Cheney downs Pullman and Medical Lake at Golden Feather
Shelby Draper hauls down a rebound Saturday against the Cardinals.
CHENEY – It took a few weeks, but the Lady Blackhawks basketball squad now has back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
The girls wasted little time in earning their first Great Northern League win of the season, opening a 17-9 first quarter lead and holding the visiting Greyhounds to single-digit scoring in each of the next three quarters for a 51-23 win on Thursday, Jan. 16 in a game moved from Jan. 10 due to snow. Maggie Smith led all scorers with 18 points as Cheney blew the game open with a 20-point third quarter.
The Lady Blackhawks made it two in a row Saturday in the annual Golden Feather Spirit Game with Medical Lake, scoring the first 10 points of the contest and never looking back in their 50-32 win. Smith again led all scorers with 15 points while Shelby Draper got into double-digit scoring for the first time this season with 12 points.
Head coach Roxie Smith said it was good to see the 6-foot-1-inch senior post have a breakout game; adding getting another scorer to complement Maggie Smith and junior Emma Evans could be good for Cheney going forward.
"We need a third person to be in double digits, and we'll be right there in league," she added.
Smith said the team has been picking up the pace of practices with the hopes this will carry over into games where in the past Cheney has not always controlled the pace and tempo, often playing from behind. Against the Cardinals, the Lady Blackhawks came out more aggressively on defense - where they have been playing well this season – by switching between full court man and zone at first, then dropping back into half-court traps.
It worked in the first quarter, but after the Cardinals scored the first five points of the second frame, Smith called timeout and challenged her players to re-establish their earlier pace.
It worked as Cheney came out and immediately got a 3-point basket by Maggie Smith and two from Avery Stark to go back up by 11, and Medical Lake never got closer from then on.
In running their overall mark to 4-7, 1-3 in the Great Northern League, the Lady Blackhawks have not only won two in a row but three of their last four games. That will be difficult to maintain as Cheney returns to GNL play with four games over the next seven days – beginning with their Jan. 21 match up at 2A sixth-ranked and league-leading West Valley (4-0, 10-1).
Cheney follows that with a home date against GNL No. 3 and 13th-ranked East Valley (3-2, 10-3) Friday, a road trip to last place Pullman (0-5, 3-10) Saturday and stays on the road Tuesday to face No.11 and GNL second-place Clarkston (3-1, 9-2) Tuesday. Smith said they plan to keep up their style of play against all four teams, but won't be afraid to be "a bit more creative" and make changes as the pace and tempo of each game dictates.
"Our goal is to play at a faster pace and tempo and I've been challenging the girls to do that," she added.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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