NEW ATTITUDE
A funny thing happens at the end of boys basketball games at West Valley High School this year.
Fans that get up tend to visit the concession stand and, well, return to their seats. They stay for the doubleheader.
In year’s past there would be a mass exodus toward the exit after the boys game and before the girls. Now? Not so much.
“It is so cool that people actually stay around to watch us play,” junior Lacey Nordby said. “It’s not just friends and family anymore. People stay to watch us play; they stay to cheer us on.”
After years of frustration as part of the Greater Spokane League, the West Valley girls boast a 5-2 league record in the Class 2A Great Northern League going into Friday night’s Scrambled Egg spirit game at Medical Lake and have a season record of 7-6.
One more league win this season and the Eagles will have matched their total number of in-conference victories from their entire 64-game stay in the GSL.
“That’s more wins than this program has had in all the years I’ve been here,” said coach Lorin Carlon, who was an assistant under two different head coaches before taking over the program last year.
“None of the seniors who graduated last year had the chance to taste this kind of success,” Nordby said. “It’s a lot more fun to show up at practice and work hard knowing that we have a chance to go out there and win games.”
It’s been a new year, with new results, for girls sports at West Valley.
The girls soccer program advanced to the Class 2A state playoffs.
“That was the most incredible experience,” Nordby, a midfielder, said. “We have a couple girls from soccer playing basketball. What’s more, we have some volleyball players, too, and they came a game away from making the state playoffs, too.
“There’s a new attitude here. There’s a new interest and I think you’ll see some kids that might not otherwise turn out start wanting to be part of all this. Kids that are playing AAU sports or something and not playing for the school teams because of the way the programs have been in the past – I think they’re starting to change their minds.”
West Valley currently is third in the GNL, with losses only to second-place Clarkston (6-1) and undefeated (7-0) Pullman.
That puts West Valley in solid position, not only for postseason play but for home-court advantage in the first-round. The GNL takes the top six teams into the postseason. The Nos. 1 and 2 seed earn first-round byes while No. 3 plays host to No. 6 while No. 5 plays at No. 4.
“Looking down the schedule, we’re going to win a few more games,” Carlon predicted. “We still have some room for improvement, and we need to keep getting better.”
The Eagles have changed people’s minds by playing hard. Not tall, West Valley makes up for its lack of height by being tenacious.
“One of the things we need to work on doing more is blocking out,” Nordby said. “But when we play teams that are taller than we are it inspires us to block out and force them to go over the top of us.
“We may be little, but we’re pretty strong, and we like to get out and run.”
The team has been more effective on offense.
“We had trouble scoring last year,” Nordby said. “We averaged somewhere in the 30s most games. This year, we’ve scored in the 60s.
“When you start doing that on a consistent basis, it gives you a lot more confidence.”
West Valley heads into a new tradition Friday, when the Eagles take on the Cardinals at Medical Lake in the first Scrambled Egg game.
The Scrambled Egg replaces the annual Golden Throne game with traditional rival East Valley that started before West Valley joined the GSL. Before that there was the Flying Feather spirit game with Cheney.
“Well, we’re both birds, so we decided to do a Scrambled Egg theme,” Nordby laughed. “It’s not the Golden Throne game, but everyone is getting excited about it. We’re going to have a packed gym (Friday night at Medical Lake).
“It’s fun to look forward to a Spirit Game where we are actually favored to win.”
West Valley scored a 55-48 victory at home against Medical Lake earlier this month.