Gonzaga Prep boys outlast Mt. Spokane in defensive battle 37-29; G-Prep girls run away from Wildcats | GSL basketball

The Greater Spokane League – Gonzaga Prep and Mt. Spokane notably – is known for its tenacious defense. There was plenty of it on display when the two matched up on Tuesday.

What should have been a showdown between two of the top teams not only vying for a league title, but both with Saturday-at-state aspirations, was a battle of attrition from the opening tip to the final horn.

Mt. Spokane was held to one basket in the first half and trailed by eight entering the fourth quarter. The Wildcats cut it to five down the stretch – twice – but no closer, and the visiting Bullpups (11-5, 4-0) escaped with a 37-29 win over the Wildcats (9-6, 2-2) in a GSL 4A/3A game.

G-Prep’s Jack Pierce led all scorers with nine points. Mt. Spokane’s Rock Franklin had eight, all in the second half.

Gonzaga Prep coach Matty McIntyre certainly doesn’t mind a defensive game.

“I loved every minute of it,” McIntyre said. “We were talking before the game we thought maybe the first team to 40 might win it. Baskets were hard to come by but that’s the kind of game I love to coach.”

Mt. Spokane was without reigning GSL MVP Jaden Ghoreishi and fellow starter Cade Strocsher, both out with illness. Ghoreishi will be sidelined until late in the season, while Mt. Spokane coach David Wagenblast expects Strocsher back soon.

“You never want to go into a game against the defending 4A champs with a third of the roster in warmups,” Wagenblast said. “But I was really, really proud of our kids. We held them to 37 and that’s an incredible effort to do that because (G-Prep) is obviously an exceptional team.”

It would have been a tight game with both teams at full strength, but with the Wildcats coming in shorthanded they had to make it a physical defensive battle.

“We didn’t get it done on offense. That’s where we’re going to have our growth,” Wagenblast said. “But we were going against a bunch of seniors, defending state champs, so yeah, it’s tough to score.”

“We’re built very similarly. It’s two really gritty teams,” McIntyre said.

Mt. Spokane scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, with Franklin slashing his way in the paint, to trail 28-23 with just more than six minutes to play.

G-Prep answered with a four-point swing – a short jumper by Dylynn Groves and a pair of free throws by Jackson Mott, to make it 34-25 with 1:51 left. Franklin and sophomore Mason Dietzen hit short jumpers to get the deficit back to five, but G-Prep scored the last three points in the game to hold on.“I tip my hat to Mt. Spokane the way they do things. It was a battle all the way to the very end,” McIntyre said. “And that’s GSL basketball. We’ll play another game very similar to that Friday night against Central Valley.”

G-Prep got off to an 8-2 start midway through the first quarter, Groves and Ryan Carney hitting early 3s. But the pace went from jog to crawl, and the Bullpups led 12-6 after one. Mt. Spokane was held without a basket in the first, gaining all of its points at the free-throw line.

The second quarter was no more proficient, with both teams really turning up the defense in a game where every possession turned out to be critical. Groves (seven points) made two baskets later in the quarter and G-Prep led 20-8 at the intermission.

Mt. Spokane had one make in the first half – a Cash Durgan putback late in the second quarter.

Girls

Gonzaga Prep 81, Mt. Spokane 44: Aylah Cornwall led five in double figures with 18 points and the visiting Bullpups (14-0, 4-0) beat the Wildcats (3-12, 0-4) in the early game.

Quinn Pederson scored 16 points, Belle Hernandez had 14, Eva Malone scored a career-high 12 and Laura Thompson added 11 for G-Prep, which went 17 of 20 at the free-throw line.

Dez Manuel led Mt. Spokane with 16 points and Eleanor Romaniuk added 11.