G-Prep ‘squirts’ come up big

In the final 2 minutes, 15 seconds of basketball on Friday night, the theory of the Gonzaga Prep girls as only feisty underdogs was proven wrong.

They were the confident ones, poised under pressure, and Class 4A top-ranked Lewis and Clark was not.

That created an 11-point run, the final advantage as the unranked Bullpups knocked off the previously undefeated Tigers 54-43 at G-Prep.

“Now after tonight, they’ll realize these little squirts can play,” G-Prep head coach Mike Arte said. “They’re not just a bunch of little, tiny girls that run around fast. They can actually play the game.”

Tied 43-all after LC’s Heather Bowman converted a fast-break layin, the Bullpups (13-2, 7-1) went to work.

Sarah Jennings found Tara Cronin alone underneath for the go-ahead lay-in, then after a Tigers turnover, Corrina O’Brien drove for another bucket.

A missed LC 3-pointer, and just as important, Cronin’s subsequent defensive rebound, set off a Bullpups parade to the free-throw line.

O’Brien hit 5 of 6 and Cronin sank a pair while G-Prep held LC (14-1, 7-1) scoreless the rest of the way – creating a tie for second between the two in the GSL, one game behind 8-0 University.

“We’ve got eight seniors, so a lot of us have been in playoff games,” said the 5-foot-3 O’Brien, who had 16 points and seven rebounds in a game with a playoff atmosphere. “The U-Hi game (this year) was the same way. Even though they score and the momentum’s going their way, you still have a chance.”

Bowman, a 6-2 post headed to Gonzaga next year, only played about 15 minutes while dealing with foul trouble, and scored five points, 13 less than her average.

While she watched from the bench, the Bullpups took advantage on the glass.

G-Prep outrebounded LC 39-29, including 15 offensive rebounds.

“We had to outrebound them, which is what we accomplished,” said Cronin, who led the rebounding charge with 13 to go along with 17 points.

“We didn’t shoot very well, but our rebounds and second shots were there. Our shooting percentage wasn’t very high, but we had chances to shoot.”

LC had beaten teams by an average of 37 points in winning its first 14 and looked like it could extend that streak when it finally found a groove – and its first lead – early in the fourth quarter.

Lyndi Seidensticker took over, scoring nine points to open the quarter, including a 21-foot 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Tigers on top for the first time at 37-35 with 6:31 to play.

On defense, though, LC couldn’t get a stop, as the Bullpups scored on 12 of their 15 fourth-quarter possessions, including nine points by O’Brien and eight from Cronin.

“Hopefully, this proves a point that even though our tallest player is 5-10, 5-11, we can be competitive,” O’Brien said. “A lot of times, people think if we’re not shooting well, we’re not going to be a good team, but hopefully we can prove them wrong.”

On a night when the Bullpups shot 36.7 percent and hit 4 of 12 3-pointers, the surprise was that their defense and rebounding were enough.

“Beginning to end, we were absolutely outhustled,” LC head coach Jim Redmon said. “I think that between Cronin and O’Brien’s effort and their desire out there, they just brought their whole team along, and we didn’t match that.”

University 62, Mt. Spokane 38

The Titans (13-2, 8-0) raced out to a 21-2 lead, and coasted to an easy victory over the visiting Wildcats (7-8, 4-4).

Dara Zack had 20 points and 14 rebounds for U-Hi and Angie Bjorklund chipped in 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Clarkston 61, Shadle Park 45

The Bantams broke open a tight game at the half, led by Misty Atkinson and Patsy Dodgen-Auer, for a home win over the Highlanders (8-7, 3-5).

Atkinson had 12 of her 21 in the third quarter and Dodgen-Auer threw in 10 of her 17 in the fourth for Clarkston (8-7, 4-4).

Ferris 40, Cheney 35

Lexi Lallas had seven of her game-high 17 in the fourth quarter as the Saxons hung on for a five-point win over the visiting Blackhawks (6-9, 2-6).

Lallas also added 12 rebounds for the Saxons (8-7, 5-3).

Mead 65, North Central 38

Five 3-pointers from Chelsea Mykines led the Panthers to a 27-point road win over NC (3-12, 1-7).

Mykines finished with 19 for Mead (11-4, 6-2) and Alysha Green added 17 for the Panthers.

Boys

North Central 65, Mead 61

Damal Neil had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Eric Beal led all scorers with 23 as the Indians (14-2, 7-1) hit free throws down the stretch to hang on and beat the visiting Panthers (5-10, 3-5).

Beal added six assists for NC, which fell behind Mead 14-3 in the first quarter before rallying with the help of 23-for-36 free-throw shooting.

Brendan Ingebritsen had 19 and Lucas Ashe 15 for Mead.

Ferris 66, Cheney 49

Shawn Stockton had 13 points, six steals and five assists, and Jon Clift scored a game-high 24, leading the Saxons (15-1, 7-1) to a win over the visiting Blackhawks (4-11, 2-6).

G-Prep 58, Lewis and Clark 50

Michael Johnson hit two big fourth-quarter 3-pointers to help the Bullpups (12-3, 7-1) pull away from the visiting Tigers (3-12, 2-6) and win their seventh straight game.

Andre Jennings and Nick Hardrick both had 14 for Lewis and Clark.

Mt. Spokane 53, University 42

The Wildcats used a big second half, including 12 of Matt Dorr’s 21 points, to pick up a road victory over the Titans (5-11, 2-6).

Calvin McManus had 15 rebounds for Mt. Spokane (11-4, 6-2).

Shadle Park 62, Clarkston 36

Josh Landsverk had nine of his game-high 19 during a 20-2 third-quarter run as the Highlanders (10-5, 6-2) won on the road over the Bantams (1-14, 0-8).