Titans turn in balanced win

Lost in the well-deserved excitement surrounding Angie Bjorklund and the University girls basketball team are a couple things.

There’s a whole lot of Titans on the floor who can hurt you offensively, and on the defensive end, Bjorklund can shut down the opponent’s best player.

Both happened Friday night at Gonzaga Prep as U-Hi knocked off the Bullpups 58-51, sparked by an early long-range assault and dominance on the glass.

U-Hi (7-2, 2-0) hit six first-half 3-pointers in building a 12-point halftime advantage.

Four of those came during a 2:44 stretch in the first quarter, when the Titans went on a 13-2 run.

Bjorklund led it off with a pull-up 3, followed by one from Kara Crisp off a Bjorklund assist. After a free throw, U-Hi point guard Tonya Schnibbe hit another 3, and on the next possession, Crisp hit one from the right baseline.

“We’re more than just Angie,” U-Hi head coach Mark Stinson said. “I think everybody that’s seen us play knows that.”

Bjorklund was 8 of 14 from the field for 17 points with seven rebounds and six assists.

Dara Zack, a 5-foot-9 junior, had 17 rebounds, 10 on the offensive end, as the Titans outrebounded G-Prep 41-25, pulling down 17 offensive rebounds, though most came after missed chip shots.

“We have a height advantage,” said Zack, who also scored 12 points. “To win the game, Coach said that we need to outboard them.”

“That obviously can be our Achilles’ heel all year, is rebounding,” G-Prep head coach Mike Arte said. “What do you do? You can’t grow. We’re trying to box out and our kids are tough. We’ll work on it.”

It almost didn’t matter in the third quarter, when the Bullpups (7-2, 1-1) made a run at U-Hi.

G-Prep switched to a triangle-and-2, matching up on Bjorklund and Schnibbe, and the Bullpups responded with a 14-4 run, led by six points from Tara Cronin and five from Corrina O’Brien.

After G-Prep cut it to six at 48-42 late in the third quarter, U-Hi locked them down, holding the Bullpups scoreless for nearly five minutes while scoring 10 straight, the big shots coming on 3-pointers by Riki Schiermeister and Chelsea Newman. The Titans finished 8 of 17 from long distance.

“Angie’s such a great player, but our team has so much more to offer,” Zack said. “If someone’s having a bad night, somebody else can definitely step up.”

During the run, G-Prep went 0 for 5 from the field with a pair of turnovers.

“We’re like that,” Arte said. “We’re a streaky offensive team partly because of the style we play. We fly up and down the court and we shoot shots early.”

Cronin, G-Prep’s leading scorer at 18.6 a game, was held scoreless in the first half by Bjorklund, but rebounded to score 12 second-half points and lead the Bullpups in scoring along with O’Brien.

“We tried not to give too much help (on Cronin),” Stinson said. “If you can control Corrina and obviously, if you can control Cronin, then you have a chance with these guys.”

G-Prep beat the Titans 62-53 on Dec. 9, but that U-Hi team was without Bjorklund, Newman and Schiermeister.

“I don’t believe in moral victories,” Arte said. “But this could carry us a long ways. They’re legitimately one of the best five teams in the state and we hung with them.”

Shadle Park 50, East Valley 45

Lexi Bishop and Lexie Petterson combined for 37 points as the Highlanders (6-3, 1-1) used a 29-22 advantage in the second and third quarters to beat the Knights (4-5, 0-2) at East Valley.

Bishop and Petterson also teamed up to go 13 of 14 from the free-throw line, leading a 14-8 Shadle edge from the stripe.

Eleaya Schuerch scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds to lead EV, but the Knights turned the ball over 19 times.

Clarkston 56, Mt. Spokane 42

Misty Atkinson’s big night led the Bantams (4-4, 1-1) to a 14-point win over the visiting Wildcats (4-5, 1-1).

Atkinson went 8 for 13 from the field for 24 points to go along with 11 rebounds, and Patsy Dodgen-Auer and Stephanie Ogden combined for 22 points.

Callie Bergstrom had 11 to pace Mt. Spokane.

Central Valley 69, Cheney 39

CV forced 25 turnovers and jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead on the way to a rout of the Blackhawks (4-5, 0-2) in Cheney.

The Bears (6-3, 2-0) had four in double figures, led by the 19 points of Heidi Heintz.

Mead 52, Rogers 22

Mead (7-2, 2-0) had 26 steals and Nikki Nelson hit three 3-pointers on the way to 13 points as the Panthers blew out the visiting Pirates (2-7, 0-2).

North Central 55, West Valley 39

Ashlee Michelson had a balanced night with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists to help the visiting Indians (3-6, 1-1) over the Eagles (1-8, 0-2).