Blackhawks basketball teams off to identical starts

Both the Cheney High boys and girls basketball teams opened their 2014-2015 seasons with a five-day home stand in which they posted identical 1-2 records. The boys found their way into the win column last Thursday with a win over the Reardan Indians, 71-43 while the girls ended their 0-2 start by downing 1A Freeman 49-37 Saturday for their first victory.

Against the 2B classification Indians the Blackhawks' boys built a 38-22 halftime lead and never looked back. Brett Wyborney led Cheney in scoring with 17 points while Ryan Smedley added 12 and Keenan Williams chipped in 11.

The boys opened their season with a 52-40 loss to Idaho 4A classification Lakeland last Tuesday, Dec. 2. Cheney looked efficient offensively in opening a 19-9 first quarter lead against the visiting Hawks, but went into a dry spell over the next two quarters, scoring just five points.

Saturday the Scotties outscored Cheney 25-14 in the second quarter, just enough to allow them to withstand a Blackhawks rally and earn a 52-51 win. Cheney had a chance for the win at the end, but missed a 3-point shot attempt at the buzzer.

Wyborney led all scorers with 19 points while Jamiel Worthem added 13.

For the Lady Blackhawks, getting into the win column was a matter of learning to overcome some slow starts. Cheney averaged 7 points in the first quarter of their first three games, but overcame an 11-6 first quarter deficit by outscoring Freeman 43-26 over the next 24 minutes for the win, including a 15-5 third quarter.

Bette Draper led the Lady Blackhawks with 11 points while Katie McGourin added 10.

Cheney opened with a 60-33 loss to a Lakeland girls' team that already had five games under their belts. The Lady Blackhawks didn't manage double digit scoring until the fourth quarter, where they were outscored 18-11.

Last year's leading scorer Kendyl Cone was the only Cheney player in double figures with 10 points.

The Lady Blackhawks played much better Thursday night against visiting Reardan, but in the end a 34-20 halftime deficit proved too much for Cheney to overcome in their 61-51 loss. Cone led Cheney with 19 points.

Both boys head coach Chris Dunn and girls head coach Shannon Root have been using Cheney's preseason games to tinker with various lineups, finding out which combinations work best, particularly when bringing in players off the bench.

"Everybody has a role and we just need to make sure they get into the game in that role," Root said last Wednesday after the Lakeland game.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].