Blackhawks hang around to knock off Medical Lake in Golden Feather

Cheney's come-from-behind win is capped with upset of visiting East Valley next night

By JOHN McCALLUM

Editor

Sometimes you have to just hang around in order to find a way to win.

That's what the Cheney boys' basketball team did last Friday night at Medical Lake and the results proved fruitful – a come-from-behind 41-34 win in the first ever Golden Feather Spirit Game followed by a 59-50 home upset of East Valley Saturday.

Both games were salve for Tuesday's 61-47 home loss to Great Northern League leader Clarkston where 17 first half Cheney turnovers helped the Bantams (5-0, 11-1) to a 23-point lead through three quarters. The Blackhawks didn't give up, rallying in the fourth quarter and eventually cutting the fourth-ranked 2A team in the state's lead to 10, but could get no closer.

CJ Skillingstad led Cheney in scoring with 13 points with Parker Franklin adding 10. Evan Cook had an all-around game at point guard with six points, six rebounds and five assists.

“I was very proud that they kept fighting,” head coach Ryan Fitzgerald said. “That was important to carry over to the next game.”

That next game was the loud, raucous environment of the Golden Feather at Medical Lake (1-5, 7-7), where the host Cardinals opened with an 8-3 run. They eventually stretched their three-point halftime lead to eight with a 7-2 run to open the third quarter before Cheney fought back.

The Blackhawks went to three-quarters court pressure and it paid off through steals and several one-shot-and-done Cardinals offensive possessions. Xavier Day's 3-pointer with 2:49 left in the quarter cut the ML lead to 25-22, and the senior's steal and lay-up 38 seconds later trimmed it to one.

Shakur Smith gave Cheney its first lead with a driving lay-up with 12 seconds remaining, and the Blackhawks eventually stretched that to five on a 12-0 run to go up 30-25 with six minutes left in the game. From there Cheney utilized aggressive offensive penetration and solid free throw shooting to seal their first league win, going 7 for 10 from the line in the fourth quarter.

Overall, Cheney was 11 for 20 from the line, 55 percent while the Cardinals shot just over 53 percent, 8 for 15.

“That's the story,” Fitzgerald said of the free throw shooting. “That's how you win games.”

Skillingstad again led the Blackhawks with 12 points, along with three rebounds and three steals. Smith added nine points, six coming in the fourth quarter, to go with seven rebounds with Eric Igbinoba hauling down five rebounds.

With the first league win under their belt the Blackhawks brought confidence into Saturday's matchup with a taller East Valley team. The Knights (2-3, 9-4) were coming off a last-second loss to West Valley in the two schools' spirit game and Cheney may have benefited some from the letdown, playing well on both sides of the ball to open a 32-24 halftime lead and again using timely free throw shooting to seal the win, going 9 for 15 from the line in the second half.

Smith led the Blackhawks with a double-double, 13 points and 13 rebounds with Diondre Moore-Young adding eight points and eight rebounds. Both he and Skillingstad were solid from the line, going 3 for 5 and 4 for 4 respectively with Lucas Hathaway contributing defensively with three steals and a block.

Fitzgerald said the Blackhawks played well in the Friday-Saturday turnaround, especially defensively where pressure turned the tide in the third quarter against Medical Lake and kept East Valley's big men out of the mix on Saturday.

“There's not a lot of preparation for those Saturday games,” he said. “Those games are about mental toughness and just playing.”

The wins give Cheney a 2-3 mark in the GNL, tied for fourth with East Valley, 8-5 overall. It's a big week as the Blackhawks hope to extend their winning streak by hosting Deer Park (0-5, 4-9) Tuesday and then boarding the bus to travel south in a quick rematch with the Bantams Friday.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].