Cheney deals first loss to Knights since 2014 by a team not named Clarkston
They may not be giant killers yet, but the Cheney High girls basketball team made a bit of history last Friday night with a surprising 58-82 win at then 2A top-ranked East Valley.
In winning their second Great Northern League game of the year, sixth overall, the Lady Blackhawks became the first team not from Clarkston to beat the Knights in a regular-season league game. The last team to do it outside the Bantams was Pullman, 56-44, on Feb. 17, 2014.
“We followed our practice plan really well,” interim head coach Roxie Smith said. “We applied post pressure (defense) inside and were aware of (East Valley’s) offensive presence by not losing track of their scorers. We practiced helping the helper.”
It helped that the Lady Blackhawks did something they have found difficult to accomplish this season — start off a game fast. Cheney’s defensive scheme of contesting the Knights inside players while also making sure they kept track of scorers kept the hosts off their rhythm, leading to a 19-11 first quarter lead they extended to 36-26 at the break.
The Knights finally mounted a rally in the fourth quarter, briefly regaining the lead after an early scoring run. Smith said the Lady Blackhawks stayed patient in their game plan, and regained the lead for good a 3-pointer en route to the victory.
Cheney also got a career game offensively from sophomore guard Emma Evans. Evans scored 24 points, and didn’t miss from the field until the end of the third quarter, going 8 for 9 through the first 24 minutes that included three 3s.
Seniors Aija Loffredi and Haley Pemberton added 13 and 11 points respectively. Cheney out rebounded East Valley defensively and committed 21 turnovers to the Knights 18.
“It was a group effort,” Smith said. “Every kid on the court was crucial. In games like that, everyone played their role.”
The win was especially sweet as Cheney came off one of their more disappointing showings three nights earlier at West Valley, falling behind big in a 73-43 rout by the Eagles. Smith said West Valley’s fast guards kept the Lady Blackhawks “on our heels,” and the slow start, trailing 19-4 after the first quarter and 38-21 at the break, made Cheney’s deficit too deep to overcome.
Loffredi led Cheney in scoring with 17 points while Maggie Smith added 14.
The Lady Blackhawks briefly appeared to have an emotional hangover against visiting Pullman 24 hours after their East Valley win, trailing the last-place Greyhounds early. A pair of back-to-back 3-pointers by Maggie Smith late in the first quarter gave Cheney’s it’s first lead and extended it to 12-7.
Threes by Loffredi, Smith and Evans propelled the Lady Blackhawks to a 29-15 margin before Pullman cut it to nine at 30-21 at the break. Cheney found its defensive intensity in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 19-8 en route to a 52-43 league win.
Pemberton had a career-high 23 points, with Smith adding 18, along with five assists, and Evans 10. Cheney took care of the ball, committing just 12 turnovers.
The Lady Blackhawks moved their record to 3-5 in the GNL, fourth place, and 7-9 overall. After six games in 11 days, Cheney gets a bit of a breather with just one game this week, Tuesday’s hookup with league-leading Clarkston (7-1, 14-1).
Cheney lost 77-54 to visiting Bantams on Dec. 7 and 51-41 on the road Jan. 8, despite committing 36 turnovers in the latter game. Smith thinks if the Lady Blackhawks can take care of the ball, shoot better from beyond the arc and bring a defensive intensity that they should be able to mount a challenge to the state’s seventh-ranked 2A team.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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