Cheney wins two of three non-league contests, gets first GNL win at Pullman
Cheney High’s girls basketball team found the holiday break from school to be a little therapeutic. The Lady Blackhawks won three of their four games, starting with a pair of wins at the Eagle Holiday Classic at West Valley High School, Dec. 27-29.
Cheney had four players in double-figure scoring in their Classic opener against Northeast A League Newport (1-9, 0-4) in Millwood, opening a 37-23 halftime lead and cruising to a 67-39 win over the Grizzlies. Aijia Loffredi led the way with a game-high 17 points, with Maggie Smith adding 16 and Haley Pemberton and Shelby Draper 10 each.
Cheney ran their tournament mark to 2-0 with another convincing win two days later on Dec. 29, opening a 20-7 first quarter lead against Idaho 4A Sandpoint (2-10) and never being threatened on the way to a 65-36 victory. Smith led all scorers with 15 points, with Pemberton adding 13 and Lexi Deatherage 10.
Cheney’s lone stumble in the three non-league games during the break came against Idaho 5A Lake City to open the new year. The Timberwolves (13-2) sprinted to an 18-5 lead after the first eight minutes, and extended that to 38-18 en route to a 58-30 win.
Deatherage led Cheney with nine points as no Lady Blackhawks scored in double figures and the shot opportunities were rare.
The Blackhawks wrapped up last week’s schedule with their first Great Northern League win, outscoring host Pullman in every quarter for a 60-39 victory last Friday, Jan. 4. Loffredi led all scorers with 16 points as again, the Lady Blackhawks found balanced scoring. Evans added 15, Pemberton 11 and Smith had 10.
Cheney (5-6, 1-3) has a couple of good challenges for it this week as they took to the road for their second game against second-ranked Clarkston on Tuesday. The Lady Blackhawks’ 77-54 loss to the visiting Bantams Dec. 7 was the middle game of a five-game losing streak.
Cheney’s bus ride Saturday will be much shorter — literally up the hill to Eastern Washington University’s Reese Court to take on the NEA’s Medical Lake in the annual Golden Feather Spirit Game. The Lady Cards (6-5), were in the midst of a four-game losing streak at press time Tuesday, but had a chance to put an end to that with a game against Newport, followed by a Friday tilt against league-leading and 1A eighth-ranked Freeman (9-3, 4-0).
After the Dec. 7 Clarkston game and prior to the break, Cheney High School officials terminated the contract of Lady Blackhawks head coach Lorin Carlon after two-plus seasons. Assistant coach Roxi Smith has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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