Jace VanLierop drains 3 to lead Ferris over Central Valley in 4A

With the score knotted up at 55 and the clock ticking down, Ferris guard Jace VanLierop figured the last shot would come from teammate Michael Ervin, what with Ervin’s team-high 24 points and all.

But with the ball in his hands and defenders draping him, Ervin gave it up to VanLierop. The senior pulled up from the corner and drained a 3-pointer with two seconds on the clock to give visiting Ferris a 58-55 victory over the Central Valley on Friday.

Ferris (18-4) moves on to play Richland on Saturday for a berth to regionals, while CV’s season ends.

“I just thought (Ervin) was going to take it,” VanLierop said. “He had a hot night and I thought he was going to make a play, but if he didn’t then I was going to be open for him.”

Ervin’s hot night helped Ferris get out to a 31-21 lead at halftime. The Saxons shot the ball well and frustrated the Bears on the defensive end.

But the Bears – who beat Ferris in overtime and double overtime during the regular season – woke up in the third quarter.

The Bears turned to Ryan Rehkow to get things going. Rehkow scored 12 of his team-high 21 points in the third quarter to bring CV (15-6) within three points entering the final frame.

The Saxons led by 12 at one point but suddenly found themselves down 44-42 after two straight baskets by CV to open the fourth quarter.

The Bears then led 52-49 thanks to a Zach Stocker 3-pointer, but Ervin answered on the other end just seconds later with a 3-pointer of his own to tie the game.

The Saxons needed stops on defense and got one. VanLierop was then fouled and made one of two free throws for a one-point lead.

Again, the Saxons needed a stop. And again, they got one, followed by a key basket from Ervin at the other end.

A 3-pointer by CV’s Grant Hannan then tied the game. On the next trip down the court, Ervin gave up the game winner to VanLierop.

“Our kids have played in tough games all year,” Ferris head coach Sean Mallon said. “They don’t get rattled or get down. I think we just draw on our experience.”

The win-or-go-home nature of the game made every play that much more important. Knowing the season is on the line changes things for the coaching staff, but only slightly.

“I think if you’re going to be anything, you’re going to err on the side of being aggressive,” Mallon said.

As the cliché goes, it’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. Despite losing twice to the Bears in the regular season, Ferris got to host the game after finishing a game above CV in the Greater Spokane League standings.

“We know (CV is) a really good team and we were just excited to have them come to our gym,” Mallon said. “That’s a great opportunity for us to play a program of that caliber. We were happy about that and weren’t thinking about what happened in the other games.”

Gonzaga Prep 81, Richland 80: Anton Watson hit a 3-pointer at the end of the second overtime and finished with 29 points and the Bullpups (20-1) beat the Bombers (15-5) 81-80 in triple overtime on Friday to win the 4A subregional title game.

Gonzaga Prep, ranked second in state 4A in the latest WIAA RPI ratings, moves on to regionals while Richland will face Ferris in a play-in game to regionals on Saturday.

Kea Vargas scored 10 points for Gonzaga Prep and made the game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game into the first overtime. Gonzaga Prep trailed by 10 with 2 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

Sam Lockett scored 10 points for the Bullpups as well.

Cole Northrup led Richland with 23 points, while Cody Sanderson earned 20 points.