Locally: Spokane Midget B team wins state hockey title
Spokane has a second state youth hockey champion in 2007.
The Spokane Americans Midget B team won the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association Washington championship last weekend in Bremerton.
James McKay, 17, scored with 11 seconds left in regulation for a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Juniors in the title game for the 15-18-year-old division.
Spokane compiled a 4-1 record in preliminary games, the loss a 4-3 overtime decision to the Seattle team it defeated in the finals. Spokane outscored its six opponents 37-12.
Last month, the Spokane Americans AA Pee Wee team won the state Tier II championship in the Tri-Cities.
Other Spokane midget players are: Bryan Bein, Mark Cassell, Chris Coolidge, Cameron Kellogg, Krys Haas, Will Dewey, Darren Molan, Andrew Starkey, Jeff Norisada, Derek Goulette, Chris Kellogg, Jared Leach, Dante Little, Jordan Peters, Matt Shrope, Kelly Bennett and Tyler Sohner.
The team is coached by Rick Kellogg and Tom Leach. Jim Little is the manager.
College scene
Whitworth senior Brian Williams, the Northwest Conference Player of the Year, was named to the D3hoops.com All-West Region second team in men’s basketball.
The Pirates, who compiled a 24-4 record and made it into the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament, were ranked ninth in the final D3hoops.com poll. It’s the school’s highest basketball ranking at the D-III level and the second time this school year a Whitworth team has been ranked ninth. The Pirates were also ninth in the final D3football.com poll.
“Two former Greater Spokane League athletes, Central Washington juniors Hank Anderson (Ferris) and Travis Bertholf (Rogers), were the Great Northwest Athletic Conference players of the week in baseball.
Anderson was player of the week after going 7 for 15 (.467) with a double, his first home run, three run scored and two RBIs in a four-game split with Montana State-Billings.
Bertholf turned his first start into an eight-inning one-hitter, striking out 11, walking two and allowing just an unearned run in an 11-1 win that earned him pitcher of the week.
“Colville grad Melissa Rice, a sophomore pitcher at the University of Oregon, took a 14-2 record and 0.71 earned-run average into the weekend for the nationally 12th-ranked Ducks softball team.
Rice, who makes her off-season home in Colbert, has pitched six shutouts for the 30-3 Ducks with 63 strikeouts in 98 1/3 innings. Opponents are batting .170 against her.
“Notre Dame freshman Annie Brophy from Gonzaga Prep had her best 54-hole score and placing last week at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Texas. Brophy’s 233 included a final-round 4-over-par 76 that earned her a tie for 20th.
“Adriane Ferguson, a Washington State senior from Mead, was named to the Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic team honorable mention list in women’s basketball. To qualify, an athlete must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or better.
“Caitlin McGrane, a Puget Sound freshman from Colville, won the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a record time of 15.79 seconds in the UPS Open track meet Friday in Tacoma.
Gymnastics
Three members of Spokane Elite Gymnastics qualified for the regional meet April 14-15 in Boise with their performances at the state meet last weekend in Lakewood.
Ryan Wurz, a sophomore at Central Valley who qualified for regionals at Level 6 last year, qualified at Level 8 this year. He placed first on pommel horse in the state meet and third on rings and vault.
Julien Ditto qualified at Level 6 and Alec Grebe at Level 5.
Other SEG top-10 placers at state:
Level 4 – Michaels Ewers, 2nd parallel bars, 3rd rings, 4th high bar, 6th all-around. Jason Gillingham, 9th all-around.
Level 5 – Liam Nelson, 7th vault.