Wildcats team up to beat Shadle

As the Mt. Spokane boys skidded into the postseason on a five-game losing streak, they were missing the pieces to surround GSL co-leading scorer Matt Dorr.

A one-man show won’t stay around for March basketball.

Dorr, with help from three other double-digit scorers, led the sixth-seeded Wildcats to a 57-48 upset win at third-seeded Shadle Park in a loser-out, winner-to-regional game to open the District 8 4A tournament.

A first half in which Dorr scored four points might have derailed past Wildcats upset bids.

Senior point guard Tim Roffler had 11, though, and sophomore Ryan Selland hit a pair of 3-pointers to give Mt. Spokane (12-9) a 27-22 halftime advantage.

“We’ve kind of been relying on Matt to score,” said Roffler, who averaged 7.1 a game during the season.

“If he hasn’t been scoring, we haven’t been doing so good, so all of our other players have to step up.”

Shadle still only trailed by four late in the third quarter, and that’s when Dorr finally drilled the Highlanders (13-8).

After scoring inside with five seconds left, Dorr stole the subsequent inbounds pass and banked in a 3-pointer from a sharp angle on the left side.

“I think the swing of the game was when Matt had those five points in about five seconds,” Mt. Spokane interim head coach Dan Smith said. “That changed the momentum of the game and allowed us to play a little differently in the fourth quarter.”

Shadle got it down to a 50-43 game with 4:40 left, but then didn’t score again for over three minutes.

The Highlanders never really got going, as 6-foot-7 post Josh Landsverk played about five first-half minutes because of foul trouble.

Landsverk still finished with 14 points and seven boards, but Shadle had a definite size advantage inside with him on the floor.

“He just got taken out of the game early,” Shadle head coach Tim Gaebe said. “Then even when he did play, we just didn’t shoot the ball.”

Shadle, which played without injured point guard Leo Avila, shot only 37.5 percent from the field and went 8 for 19 from the free-throw line. Mt. Spokane wasn’t much better from the stripe (6 of 15), but hit 46.8 from the field and made seven 3s.

Dorr finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, leading all scorers, but behind him was Roffler with 13; Selland with 11, including three 3-pointers, and junior Kyle Redmon had 11.

Mt. Spokane will face the GSL’s top seed, Gonzaga Prep (17-3), on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. at U-Hi to begin two days of games to determine seeding for regionals.

Central Valley 57, Mead 51: After a first half in which fifth-seeded Mead hit nine 3-pointers in building a three-point lead, the fourth-seeded Bears settled down and controlled the second half for a six-point win in another District 8 4A loser-out, winner-to-regional game.

Sophomore guard Luke Clift had 20 points and five assists and Kevin Cameron added 12 points and six assists.

CV (16-5) faces Ferris (20-1), the GSL’s No. 2 seed, on Thursday at 5:45 at U-Hi.

Lucas Ashe had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Panthers (9-12).