GIRLS BASKETBALL
CHEWELAH 55, COLVILLE 41
Smith, Cougars shoots past Colville
By Geno Ludwig/Chewelah Independent
Bailey Smith drained a trio of three-point shots on her way to a personal-high 13 points last Friday as she led the Lady Cougars to a 55-41 league win over the visiting Lady Indians from Colville on Friday, Jan. 27.
Smith was joined in double-digits by Aspen Katzer and Krislyn Koler, who each contributed 12 points to the Chewelah victory. Katzer scored six times on short jumpers, while Koler’s points came from four shots behind the arc. Together, the three donated 37 points to the Cougar side of the scoreboard as they pulled away in the fourth period to post their third straight league win.
Last week’s victories over Deer Park and Colville kept the Chewelah girls in third place in the current league standing with two games remaining. The Cougars are 8-4, and still have a chance to raise themselves up into second place depending on this week’s results. Chewelah finishes the league season against Riverside (1-11) and at Freeman (4-8). Meanwhile, second place Lakeside hosts league leader Medical Lake (12-0) and then travels to Newport (4-8). So, if the Cougars win two and the Eagles lose two, the teams will switch places on the league ladder.
Leading 31-22 at halftime on Friday night, the Cougars weathered a 10-point run by Colville at the beginning of the third period that chopped the Chewelah lead to a two-point spread, 34-32. The Cougar gals remained on top, however, and finished with a 16-point fourth period to run away from the Indians for the win.
“It was a close game in that third period,” said Coach Tom Skok, “but I think we finally wore them down late in the game.
“At this time of the season there is no such thing as an easy game. Every game is hard-fought. We prepare for them one at a time with a winning attitude.”
The Lady Cougars had that winning attitude last week as they steamrolled Deer Park 46-29 on Tuesday night and then pulled away from Colville on Friday.
It was Colville that had the three-point shot sighted-in during the first half. The Lady Indians made three treys in a row late in the first period and another in the second period. They led 14-11 at the end of the opening period. But, their lead was short-lived. Koler made her first three-pointer in the first period, along with baskets by Kyrstan Miller, Jaelynn Skok, Katzer, and Smith.
Koler’s second three-point shot tied the game at 14-apiece, and then Chewelah took a four-point lead, 18-14, on baskets by Cobb and Miller. The Cougar lead continued to increase as Katzer, Miller, and Skok added eight more points for a 26-19 lead. Left unguarded, Katzer hit her third of the quarter from the side, and Smith canned her second three-pointer for a 31-22 halftime lead.
Koler netted her third three-pointer at the beginning of the second half, but then Colville blitzed through a 10-point run through the next three minutes.
Nonetheless, Chewelah kept the lead and baskets by Koler and Smith gave the Cougars a 39-35 lead going into the final period of play.Chewelah stoked the fire in the fourth period, outscoring Colville 16-6 in the last eight minutes. An aggressive
Cougar defense did not allow the Indians to score from the floor, limiting them to six free throws.
Back to back threes by Smith widened the Chewelah lead to 45-35. Three inside buckets by Cobb, along with a back door shot from Katzer gave the Cougars their 55-41 league win.
At Deer Park on Tuesday, Jan. 24,, Maggie Cobb’s 17-point performance and a stingy Chewelah defense combined to stifle the Stags by a 46-29 score. The Cougars held their hosts to single-digit scoring in three of four periods. Chewelah led 24-11 at halftime and 33-16 at the close of the third period.
Post-season play begins on February 7-8, with the league’s third place team hosting the sixth place team, and the fourth place team hosting the fifth place team.
Colville 14 8 13 6-41
Chewelah 11 20 8 16-55
Colville Scoring – Brooks 5, Cox 6, Hartman 11, Fisk 3, Noetzelman 2, Merritt 2, Petrey 3, Cox 9
Chewelah Scoring – Cobb 8, Katzer 12, Koler 12, Miller 6, Skok 4, Smith 13
BOYS BASKETBALL
COLVILLE 62, CHEWELAH 52
Cougars taper off after upsetting Medical Lake
By Geno Ludwig/Chewelah Independent
It was hoped that Chewelah’s upset win at Medical Lake would trigger a lengthy season-ending winning streak. Instead, the Cougar boys have followed up their victory over the Cardinals with three league losses.
