Groovy Shoes: NC boys, Shadle girls earn rivalry game wins; Wolfpack retains 'Shoes' for 10th consecutive year

The North Central boys basketball program has enjoyed its share of success over the past few years, with a couple of trips to state to its credit and three consecutive “Groovy Shoes” wins over Shadle Park entering last year’s game.

But the Highlanders took advantage of an off night by NC last year, shutting down the Wolfpack by 20.

North Central was keen to start a new win streak on Friday.

Tyson Vogrig led all scorers with 22 points, Miles Spencer added 15 and the Wolfpack handled the Highlanders 73-49 in the early game at the Arena.

NC led by five points at the half and exploded for 43 points in the second half.

Ja’Mir Johnson led Shadle Park (1-6) with 19 points.

“Last year they did us kind of bad,” Vogrig, a junior, said. “We had to come back and just handle business.”

North Central coach Rob Sacre played in his share of big games with Gonzaga, but he tries to be a calming influence for his team playing on the biggest stage of the season.

“For me, it’s a game,” Sacre said. “But for these guys, I know it’s bigger than just the game. I’m proud of how we came in, executed, did what we needed to do to get the right result. We were just really focused on just taking one possession at a time and being consistent on each and every possession.”

“You know, it’s loud, but when you’re playing basketball, you kind of get tunnel vision,” Vogrig said. “You just keep playing, and you don’t really worry about the crowd, you just worry about getting the ‘dub.’ ”

“It was a lot of energy, a lot of noise,” Spencer said. “But, you know, at the end of the day, you kind of just have to kill the noise and just focus on the game itself.”

The Wolfpack have sent several players to the next level the past few seasons. Vogrig and Spencer are two of the returners stepping into those shoes.

“Last year we had high expectations, and we didn’t get them to the fullest,” he said. “But this year we’re starting, you know, take it cool. We know how much talent we have, and we just keep pushing every game.”

“Just looking up to role models in the past years, I’m starting to take that on myself and know that I have a bigger role than just being a role player,” Spencer said.

“(Vogrig) is growing and getting better each and every day. I’m proud of how he’s responding listening, and he’s just growing into a really talented player,” Sacre said. “(Spencer) brings a great energy for our team that if we didn’t have him, we’d be a completely different team.”

Vogrig made a pair of buckets in the paint, then hit from way downtown late in the first quarter and NC led 20-15 after one. Neither team made much of a move in the second, and the Wolfpack led 30-25 at intermission.

NC (4-2) opened the third quarter with a 9-1 run, including a 3-pointer by Spencer, to open a double-digit lead. Vogrig finished with six points in the period and NC led 49-34 entering the fourth.

“We had to have a, you know, a ‘come to Jesus’ talk (at halftime) and kind of figure out what our identity is,” Sacre said. “And we went back to finding what’s gonna win us games. And we went to that.”

Spencer and Vogrig drained back-to-back 3s to start the final period. The advantage hit 20 with five minutes left on a fastbreak layup by Jordan Shanks off a nice feed by Terrence Bigsmoke.

Both coaches cleared their benches with 3:34 to go.

“I understand the hoopla and everything (of spirit week), but the longer I coach, the more I’m sounding like coach (Mark) Few,” Sacre said. “I don’t want to focus on the parade, the circus outside of (the game). We just need to lock in, and we have a goal that we’ve set for our team that we need to try to focus on.”

Girls

Shadle Park 54, North Central 40: Makenzie Fager scored 32 points and the Highlanders (3-4) beat the Wolfpack (1-5) in the late game. Fager’s career high is 34, set in a 64-43 loss to Ferris last season on Jan. 28.

Mia Shaw led NC with 12 points.

“It was all I could imagine,” Fager said of her final Groovy Shoes appearance. “It was fun this year with the new community and coach and my teammates and I feel like we’re more connected this year than we’ve ever have been. It was a fight in the beginning, but we pulled through.”

Fager hopes her teammates and other SPS schools don’t take the experience for granted. 

“I talked to some of my friends from other non-Spokane schools, and they are, like, baffled by it, because they just don’t understand how the atmosphere and everything is,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love playing with all my friends and experiencing this.”

NC got within three midway through the second quarter, but Fager hit a pair of 3-pointers from the wing and Shadle led 22-15 at the intermission.

NC senior Aalyiah England came off the bench for five quick points in the third quarter, drawing the Wolfpack within two at 24-22. Fager answered with 12 in the period and Shadle went up 40-27 entering the fourth.

Milla Harrington hit back-to-back 3s to open the fourth, then Fager connected from distance, and the lead grew to 22.

“The whole game we were talking about, ‘Just go, go, go, until we can pretty much break them,” Fager said. “And we did just that.”

NC won the spirit competition for the 10th year in a row.