Tale of two minutes
It took less than two minutes Tuesday night for Mead to determine the fate of its Greater Spokane League girls basketball game against visiting Central Valley.
The Panthers won 64-58 in a game between teams that entered the game tied for second place in the league.
It was a 10-point run, including the first 1 minute, 35 seconds of the fourth quarter, that spelled the difference.
“Two minutes of youth,” offered Bears coach Freddie Rehkow about the stretch of pressure put on by Mead that bothered CV for the only time during the game. “I shouldn’t (have) called a timeout. They were up by five points and the next time I looked it was 10.”
Actually Mead (8-2) is as young as CV, if not younger.
The teams were tied at 41 before Panthers sophomore Jazmine Redmon made a free throw with 1.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Beth Altena scored to open the final quarter, and Mead’s stifling full-court press led to baskets by sophomore Alexis Olgard and Redmon, who hustled a rebound of her miss. Soon Mead had a 51-41 lead with 5:54 remaining in the game.
CV regrouped after trailing by as many as 13 points, but got no closer than the final score.
“It came down to those 8 minutes and making each minute matter,” said Mead coach Regan Drew. “They got after it defensively and got it done.”
CV (7-3) started two seniors and played three juniors and three sophomores in the game. Mead started one senior, three sophomores and a freshman and played three juniors and a sophomore liberally.
The Panthers bolted to a 14-6 lead and led 19-10 in the first quarter as sophomore Emma Barrington came off the bench to score seven points.
But CV did a good job of breaking the press and behind league scoring leader Justine Bowman and Lindsey Gigler wiped out the deficit by outscoring the hosts 14-6. The Bears took a 28-27 lead on Bowman’s three-point play.
Mead junior Alisa Beard atoned for an earlier hurried shot by burying a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left to put her team in front 30-28 at intermission.
Bowman opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and the teams battled back and forth before Redmon’s free throw that was prelude to the fourth-quarter flurry.
“We just got the energy going,” said Drew. “We have athletic girls and they’re aggressive. I think they wanted to bounce back from Friday and get the ‘W.’ “
The Panthers had lost to Shadle to fall into the second-place tie.
Mead’s girls didn’t shoot particularly well from the free-throw line against CV, but made enough to matter.
Redmon finished 11 for 18 from the line and led scoring with 20 points. Olgard added 10 points among nine different Panthers who contributed with offense.
“Night in and night out, it might be different combinations,” said Drew of the 10 players in particular who saw substantial game time. “It’s the best depth I’ve had since I’ve been here.”
CV (7-3) was led by junior Ashley Hinseth, who battled gamely inside for 16 points despite giving away between 2-7 inches to four Panthers. Senior Bowman had 10 of her 15 points in the first quarter.
Rehkow said that the game went well except for at the outset of the fourth quarter, when his team lost composure as Mead turned up the pressure and took control. Still, he was not unhappy with the effort.
“I’m proud of the girls,” said Rehkow. “They really played hard for being outsized and mixed it up with them.”
Lewis and Clark 65, Ferris 40: Senior Brittany Kennedy had seven steals, half of her team’s total, and as many assists as the home-standing Tigers (10-0) reached the midpoint of their season with a perfect record and two-game GSL lead. They had a 23-shot differential advantage over the Saxons (3-7) that produced the outcome. The teams were tied at 13 after a quarter when LC went on a 34-13 blitz through the middle two quarters. Three Tigers finished in double figures, Jeneva Anderson with 12, Emily Travis and Ashley Woodruff with 10 apiece. Ferris was paced by season team scoring leader Liz Boyden, who finished with 15.
Shadle Park 56, Gonzaga Prep 41: The Highlanders (8-2) remained tied with Mead for second place, with CV and idle University a game behind. Shadle took control early at the Bullpups (4-6) and after G-Prep cut into a 14-point lead in the third quarter, pulled away again. Lexie Pettersen led all scorers with 19 points and Lindsay Niemeier added 10 for the victors. Tia Pressley continued to pace the Bullpups, scoring 18.
Mt. Spokane 50, East Valley 47: The host Wildcats (4-6) had three double-figure scorers and rallied from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat the Knights (1-9). EV had gone in front after a quarter and led 33-29 entering the final quarter before Mt. Spokane took a 21-14 fourth quarter advantage for the win. Callie Bergstrom scored 15 points, Averi Hallman and Katie Karisch scored 12 each in carrying the day. EV was paced by Kelsi Jacobson, among the top three league scorers, with 19. Morgan Manchester added 12.
North Central 63, Rogers 25: The host Indians (3-7) led the Pirates (0-10) 34-2 after a half as they continue to play well. They were victorious because of strong defense and with a dozen different players scoring points. Tara VanWeerdhuizen scored in double figures for the first time this year, leading the team with 11 points. That figure was matched by Rogers’ leading scorer, Brooklynn Smith.