New Cheney High School girls basketball head coach Lorin Carlon had a simple reply to a question about the beginning of the Lady Blackhawks 2016-2017.
“It’s a start,” Carlon said of his team’s 2-0 performance in the first week of play.
Cheney staked itself to early leads it never relinquished in road wins over Deer Park and North Central. The Lady Hawks outscored Deer Park in all four quarters for a 60-43 win in the season opener Nov. 29, and shutout a cold-shooting North Central in the first quarter en route to a 56-44 win over the Greater Spokane League 3A opponent last Friday.
Part of Cheney’s success stemmed from its ability to get to the free throw line. Past teams have struggled in that area, but against the Stags, Cheney was 32 for 52 (61.5 percent) while against NC they went 23 for 40 (57.5 percent).
Carlon would like to see those made free throw percentages higher, but he’s happy with the number of times they shot. Cheney and Deer Park combined for 57 fouls, 22 by the Lady Hawks, while at NC both teams totaled 52 fouls, 23 by Cheney.
At Deer Park, Cheney hit its first 3-pointer on the third shot attempt of the game — and made the last on its next to last shot in the fourth quarter, Carlon said.
“And we probably missed 25 in between, but we’re going to keep shooting them,” he added.
The Lady Hawks were led by the 17 points of sophomore Aija Loffredi, who went 10 for 13 at the line. Hailee Huff added 12. Cheney took care of the ball, committing just nine turnovers.
Carlon was at a loss as to how his team outscored NC 10-0 in the first quarter, noting the Indians were taking good shots in their own gym against good Cheney defense. The Lady Hawks’ lead expanded in the second period as NC didn’t score their first points until about three minutes before the half, and Cheney managed to hold off a second half comeback attempt for the win.
Kristi McGourin led Cheney with a double-double, 17 points and 11 rebounds. In fact, the senior just missed another double-double at Deer Park, notching eight points against nine boards.
“It’s pretty obvious who our board person is,” Carlon said.
Carlon may have also found who one of his shooters will be in the form of freshman Maggie Smith. Smith had four of Cheney’s five 3s against NC, including three in the second quarter, and went 2 for 2 at the line for 14 points.
The Lady Hawks again took pretty good care of the ball, committing 11 turnovers.
Carlon likes his team’s performances in his first week at the helm of Cheney girls basketball. The Lady Hawks’ ability to get to the line shows they are driving more to the basket, staying organized, patient and looking for that good shot.
“For right now, I’m happy,” Carlon added.
Cheney opened its home schedule this past Tuesday against Freeman of the Northeast A League. The Lady Hawks and their new coach return to the scene of Carlon’s last coaching stint this Friday, traveling to West Valley for their Great Northern League opener.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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