The down elevator for Cheney girls’ basketball may have begun its climb back up?
As the regular season comes to an end with no post-season possible, the Blackhawks have strung
together a pair of victories last week
That began with a 68-37 non-league contest over Rogers on Jan. 30 in the “Railroad Rumble” at Spokane Arena, followed on Feb. 3 with a 39-38 Greater Spokane League decision at North Central, Feb. 3.
Cheney closed out the 2022-23 season with a GSL road game at University Feb. 7.
Racing out to a comfortable 37-13 halftime lead against the 2A Pirates (1-5, 2-12), the Blackhawks (1-7 GSL, 6-13 overall) got 17 point from Shauna Elliott scored 17 points and 12 from Macey Richards in the raccous atmosphere of the rivalry game.
“It was a great environment for our players, something that they will remember,” head coach Ken Ryan wrote in an email. “(The) players handled the outside noise and took care of business.”
In ending a seven-game losing streak, Ryan observed, “Players never stop fighting and improving as a team,” he said.
Cheney staved off North Central’s second-half rally in a game where the result landed with Wolfpack (0-8, 8-11) in the league basement. Paige Evans led all scorers with 14 points while Elliott added 12.
The Blackhawks lost to the Wolfpack 49-29 on Dec. 9, the difference, Ryan said being owed to, “We just kept improving as a team.”
After seven consecutive losses, with the Rogers’ win, Cheney entered a place they’ve sought all season with their modest winning streak.
“We had a lot of injuries this season, but the players stayed focused,” Ryan said.
In that rematch with U-Hi (4-4, 9-10), a game Cheney lost 50-30 in their opener, Dec. 6 and what might make a difference this time, Ryan said is, “Hopefully we make our open shots.”
Paul Delaney is a retired Free Press Publishing reporter and can be reached at [email protected].
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