Lee: Rogers boys lead surprises in GSL basketball

Greater Spokane League boys and girls basketball teams reached the halfway mark last Friday, and there’s no question which team has knocked my socks off so far.

I’m not talking about the defending State 4A champion Gonzaga Prep girls, who have seemingly picked up where they left off last March.

I present to you the Rogers boys.

The Pirates served notice that they had something good going when they upset preseason favorite Central Valley 56-54 four games into league play last month. They had been in first place alone since knocking off Lewis and Clark 74-71 on Dec. 19 before the Titans snapped Rogers’ six-game winning streak 68-58 Tuesday.

I picked Rogers to finish eighth. Most of the league’s coaches tabbed Rogers for a finish in the bottom five.

Mead coach Glenn Williams had an inkling when he passed on this thought about Rogers in his preseason questionnaire: “Talented – could be a real surprise.”

The Pirates feature a guard-heavy lineup and they get small in a hurry when 6-foot-4 post Melik Hampton isn’t on the floor. Coming into the week, KJ Hassett (14.9 points per game), Robert Rucker (14.8), Hampton (11.1) and Tate Dunbar (9.6) were leading a balanced offense.

U-Hi’s win means the Titans (8-2), Rogers (8-2) and CV (8-2) are tied for first place. Right in the mix is Lewis and Clark (7-3), coached by the school’s former girls coach, Jim Redmon. Gaining traction in fifth is Gonzaga Prep (6-4).

The next three – Shadle Park (5-5), Mead (4-6) and Ferris (3-7) – have played well in spurts.

Rogers and LC are the only schools never to have won a title in the GSL’s 38-year history.

U-Hi is another surprise. Point guard Garrett Schmerer has done a solid job distributing the ball to scorers Austin Dill, Spencer Matt and Robert Little.

While CV had some holes to fill, it has done so with a nice core that moved up from a highly successful junior varsity. The glue is versatile Michael Hannan, who is the Bears’ defensive stopper.

At LC, Redmon is quick to point out that he took over a program that had a solid base established by former coach Jeff Norton. As is typical, Redmon is using his entire roster and his players have bought in to his style.

Shadle is an enigma. The Highlanders have as much talent, if not more, as anybody in the league but play as though they’re allergic to defense.

Ferris and G-Prep field the youngest teams in the league, but they’re chock full of promising talent.

Five of the six 4A teams advance to district and two move on to a subregional with the Mid-Columbia Conference. The top two from there advance to the regional round of state.

The 3A teams have just a district tourney. Three of the four qualify for district with the champ moving directly to the regional round of state.

• Among the girls, if you haven’t watched defending state champ G-Prep (10-0) play, you’re missing a treat. With four starters back, the Bullpups’ greatest need coming into the season was developing depth – and it’s progressing nicely.

CV (8-2), which I predicted to finish second, has been steady. The Bears had a lot of room for growth with starting two freshmen this season.

LC, Mead and U-Hi are tied for third at 7-3.

So there’s some jockeying for postseason seeding that will take place in the final eight games.

The Titans, who moved up from 3A, have been my surprise in the girls. They’ve now made the chase for the two subregional berths a five-team battle.