Gray takes first in fifth go-round

Cheney’s Ryan Gray reached the halfway point of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in style Monday night, winning the fifth go-round of bareback riding.

Gray scored a 90 on MGM Deuces Night to earn $17,884.62. It was the first time Gray won a go-round at the NFR since winning two in his debut in 2005.

 However, that didn’t do much to enhance his chances of winning the title as red-hot Kaycee Feild was second with an 88. Feild leads the average with 437 points in five rides and has won $67,000 in Las Vegas. Gray has 416 points.

 Colbert tie-down roper Tyson Durfey finished out of the money with an 8.9-second run. He is fourth in the average at 43.36, more than three seconds behind leader Cody Ohl.

Shane Proctor has seen his lead in bull riding shrink considerably. While the Coulee Dam cowboy bucked off for the third-straight time,  J.W. Harris was winning with a 90.5.

Marathon

Two Spokane women met the U.S. Olympic marathon trials qualifying standard during the California International Marathon on Sunday in Sacramento.

Rachel Jaten, 36, ran the 26-mile, 385-yard course that is certified and sanctioned by USA Track & Field, in 2 hours, 45 minutes, 49 seconds and Victoria Russell, 39, was right behind in 2:45:52. The marathon trials qualifying standard is 2:46:00.

The U.S. Olympic trials will be in Houston on Jan. 14, 2012.

Jaten and Russell finished 146th and 147th overall, 27th and 28th among female runners and third and fourth in their 35-39 age division, respectively.

A third Spokane woman, Janet Collar, 39, was the 50th female finisher, 13th in the age group, in 2:51:38.

Girls basketball

Moscow 52, Pullman 37: Taylor Anderson scored half her 12 points in a 21-point second quarter the Bears used to turn things around en route to the nonleague victory over the visiting Greyhounds.

Point guard Amanda Bigler had 14 points, five steals and four rebounds for Moscow. Pullman had no double-figure scorer.