GSL basketball: Aylah Cornwall paces Gonzaga Prep over young Ridgeline in overtime in return from injury; defending state champ Bullpups boys handle business

Some basketball coaches will avoid scheduling tough nonleague games early in the season in order to build momentum heading into league play later in the season.

Other coaches, however, want to test their teams right out of the gate against the best competition possible.

The Gonzaga Prep and Ridgeline girls basketball teams are both expected to contend for the Greater Spokane League 4A/3A title and have legitimate aspirations to reach the state tournaments. But their matchup Tuesday was more of a quirk in the schedule than anything else – they were the only two schools in the league that didn’t have a game for the season opener.

And that quirk provided a first look this season at two all-league players as ninth-graders returning for their junior seasons after each missed a campaign due to injury.

What happened was an instant classic, and a game that the rest of the league will have to look up to for the rest of the season.

Aylah Cornwall scored six points in overtime and 18 in her first game in 18 months and the visiting Bullpups edged the Falcons 78-73 in the nonleague season opener for both teams.

Senior Laura Thompson led G-Prep with 21 points and junior Charlee Peterson added 14 off the bench.

“I think we’re pretty good. That Ridgeline team is good, and you know they’re well coached, and you know they’re going to get better because they’re super young,” Gonzaga Prep coach Geoff Arte said.

Ridgeline has seven freshman on the varsity team and they all contributed heavily. The Falcons were paced by junior Grace Sheridan in her first game since freshman year with 19 points. Returning all-league senior Madi Crowley had 16 – seven in OT – and frosh Noelia Axton added 13.

“With seven freshman, two seniors and one junior … I won’t take the loss, but I’ll take the progress, take the effort,” Ridgeline coach Freddie Rehkow said. “We knew if we came out and played with intensity, we would have a chance playing a good, experienced team like (G-Prep).”

“That’s a hell of an offensive game for a girls basketball game in the first week of December,” Arte said. “So defensive practice might not be so fun the next couple days. But if we can score like that, and we can play a little D, we’re gonna be tough.”

The Bullpups raced out to a 10-2 lead and the lead grew to double digits briefly early in the second, but freshman Kalia Blanchard came off the bench with four points to provide a spark for the Falcons.

Sheridan’s 3 with 2:30 left in the half made it a two-point game, then Crowley hit inside buckets on back-to-back possessions to tie it. Sheridan’s runner at the horn gave Ridgeline its first lead of the game at 31-30.

Kate Taylor hit a 3 with 3:46 to put Ridgeline up 57-56, but Thompson made a personal 6-0 run to make it 62-57. Axton made a contested layup and free throw to bring the Falcons within one with 26 seconds left.

Cornwall drained a pair from the line, then Ridgeline called timeout in the frontcourt with 7.7 seconds to go. Simmelink hit a 3 with 1 second left, and it went to overtime.

G-Prep opened overtime with an 8-0 run, six by Cornwall, then Crowley scored seven points to bring Ridgeline within 3 with 45 seconds left. But the Bullpups got a bucket by Thompson and got a stop to keep the Falcons at bay.

“(Cornwall) might had some jitters early … but was solid and just gonna get better,” Arte said. “I’m hoping people forgot how good she was, because she’s better than she was when she was a freshman.”

Boys

Gonzaga Prep 74, Ridgeline 42: Ryan Carney scored 19 points, Carter Nilson added 18 and the defending State 4A champion Bullpups downed the host Falcons in the early game on Tuesday.

Caden Andreas and Matt Ehlers paced Ridgeline with nine points apiece.

“We did some really nice things and then there’s some things that we certainly need to improve upon,” G-Prep coach Matty McIntyre said. “But for only being together with the football guys and trying to piece things together just for a couple days, we’re off to a good start.”

G-Prep led by eight at intermission, then used a 16-0 run at the start of the third quarter to break it open. A 9-0 to open the fourth made it a 30-point game.

McIntyre said there is no stigma about entering the season as the defending champ.

“The only expectation I have for this group is that they come and work hard and we just try to reach our potential. Last year was last year, and this year will be something different.”

He didn’t mind the opening night draw against a league opponent.

“We have a really tough nonleague schedule leading up to our regular season in January, so it’s all about growth, and doesn’t really matter too much who we play.”