CHENEY — It may seem strange to be reading about basketball, wrestling and gymnastics when it’s 80 degrees and sunny outside rather than 20 degrees and snowy, but such is the high school sports world of Covid-19.
With that, Blackhawks winter sports teams finally got into their Season 3 action on May 18, opening their inaugural Greater Spokane League competition with varying degrees of success.
Boys basketball
The Blackhawks are still in search of their first win as of June 1. Cheney opened with an 85-63 loss to Central Valley on May 18, followed by losses to Gonzaga Prep, 77-35, May 21; University 73-40, May 24; Mt. Spokane 88-26, May 26 and Lewis and Clark, 67-44, May 28.
No stats were available for the Central Valley and U-Hi games, with Cheney struggling to score against G-Prep and Mt. Spokane — failing to get any players into the double-digit categories. Joshua Whiteley broke that string with 17 points last Friday against the Tigers.
Girls basketball
The Blackhawks have fared a bit better than the boys, ending a season-opening three-game losing streak with a 48-38 win May 26 over Mt. Spokane. Emma Evans and Mia Goodloe led Cheney with eight points each against the Wildcats.
Evans led the Blackhawks with 13 points in their 65-33 season-opening loss to Central Valley, with Megan Schuller adding 10 points. Evans was also Cheney’s leading scorer with 14 points in a 44-29 loss to Gonzaga Prep, 11 points in a 36-29 loss to University and 16 points in a May 28 loss to Lewis and Clark, 67-49. Avery Stark added 10 points against the Tigers.
Gymnastics
Cheney opened the season May 19 by placing fourth in a five-team meet at Central Valley. The Blackhawks scored 63.425 points to place behind Ferris (113 points), Central Valley (157.5) and Mead (163.345). The other team competing was North Central.
Cheney again placed fourth in May 26 competition at University, edging fifth-place NC 46.075 – 44.275. Lauren O’Callaghan was second in the all-around (32.525 points) and on the beam (8.65). Central Valley was first, followed by University and Shadle Park.
Slowpitch softball
In a fall sport moved into Season 3 action with winter competition, the Blackhawks have so far posted 2-3 record in GSL play. Bella King and Maddie McDowell led Cheney to a 10-7 season-opening win May 18 over Lewis and Clark, with King smacking a pair of home runs and plating 4 RBIs and McDowell going yard once, along with a double. Ashlynn Scott got the win in the pitching circle.
Scott got her second win two days later, holding hosts East Valley to one run on six hits in Cheney’s 2-1 win. King, Scott and Pyper Cagle each had two hits, including a double by King.
Since then the Blackhawks have fallen into a three-game losing streak, falling 14-7 on May 24 to Mead, edged 12-11 by Gonzaga Prep in the Bullpups last at bat May 25, and committing four errors in a 13-2 loss to Central Valley on May 27.
Wrestling
Cheney opened with a 60-20 loss to Mt. Spokane May 20. Joe Showalter won by pin at 132 pounds, with Dylan Straley and Blake Seubert scoring identical 14-4 major decisions at 170 and 182. James Whiteley notched a forfeit at 220.
The Blackhawk made a closer show of it at Central Valley, losing 42-33 to the Bears. Showalter got an injury default win, with Jase Winner getting a pin at 138. Straley won by pin, as did Ezra Anderson at 195, Whiteley and Matai James Odood at 285. The Blackhawks had four losses due to forfeits.
The Blackhawks wrapped up their May schedule with a close, 35-28 loss at Gonzaga Prep, with both squads forfeiting twice and neither team fielding a wrestler at 220. Straley earned Cheney’s only pin, with Kendal Harman scoring an 8-3 decision at 120, Ian Schwendiman a 14-4 major decision at 126 and Whiteley an 8-3 decision at 285. Showalter and Seubert each won by forfeit.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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