Lady Hawks roll over Cards in spirit game

Lady Hawks' guards beginning to show outside shooting touch

By JOHN McCALLUM

Editor

The Cheney girls' basketball team notched their first league win of the year Friday night in Medical Lake – and then topped that with a surprising upset 24 hours later of previously unbeaten and league co-leading East Valley.

Friday against the Lady Cardinals in the first ever Golden Feather Spirit Game between the two schools the Lady Hawks used full court pressure to turn a 5-4 lead into a 15-4 margin by the end of the first quarter, getting breakaway baskets off steals by Destinee Lake and Chae Brown in the 10-0 run.

A rebound put back by Mandy McDowell and an 8-foot baseline jumper from Allie Brown stretched that margin to 19-4 early in the second quarter before Medical Lake (1-5, 5-9) outscored Cheney 8-6 to go into the halftime locker room down 25-12. They got no closer as Cheney opened the third quarter with a 9-3 run on a basket by McDowell, two by Brown and a 3-pointer by Sarah Benzel for a 34-15 lead with 3:17 to play and expanded the margin from there for the 53-26 win.

Brown and McDowell had 10 points each to lead Cheney offensively, with Laikyn Brophy adding nine and Destinee Lake chipping in six. Cheney shot 46 percent from 2-point range, 18 for 39 and was 3 for 6 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Finally getting their first Great Northern League win helped the Lady Hawks the next night at home against East Valley (4-1, 8-5). Head coach Jennifer Harmer said Cheney played smart, getting good inside-outside play offensively and allowing only one of the Knights three top scorers into double figures in the 53-41 win, snapping East Valley's five-game winning streak.

“I think the confidence from the win against ML helped and we were well prepared going into the EV game,” Harmer said. “The key was we were expecting a battle, they (EV) play very physical. We prepared for this and were ready.”

Cheney got a big night from its backcourt players. Senior guard Sarah Benzel led in scoring with 12 points on four 3-pointers with Lake adding 10. Brown had nine to go with a team-leading 12 rebounds while McDowell added eight and defensively had five steals.

Cheney was 8 for 19 from 2-point range, 42 percent and 4 for 5 from beyond the 3-point line. The Lady Hawks committed 19 turnovers overall, 11 in the second half.

It proved to be a satisfactory ending for a week that didn't start well as poor Cheney shooting helped lead to a 54-39 home loss to Clarkston (3-2, 8-4) Tuesday. The Lady Hawks were just 13 for 39 from the field, 33 percent, going 4 for 13 (30.7 percent) from 3-point range. Benzel was the only Cheney player in double figures with 11 points.

The weekend's wins pull Cheney to 2-3 in GNL play, fifth place and at .500 again at 6-6 overall. Harmer was pleased with how things ended, especially since the week showed Cheney's guards are gaining confidence and understanding of their responsibilities, giving the team more quality minutes.

“They are accepting the challenge of being a threat from the outside,” Harmer said. “I have been encouraging them to shoot more to open up the inside for our post players. Teams have been doubling down on our posts, so it helps a great deal when the guards step up to play.”

The Lady Hawks look to keep their winning streak alive with two games this week, Tuesday at home against Deer Park, 0-5, 4-9. Friday Cheney hits the road, traveling to Clarkston in a quick rematch with the Lady Bantams, one game ahead of the Lady Hawks in fourth.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].