A Grip on Sports: The star power was dimmed but the intensity certainly wasn’t in Washington’s win over WSU

A GRIP ON SPORTS • One college basketball team was missing its best player. So was the other team. Which meant … what exactly? In a rivalry game, very little.

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• Oh sure, the star power was missing in last night’s Washington State/Washington showdown in Pullman. For the Cougars, Isaac Bonton was missing. For the Huskies, it was Quade Green. Injury and illness had sidelined the engines that make both teams go.

Which, meant of course, nothing to the competitive nature of the contest. It was always going to be knock-down, drag-out that came down to the final play. That was a given, even when UW raced out to a 10-point halftime lead.

The Cougars fought back, of course, as rivals usually do, tying the game late. Though, it turned out, Noah Williams length-of-the-court drive and layup came about three seconds too quickly. His play, which knotted the score at 63, left too much time for Marcus Tsohonis, who was filling Green’s scoring shoes – and then some.

The sophomore, who played with Williams in travel ball, already had 27 points. And he had the ball, going one-on-one against his former AAU teammate. On an island, Williams retreated, retreated, retreated, waiting for help that never came. Tsohonis rose up and buried a 10-foot floater with 2.5 on the clock. The Cougars hesitated, got the ball to Williams and his three-quarter-court heave missed.

Kyle Smith had finally lost to the Huskies after three wins as WSU’s head coach.

And Williams, who talks more smack than a politician on the stump, was unable to back it up for once, though, as always, the loss wasn’t one player’s burden to bear alone. Even the most visible player, the one who has supplied Washington the most bulletin-board material over the past couple years.

At least Williams didn’t pick up a technical in this one. But neither did the Cougars pick up a win. And they don’t know when Bonton, who is the mercurial talent they need to be successful, can return. He’s battling ankle injuries. His status for the last four regular season games is unknown.

The crew that took Friel Court last night is the crew that may just have to lead the way the next couple weeks. The fervor they showed in the second half Monday night is going to have to show up for 40 minutes against California on Thursday.

• If I could be anywhere in the world right now, it might be Melbourne. The weather for the Australian Open always looks so inviting in mid-February, even with a 70-degree difference between Washington and Victoria.

And the tennis?

It’s exceptional as well. Especially on the women’s side. Serena Williams is a miracle, upsetting (if you want to call it that) second-seeded Simona Halep in the quarterfinals and setting up a semifinal with Naomi Osaka.

It’s must-see TV and not just because the sun will be shining. In this case, it’s actually about the stars.

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Gonzaga: If you didn’t know the Zags were the West Coast Conference’s dominant program, the weekly awards would certainly tune you in. For the eighth time this season, GU players swept the awards. This time it was Drew Timme (player of the week) and Jalen Suggs (freshman of the week). Jim Meehan has more in this story. … The WCC’s dominate program? How about the nation’s? The Zags are No. 1 again. Jim has that as well. … He also has a story of Jeremy Pargo signing a new professional contract. … He and Larry Weir chat as usual for the latest Press Box podcast. … The women are 16th in the latest AP poll, as Jim Allen shares here, but were not seeded in the NCAA preliminary rankings. 

WSU: With both teams playing without their best offensive player, the game figured to be a dogfight. And the Dawgs prevailed on a last-second shot. We linked Theo’s game story above but we also have it here, as well as his early story about Bonton and Green not playing. … There is coverage from the West Side as well. … Around the Pac-12 and college basketball, USC is the conference’s best basketball team. Haven’t been able to write that much during my long career. … Utah always seems to take a step back after a step forward. … Colorado has been playing at the level of its competition. … UCLA has the player of the week. … Arizona is about to embark on the Los Angeles trip, the toughest road swing this season. … On the women’s side of things, Stanford upheld its lofty ranking, but just barely, holding off Oregon 63-61 in Eugene.

Idaho: Mike Iupati is giving back to the university’s athletic department with a donation to fuel athletes’ nutrition. That news is part of our weekly local briefs. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, what the heck is going on in the Montana basketball program? The third player is leaving mid-season this year. … The virus has invaded another program. This time it’s Montana State on pause, hitting after a four-game losing streak. That means Idaho State, which has played just eight conference games, will miss two more this weekend. … In football news, Idaho State has an interesting group of linebackers.

Preps: Football practice began yesterday. Despite the snow and cold, practice got underway. Dave Nichols talked with a handful of Greater Spokane League coaches about the first practice for this story.

Chiefs: A couple of Spokane players have been staying sharp by competing in a pro league. Dan Thompson has all the particulars in this story.

Seahawks: Russell Wilson has it right. The offensive line needs to play better. So does he.

Mariners: The M’s seem to be bending time with the signing of James Paxton. But time in Marinerville is a relative concept.

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• One reason I knew Kim was the one back in 1977, when we began dating, was her aversion to Valentine’s Day. It was as important to agree on that as religion, politics and a hatred of the Yankees. She checked all the boxes. Anyhow, we basically ignore the holiday, though just for the heck of it, I occasionally pop in with a card or present, just to keep her wondering. I did the same this year. Except I bought a Hallmark card that began “to the great guy I married.” Yep, I bought her a card to give to me. Wrote a nice note and everything. Left it where she would find it late Sunday night, after I had already gone to bed. Her laughter woke me up. And that, my friends, is how you can know we have been perfect together for more than four decades. Until later …