Eagles season ends

I’ve just returned to my hotel after filing my story on Eastern Washington’s season-ending loss to Montana in the Big Sky conference baksetball semifinals. In the end, the script played out the same as two previous Eagle losses to the Griz, who kept pounding the ball inside, drawing fouls and going to the line. Thirty-two times.

You had to feel for Eagle seniors Cliff Colimon, Cliff Ederaine and Laron Griffin, all of whom had a special burden Tuesday night. Colimon was trying to show up Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year Will Cherry, and with a game-high 27 points, he largely did so. Griffin and Ederaine did the dirty work inside all night against the beefier Grizzlies, Ederaine falling to leg cramps at one point. And even though the Eagles finished 15-17, this was clearly a better team than the one that lost two earlier meetings with Montana. Unfortunately, so are the Griz, who I think will beat Weber State Wednesday night for the tournament championship.