Cheney 64, Sandpoint 54

EAST WENATCHEE — After a red-hot start to the contest — a contest where Sandpoint hit all five of their three-pointers in the first half — Cheney, with a balanced scoring attack, took over early in the second quarter and led until the final buzzer.

Senior Logan Roos drained three three-pointers and scored 16 of his game-high 27 points in the first half, hauling in 10 rebounds for a double-double in the process, junior Knox Williams produced 12 points, including a three-pointer of his own, dished out a game-high six assists and pulled down five rebounds, but the Bulldogs fell to the Blackhawks of the Greater Spokane League in a GESA Winter Shootout matchup held Friday afternoon at Eastmont High.

The Bulldogs maintained a 19-17 lead after one quarter of action, with senior Dallen Williams also hitting a triple during what was a back-and-forth first eight minutes, but a 17-8 second-quarter scoring advantage by Cheney put Sandpoint at a 34-27 disadvantage heading into intermission. And although the Blackhawks scored five quick points out of the half to extend their lead to 12, the Bulldogs bounced back.

The Knox Williams-to-Roos connection was firing on all cylinders as the duo connected twice on inbounds plays underneath to close the gap. Roos then blocked a Cheney three-point attempt, corralled the rebound, and scored on a fast break to make it a 43-39 game midway through the third. Knox then converted a deep, fadeaway two-point basket from the corner off a give-and-go from Dallen Williams to cut the Sandpoint deficit to two points, but with just eight players suited up for the Bulldogs, coupled with facing a Cheney team with a deep rotation, the Blackhawks, led by Juleon Horyst's 21 points and eight rebounds and Kade Adderley's 12 points and nine rebounds, put together an 18-6 run for a 61-47 lead late in the fourth quarter — the 14-point margin being their largest of the game.

"We had some really good moments out there and were able to compete, but what were looking for is consistency, especially when playing in these tournament formats," Sandpoint High head coach Will Love said of his team, which was missing three quality players who give significant minutes on the night. "It was a learning experience for us, and for the kids that did step up in place, they did a good job ... in the fourth quarter, we were getting some stops, but were just a little too hurried offensively. Cheney is a really good team, they're well-coached and they had a good plan of attack that they executed well."

Junior Derrick Chamberlain netted 10 points and had nine rebounds, junior Logan Iverson posted four assists, and Roos had three blocks and two steals in the loss for Sandpoint (6-4), which will take on host Wenatchee (1-5) on their home court this afternoon to close out the tournament. The Blackhawks, who improved to 6-3 on the year with the victory, defeated the Panthers by a score of 67-59 on Thursday.

Sandpoint 19 8 16 11 — 54

Cheney 17 17 16 14 — 64

PTS: SPT — Roos 27, K. Williams 12, Chamberlain 10, D. Williams 3, Weisz 2. CHE — Horyst 21, Adderley 12, Volk 9, Howe 8, Huse 7, A. Ward 4, Bleick 2, Smith 1.

REB: SPT — Roos 10, Chamberlain 9, K. Williams 5, D. Williams 3, Iverson 2, Weisz 1. CHE — Adderley 9, Horyst 8, Huse 7, Volk 7, Howe 3, Zeisler 2, Bleick 1, Smith 1.

AST: SPT — K. Williams 6, Iverson 4, Lieuallen 2, Roos 1, Chamberlain 1, D. Williams 1. CHE — Huse 4, Horyst 4, A. Ward 3, Howe 2, Adderley 1.

STL: SPT — Roos 2, K. Williams 2, Lieuallen 1. CHE — Adderley 1, Bleick 1, Howe 1, A. Ward 1.

BLK: SPT — Roos 3, K. Williams 1. CHE — Volk 2, A. Ward 1.