Shadle Park shoots past CV

Who do you guard? Central Valley chose Option A on Tuesday, but Shadle Park countered and beat the visiting Bears 67-48 with Option B.

Freshman Anthony Brown, who’s had his moments as a varsity neophyte for the Highlanders, burned the Bears with 11 first-quarter points, hitting 5 of 6 shots.

Junior Leo Avila finished the job with a trio of 3-point baskets in the second quarter and CV was never in the game.

“We tried to limit (Zack) Humphrey and (Josh) Landsverk,” said CV coach Rick Sloan. “Those two stepped up and made some big shots. We got into a hole we couldn’t get out of.”

The victory kept Shadle (9-5, 5-2) in the thick of the seven-team Greater Spokane League basketball race, tied with the Bears (11-3, 5-2) and two others behind a first-place trio.

The Highlanders raced to an 11-3 lead 3 minutes into the game with Brown scoring seven points and Landsverk getting the other four inside.

Brown also had four of Shadle’s final six points of the 17-6 first-quarter start.

For good measure, he joined the 3-point second-quarter frenzy that included Avila’s three, one by Humphrey and one of his own to put Shadle ahead by 17 points.

“I had a lot of open shots,” Brown said matter-of-factly. “Coach said if we lost this game we’d be out of the race for first and second, so we had to win.”

The 6-foot-4 Brown, who turned 15 Sunday, took just one more shot, early in the fourth quarter, giving him 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting. It was a back-to-back double-figures effort and his fifth this year.

Point guard Avila was averaging 4.2 points per game. He made 5 of 6 shots and finished with 13 points.

CV never got closer than 14 points in the second half – Landsverk scoring all eight of Shadle’s third-quarter points – and trailed by as many as 21.

The Highlanders, who shot 68 percent from the field in the first half and 61 percent for the game, again had four players finish in double figures.

“It was a good team effort,” said Shadle coach Tim Gaebe. “Anthony played really well, but he’s capable of doing that. The injury to Nick (Gaebe) created a situation where he’s gotten a lot of playing time and he’s really handled it well. Leo did a good job of directing things.”

CV played without two injured regulars, point guard Kevin Cameron and Brad Dieter, who started but didn’t play long. In the second half, Brad Johnson took matters into his hands on offense with three of his four 3-pointers and 19 total points.

“They’re a good enough team that when you go into a game with one of your hands tied behind your back, you’re in trouble,” said Sloan. “At the same time, those two kids made the plays. They shot well.”

Ferris 60, Clarkston 38

The Saxons (14-1, 6-1) remained tied for first place with an easy win at home. They outscored the Bantams (0-7, 1-13) 37-2 in the first half, Shawn Stockton and Jon Clift each with six steals and double figures for points.

North Central 69, University 51

The Indians (12-2, 6-1) couldn’t shake the visiting Titans (5-10, 2-5) until the fourth quarter. Nathan Hood put NC up by 10 points with two third-quarter 3-pointers. U-Hi rallied to within six but got no closer. Eric Beal and Damal Neil combined for 36 points in the win.

Gonzaga Prep 67, East Valley 54

The Bullpups (11-3, 6-1) had no answer on defense for Dylan Sattin, who scored 25 points at G-Prep. But they rallied in the middle two quarters for a victory. Houston Stockton, one of three players in double figures, scored a career-high 20 points.

West Valley 66, Mead 56

A big first quarter, in which the Eagles (11-3, 5-2) outscored the Panthers (5-9, 3-4) 21-6, was enough. Arton Toussaint made 8 of 12 from the line, finished with 14 points, five assists and three steals. Tyler Hobbs had eight rebounds and 13 points, most of them in the first quarter.

Mt. Spokane 57, Cheney 46

The Wildcats (10-4, 5-2) are the seventh GSL team separated by only a game with six remaining. Matt Dorr scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter as they rallied from a 39-33 deficit at Cheney (4-10, 2-5). Sophomore Ryan Selland added 16 for Mt. Spokane. Jess Donnerberg led the Blackhawks with 17.

Rogers 51, Lewis and Clark 43

The Pirates (6-8, 2-5) continue to enjoy their best season since 2002. But it took a nine-point rally in the final 3 minutes to overcome the visiting Tigers (3-11, 2-5). Rogers trailed 43-42 and did much of its rallying from the free-throw line. The players made 17 of 27 second-half attempts. Scotty Livengood scored his usual 18 points and Josh Taylor had 11 points and seven rebounds.