Surprise: Lady Blackhawks eliminate No. 2 WV

The Cheney High School girls' basketball team saved the best for last.

The Lady Blackhawks ended a seven-game losing streak and notched their first win over a Great Northern League opponent with a 48-46 opening round playoff road win over second-seeded West Valley last Thursday. Cheney led 28-22 at the half, partly through poor free throw shooting from the Eagles, who made just three of 10 from the line in the first 16 minutes.

In the final 16 minutes, West Valley rallied, with the teams exchanging leads often and no lead being more than three points at any given time, head coach Shannon Root said. But with the score tied and 15 seconds to play, Cheney found its free throw touch.

Hailee Huff and Brette Draper both hit a pair of free throws and Hannah Lemelin made a key offensive rebound on a missed free throw to extend an offensive possession to help seal the win. Senior Kendyl Cone led Cheney in scoring with 19 points along with five steals while senior Katelynn Smedley had a "great game" with seven points and a lot of "hustle."

"I told the seniors, 'hey, this could be your last game,' and they really came out hard," Root said.

The win earned Cheney a second-round playoff hook up with fourth-seeded Pullman on Saturday in Pullman. The Lady Blackhawks played with the same intensity they had at West Valley, using full court pressure to make the Greyhounds uncomfortable, opening a six-point lead at the half.

But Cheney's undoing proved to be fouls, committing 25 to Pullman's 13. The Greyhounds capitalized on the opportunity, going 19 for 36 at the line while Cheney had just six attempts.

The discrepancy hurt the Lady Blackhawks as Pullman rallied in the fourth quarter, overcoming a four-point deficit to tie the game with seconds remaining. The apparent overtime was not to be, as the Greyhounds' leading scorer, Emily Drake, hit her only shot of the game, a 3-point buzzer-beater that sent them on to the seeding game at East Valley and Cheney home on the short end of a 39-36 loss.

Drake finished with just six points, well below her mid-20 point season average. Senior Kayla Lemelin and her freshman sister Hannah led Cheney with 10 points each, while sophomore Kristie McGourin added seven.

Root praised the play of her team in both games, noting the Lady Blackhawks did significantly better rebounding against the taller West Valley team, hauling down 27 boards, while also holding a high scoring Pullman team to just 39 points, well under their average.

Cheney finishes the season at 6-16 overall, 0-12 in league play. The Lady Blackhawks stand to graduate six seniors, Cone, Smedley, Kayla Lemelin, Katie McGourin, Cheyenne Hanson and Marissa Hunley, but should return a core group of juniors, sophomores and freshmen to varsity, buttressed by solid numbers at junior varsity and C squads.

"We ended on a positive note, good direction for next year," Root said of the playoff results. "We've got a good jumping off point."

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.