For six of eight quarters over two games last week the Cheney High School boys basketball team was everything their coach hoped they’d be — playing with intensity and utilizing good ball movement to produce high-percentage shots.
But in those other two quarters, both in the second half Friday night against East Valley, that disappeared, particularly the high-percentage shots if not the intensity. The result was a split of the two games, a 68-54 non-league win over Idaho 5A Lake City and a 55-50 loss to the Knights in Great Northern League play.
Tuesday against Lake City, Blackhawks head coach Gregg Smith said his team played with confidence and an “incredible” amount of intensity. Cheney’s movement offense produced a number of easy, close-in shots, giving the Blackhawks a 51 percent shooting average from two-point range and 45 percent overall.
Cheney’s shooting gave them a seven-point lead at the half that they only expanded upon in the final 16 minutes for the win. The Blackhawks committed just 13 turnovers compared to Lake City’s 21, and played the Wolves evenly in the rebounding battle, getting out-boarded 33-31.
“We found opportunities to take great shots,” Smith said. “That’s what happens when you move the ball.”
Devin Cook led Cheney in scoring and rebounding with 17 points and seven boards, with Jaylen Worthem adding 13 points, Landon West 10 and Anthony Ehrenberg 10 to go with six boards.
Cheney’s intensity and ball movement held true the first 16 minutes against East Valley, helping them take a 35-26 lead into the halftime locker room. But in the third and fourth quarters, while the intensity was still there, those easier looks weren’t.
Smith said the Knights went to a zone defensively that turned what were Cheney lay-ups in the first half into short jumpers in the second. The result was the Blackhawks going 1 for 9 inside the arc in their six-point third quarter, 2 for 15 overall and a 4-for-18 overall performance in their nine-point fourth.
“We just needed an extra foot and a half for the lay-in instead of a six-foot-jumper,” Smith said.
Worthem led Cheney in scoring with 17, with Ehrenberg adding 16 and Cameron Hardt chipping in eight. The turnover and rebounding battle was about even, with Cheney out-boarding EV 38-37 and committing 13 turnovers to 14 for the Knights.
Cheney drops to 2-3 overall, 0-2 in GNL play. The Blackhawks take to a non-league schedule over the holiday break, hosting Idaho 4A Lakeland Dec. 20, traveling to Deer Park Dec. 21 to make up a game postponed from Nov. 29 before taking part in the Eagle Classic Tourney at West Valley Dec. 28-29.
At West Valley, the Blackhawks will face a couple of 1A teams, beginning with Northeast A League Colville (1-2, 3-4) and followed by the Caribou Trail’s Lake Roosevelt .
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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