Cheney defeats Rogers

The Cheney Blackhawk girls got the win they needed to keep their postseason hopes alive Friday night in the second annual Diamond Dipper rivalry game with Rogers High.

The Pirates are still looking for a win, any win.

The Blackhawks’ theme in a packed Martin Centre was Inferno, and it was their white-hot second-half shooting that keyed the 59-27 rout.

Leading 22-13 at the half, Cheney (4-15 overall, 1-11 in the Greater Spokane League, tied with West Valley for next weekend’s final 3A district playoff spot, but a tie-break loser) hit 8 of 11 shots from the floor, including two out-of-the-locker-room 3-pointers from senior guard Rebecca DeCoria.

“That was it,” first-year Cheney coach Regan Delaney said of the importance of DeCoria’s two shots that raised the lead to 30-15 less than 2 minutes into the second half. “She’s done that all year. She’s not afraid to step up and make something happen. Those shots got the crowd behind us and gave us momentum we carried the rest of the game.”

Rogers has lost 64 consecutive games dating back more than three years, third-longest in state girls basketball history (the longest is Cleveland’s 72-game streak that ended in 1995). But the Pirates actually had the momentum early in this one, played before two student bodies that were busting out of the old Kennel.

With 5:40 left before halftime, the Pirates (0-19, 0-12 in the GSL) had forced 15 turnovers and led 13-11. But the Blackhawks scored the last 11 points of the half before DeCoria’s two bombs broke Rogers’ back.

“We play a lot of young girls who have never been in a situation like this, with so many people watching,” said the 5-foot-4 senior guard, who finished with a game-high 13 points and added five rebounds. “It took us a while to get used to it and to play like we can.

“This was a big game for us just because Cheney’s girls’ basketball is not that big of a thing and our crowds are small. It kind of gets discouraging. When you have a lot of people watching you play, like tonight, it helps your confidence.”

The Blackhawks’ confidence was in full display in the third quarter when they outscored the young Pirates 22-5 (at times Rogers had five sophomores on the floor, including guard Denisha Whitehead who had 10 points and three assists). Cheney, which shot 38 percent on the night, also dominated inside, winning the rebound battle 44-30. For Cheney to earn a district berth it must win Tuesday against Gonzaga Prep and hope West Valley loses to Clarkston.

Lewis and Clark 70, NC 40

Heather Bowman returned after missing a game with an ankle sprain and scored a game-high 22 points for the visiting Tigers. The win kept fourth-ranked LC undefeated (19-0, 12-0 in GSL play) going into next Thursday’s showdown with top-ranked University. NC dropped to 10-9, 3-9.

Mt. Spokane 47, Mead 44

Because the Wildcats (15-4, 9-3) held off a late Panther rally, they will be the 4A’s fourth seed while Mead (9-9, 6-6) remains tied with Ferris for the sixth and final district seed. The Panthers finish at East Valley (9-10, 5-7 and a game ahead of Clarkston for the top 3A seed) Tuesday. . Katelan Redmon had 13 of her 15 points in the first half for Mt. Spokane while Kelli Valentine had 10 of her 14 in the second half for Mead.

Shadle Park 62, Ferris 55

The overtime loss drops the Saxons (8-11, 6-6) into a tie with Mead with only Tuesday’s home contest against Rogers left. A putback by Lexie Pettersen of Shadle Park (6-13, 5-7) with 5.9 seconds left tied the game at 54, then the Highlanders outscored Ferris 8-1 in overtime. Jackie Gabriel led Shadle with 19 points while Lexi Bishop had 15 points and seven rebounds. Ferris’ Stacey Cox and Lexi Lallas combined for 33 points.

Gonzaga Prep 60, Clarkston 47

The Bullpups (15-4, 10-2) will be the 4A’s second seed after the road win. Tara Cronin scored 14 of her game-high 16 high in the second half. Misty Atkinson’s 15 points led Clarkston (9-10, 4-8).

Central Valley 70, West Valley 35

The Bears (13-6, 8-4) forced 29 turnovers to rout the host Eagles (2-17, 2-10). Heidi Heintz’s 20 points paced the Bears.