GSL play begins for Blackhawks

The holiday schedule for the Cheney boys’ basketball team may not have gone completely as head coach Travis Peevey wished, but he appears pleased with what did transpire.

The Blackhawks (4-4) lost both their outings in the Eagle Holiday Classic at West Valley in Spokane. The host Eagles rallied to win 50-48, Dec. 28 and Colfax breezed past Cheney 62-49, Dec. 29. Cheney concluded its three-game-in-three-day schedule with a 61-56 win over Wenatchee, Dec. 30, a game that had been postponed earlier due to weather.

“We have a lot to work on, but we are improving and are looking forward to league play,” Peevey wrote in an email. That dive into counting Greater Spokane League games will take the Blackhawks on the road for their first three contests at Mt. Spokane Jan. 3, at Ferris (Jan. 6, 7 p.m.) and at Gonzaga Prep (Jan. 10, 7 p.m.).

At West Valley, Cheney watched a 39-33 lead disappear thanks to the Eagles’ 17-9 fourth quarter run. Evan Stinson’s 17 points and Jakeb Vallance’s 15 led Cheney.

“We dropped some games we wanted to win but we got to play in a tournament atmosphere which will help us prepare for post season play, which is our long-term focus,” Peevey said.

Peevey identified what led to the fourth-quarter fade. “We need to execute better down the stretch,” Peevey said. “The nice thing is, that something we can work on and will continue to improve upon as the season moves forward,” he added.

Colfax, a 2B school, never trailed after carving out a 10-8 first quarter lead.

“Colfax is a great example of the basketball culture we are trying to build at CHS,” Peevey said. “They play hard, smart, and together. We knew they would be ready to go, they don’t care who they play, they are coming to win.”

Cheney’s Stinson led all scorers with 22 points while Gentz Hilburn added 10.

Hilburn was an All-GSL football selection for Lewis and Clark who recently transferred to Cheney. “Gentz showed up about a day or so before tryouts, I had never talked to him before, so it was a surprise to us all,” Peevey explained.

“We all saw what he did in football season, he is an incredible athlete and brings intensity to the basketball court,” Peevey said of the senior guard.

The non-stop run of games concluded with the visit by Wenatchee where Stinson scored 23 points and Camden Collins 10 to help repel the Panthers’ fourth quarter 24-15 surge.

“Wenatchee was a rescheduled game and we had to show up on Friday to take care of business at home after some tough losses,” Peevey said. The boys bounced back, and we did a lot of good things but again, we need to improve at finishing.”

Now things get a bit more important for Cheney, which has already seen five GSL teams on the non-league side. “League play is where it all counts and the teams that have prepared the best start to separate themselves,” Peevey said.

Paul Delaney is a retired Free Press Publishing reporter and can be reached at [email protected].