s girls basketball juggernaut in preseason games this year need not feel alone.

The Tigers (6-0), who have beaten the GSL quintet by an average of 37 points per game, ran roughshod over a visiting state perennial in like fashion.

Their smothering defense produced a one-sided non-league 82-34 victory against visiting Redmond at Hunter Fieldhouse.

Said Mustangs coach Pat Bangasser: “Thank goodness they pulled off the dogs. They were very nice to us.”

LC caused 10 turnovers in the game’s first 4 minutes and led 16-0 barely 3 minutes into the contest. That was about the extent of its full-court pressure.

Still, by playing tough half-court defense, the turnover totals continued mounting – to 25 by halftime – as did the score, which was 49-17 at intermission.

Even without the starters, the score differential kept growing. LC’s 48-point advantage was its second-highest margin of victory this year.

“They are much more athletic than we are,” said Bangasser. “They’re pressure was pretty relentless. I told the girls they’re the No. 2-ranked team in state and might be the best team in state right now.”

LC’s successes have followed form: Come out in full-court pressure, build a huge lead from turnovers, then use exceptional half-court defensive quickness to cause further havoc.

Redmond has trophied in the State 4A tournament five of the last six years and lost on a last-second shot to LC at home last year.

Redmond returned five players, including leading scorer Erika Edwards, from last year’s state eighth placer, although second-leading scorer Colleen Betteridge has switched to 3A Chief Sealth.

But they could not handle this version of the Tigers.

“I’ve always felt we’ll build around defense first,” said LC coach Jim Redmon. “We have the athletes to do that.”

Five different players scored off turnovers during the early run. By halftime, Katelan Redmon, having one of her best games this year, and Lyndi Seidensticker each had 11 points and post Heather Bowman scored 10.

Already ahead by 31 points, the home team built on it while substituting liberally, outscoring the Mustangs 33-17 after intermission.

Seidensticker finished with 18 points, Redmon and Bowman 15 apiece.

“I thought our passing was tremendous by Ren (Mallory) and Katelan,” said Redmon. “Lyndi shot well outside, but we didn’t have good spacing on the block area for Heather because of a new offense we used today.”

It didn’t seem to matter the way LC has been playing basketball.

If there’s a drawback, said Redmon, it’s the fact that his starters have not been on the floor much during the fourth quarters of games.

But it didn’t affect LC’s consistency in a game in which it made every manner of shot, including six from 3-point range – four of them by subs.

“Mainly, every game we go out and play as hard as we can and it all falls together,” said Seidensticker. “The best part of our game is our intensity.”