Last week the Cougars traveled to Deer Park on Tuesday, where a slow start led to a 43-37 loss to the home-standing Stags. Returning home on Friday, their unproductive third period allowed Colville to turn a close game into a 62-53 Indian win.
The unexpected loss to Colville put the Cougars in jeopardy. It has the potential to be catastrophic. Chewelah won the first game between these two teams, 54-51. Friday’s loss to the Indians tangles the teams in a two-way tie for sixth place in the current league standings with identical 3-9 records, with only two games left on their conference schedules.
The Cougars host winless Riverside (0-12) here on Tuesday and then travel to play undefeated Freeman (12-0) on Friday. Colville finishes against Newport (9-3) and Medical Lake (8-4).
These four games are crucial to both teams.
Only six teams will extend their seasons into post-season play. The bottom two teams will see their basketball season come to a close on Friday. Chewelah does not want to be one of those two teams. Therefore, going into this week, a Cougar win over Riverside is essential.
Friday’s clash with Colville was a closely-fought scuffle through the first half of the third period. With 4:33 remaining in that period, Chewelah trailed Colville by a single point, 39-38. Then, the Indians outscored the Cougars 9-1 through the last four minutes to take a 48-39 lead, and that margin proved decisive.
The opening period was battled to a 19-all tie. Baskets by Gavin Parrott, Owen Baldwin, and Elan Krausz left the Cougars on the short end of a 7-6 score. Parrott hit another jumper, followed by a three-point shot, and Krausz drained an inside bucket to knot the score at 13 points apiece. A free throw from Baldwin, a floater from Ben Richmond, and a three-pointer by Ryder Robison ended the period in a 19-all tie.
The Indians jumped out in front 27-21 by scoring the first five points of the second period. A pair of driving layups by Nils Berger and a rebound put-back by Dakota Kroiss narrowed the gap to 28-25 with three minutes remaining on the score clock. Baskets by Berger and Eli Hubert, along with a free throw by Kroiss, tied the score at 30-30.
However, Colville went ahead 34-32 at halftime.
Two free throws from Krausz immediately tied the score at 34-apiece to begin the third period. However, two driving buckets by Berger and another free throw from Krausz provided the only other points for the Cougars through the rest of the period. Colville took advantage of Chewelah’s sudden scoring slump and took a 48-39 lead into the final period.
The Cougars were unable to gain ground on the Indians through the remainder of the game as the two teams matched each other basket for basket.
Two free throws by Dom Coleman and an inside shot by Kroiss left the Indians ahead 50-43. Baldwin hit back to back jumpers, but Colville still stayed ahead 54-47. Krausz made a three-point play to cut the lead to 56-50, but that was the final Cougar basket with 2:37 remaining in the game. Three free throws by Kroiss with 17 seconds left on the clock were Chewelah’s final points.
Krausz and Berger were both in double-digits with 10 points each. Parrott scored 9, Baldwin had 8, Kroiss scored 7, and Robison finished the game with 3. Hubert, Richmond, and Coleman each scored 2.
At Deer Park on Tuesday, Chewelah scored only 12 points through the first half, leading to a 43-37 loss to the Stags. Krausz led the Cougars with 13 points, and Parrott scored 10. Griffin Stroyan came off the bench to contribute 6, and Kroiss finished with 4. Jensen Holloway and Hubert each scored 2.
Colville 19 15 14 14-62
Chewelah 19 13 7 13-52
Colville Scoring – Cisneros 8, T. Sandaine 4, Cunningham 3, C. Sandaine 13, Lembcke 18, Maddox 2, Floener 6, Say 9
Chewelah Scoring – Hubert 2, Richmond 2, Baldwin 8, Coleman 2, Parrott 9, Krausz 10, Berger 10, Robinson 3, Kroiss 7
