GSL girls: Strong second half gives CV district title

It was just another step along the journey for the Central Valley girls basketball team Friday.

Unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Central Valley topped Lewis and Clark for a third time, 49-38, in the District 8 4A championship game at CV.

The fact Central Valley is two more wins from its intended destination means little to the Bears, who say they’re looking no further ahead than their next game.

The Bears (22-0) have a week off before playing host to the winner of a Tuesday loser-out game between University (13-9) and the Mid-Columbia Conference’s second seed, either Richland (17-4) or Chiawana (19-2). Richland and Chiawana face off in a district title game Saturday.

LC (17-5) travels to the MCC district champ next Friday.

Central Valley 49, Lewis and Clark 38: CV coach Freddie Rehkow knows his team’s approach this season isn’t a stop-the-presses revelation.

“This group hasn’t looked ahead,” Rehkow said. “We looked at this game and that was it. Just like last night we didn’t look past U-Hi. This is the first team I’ve ever had that it’s one game at a time. I know it’s cliché. But we can’t look ahead of us because the second you start doing that you forget what you’re doing.”

The Bears led 21-20 at halftime after making just 8 of 30 shots from the field in the first half. They struggled finding their touch against LC’s 1-3-1 zone defense.

In the second half, they found a flow and attacked the gaps of the Tigers’ zone.

LC had its own struggles in the first half, too. Riley Lupfer, the second-leading scorer in the Greater Spokane League, went 0 for 6 from the field and was scoreless. She finished with a team high 15 points, but made just 4 of 20 shots.

For a second time freshman Madi Simmelink drew the assignment of defending the left-handed Lupfer. Simmelink did a good job of keeping Lupfer from driving to her left.

Lupfer hit her first shot, a 3-pointer, 28 seconds into the third quarter to put LC ahead 23-21. It would be the last time the Tigers led.

A 3-pointer from Lacie Hull put CV out front 30-25. By the end of the period, the Bears lead 37-28.

A 6-0 surge to open the fourth allowed CV to open its biggest lead at 43-28 with 6:43 to go.

“Once we got going and we started focusing in as a team, everything started to mesh better,” said Hull, who along with her twin sister, Lexie, led CV with 14 points. Lacie also had a team high eight rebounds and three assists.

“Once we got over her initial (slow) start, she settled in and started taking the reins for us and that helped a ton,” Rehkow said of Lacie.

LC coach George Pfeifer bemoaned turnovers and rebounding. LC committed 16 turnovers to CV’s seven, and the Bears outrebounded the Tigers 32-24.

In addition to Lacie Hull’s eight rebounds, four other Bears had five or more rebounds including freshman Camryn Skaife’s seven.

“If we limit them to one shot, then we get to run more and don’t let them get extra looks at the basket,” Pfeifer said.

Pfeifer wasn’t overly disappointed, though.

“The big game for us was (Thursday),” he said. “Now we have to win one game next week.”

Lacie Hull knew the offense would come for CV.

“Some games the shots just don’t fall and you just have to keep working,” she said.

University 42, Mead 41: The visiting Titans took advantage of a late turnover to move past the Panthers (12-10) in an elimination game. U-Hi opened a 28-16 lead in the first half only to see Mead rally in the final two quarters. Kaitlin Pannell led U-Hi with 21 points, including five 3-pointers, and Brooke Bailey added 10. Aaliyah Pauling led Mead with 12 points and Payton Douglass had 11.