Deliverance

It may not have been a win of biblical proportions, but a guy named Jacob helped deliver the Cheney High boys basketball team its first victory of 2015.

Senior forward Jacob Whiteley scored a season and career high 16 points to help lead the Blackhawks to a 40-35 road win over East Valley last Friday night. He had some help as fellow senior JT Gould added 13 points to send Cheney to its first Great Northern League victory since a 66-62 win over Deer Park Jan. 21, 2014, snapping a 15-game losing streak spanning two seasons.

Whiteley and Gould were part of a Blackhawks inside game that dominated the Knights down low, hauling down 15 offensive rebounds and scoring 30 of the team’s 40 points in the key. Cheney shot 28 percent from the field.

Twenty-four hours later at West Valley, the Blackhawks almost notched their second league win, and what would have been a major upset. The Eagles entered the game ranked fifth in the state among 2A schools by the Seattle Times, but trailed Cheney 31-25 heading into the final eight minutes.

The Blackhawks didn’t take care of the ball, however, and West Valley’s Martin Hereford scored eight of his team’s 14 points in the quarter to help the Eagles escape with a 39-37 win. Two of teammate Anthony Rice’s six points came on a pair of free throws with 36 seconds remaining, and the Blackhawks couldn’t find a way to get a possible tying or game winning shot off as the clock ticked out.

Cheney had nine players in the scoring column, but none in double figures. Brett Wyborney and Nick Hohrman led the Blackhawks with six points each, while Hereford had a game-high 16 points.

On Tuesday, Clarkston’s Trevor Allen scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the first half to stake the second-ranked Bantams to a 30-15 lead en route to their 54-35 win at Cheney. Riley Jones scored 14 points to lead the Blackhawks.

Cheney, 1-10 GNL, 5-14 overall, still remains in last place in the league, and wrapped up its regular season Tuesday night at home against third-ranked Pullman. Since all five teams in the GNL make the playoffs, Cheney will find itself heading south for a return match up with the Greyhounds next Thursday, Feb. 12.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].