Blackhawks get too few chances in 54-46 loss to Lake City

By JOHN McCALLUM

Sports Editor

There's really no secret to basketball. The team who scores the most points wins.

But to score, you have to have the ball, and last Wednesday night the Cheney boys' basketball team had a hard time keeping their hands on it in a 54-46 loss at Lake City.

The Blackhawks' possession problems were particularly evident in the first quarter.

Eight turnovers led to only six shots, enabling the Timberwolves of Idaho's 5A classification to open a 16-5 lead.

Contrast that with Cheney' second quarter where they didn't turn the ball over once, took 15 shots and kept Lake City within range, trailing 27-17 at the half.

“That's the thing.

We got off to a less than stellar start,” Cheney head coach Ryan Fitzgerald said.

“But I was proud of the kids, the way they battled back on the road.”

Fitzgerald attributes the Hawks slow start to a lack of their having their “sea legs” this early in the season. As the season progresses, Cheney's conditioning should become more sound.

Even with the deficit, the Hawks battled into contention.

Helped by key minutes from the bench, Cheney outscored the Timberwolves 16-11 in the third quarter, and at one point cut Lake City's margin to three.

But the Timberwolves stymied the Hawks rally with a 3-pointer on the next possession, eventually stretching their lead and cruising to its fifth win of the season. Griffon Jones led the Hawks with 19 points, with Mike Sprenger adding 11.

Fitzgerald said they're never happy with a loss, but liked the effort from his players in rallying from their slow start, and maintaining the intensity against a tough team on the road.

Cheney drops to 3-2 on the season overall, but will get some chances to improve on that and work on key problem areas over the break.

The Hawks will host their annual holiday Blackhawk Invitational, Dec. 28-29, at the high school.

The boys take on Wahluke of the 1A South Central Athletic Conference on Friday night, game time 7:30 p.m., and will face either Fife from the 2A Nisqually, or the team from salmon High School in Idaho.

Fitzgerald said both the Warriors from Mattawa and the Savages from salmon are in tough leagues and play physical basketball.

Fife advanced to the 2A state tournament last year, beating Clarkston 65-59 in a second round loser-out contest before exiting the tournament with a 78-57 loss to East Valley-Yakima.

Coming off two straight losses, Fitzgerald said his team needs the invitational to improve its play, and regain some momentum heading back into Great Northern League action in January.

Cheney resumes league play on Jan. 4, hosting West Valley, another 2A state team from last year.

“We've got three formidable opponents and we know that,” Fitzgerald said. “This is more than just the Blackhawk.”

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].