Sandpoint 52, Wenatchee 39

WENATCHEE — Even though the Bulldogs didn't record a field goal in the first quarter, Sandpoint High head coach Will Love told his team the shots would fall, and they certainly did.

Senior Logan Roos collected 15 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, junior Knox Williams splashed three 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and the duo each had three blocks as the Bulldogs rallied past the Panthers to cap off the GESA Winter Shootout with a win on Saturday afternoon at Wenatchee High.

After Wenatchee started off the game on a 7-0 run, Sandpoint answered with a 10-0 run and eventually took a 19-17 lead heading into the locker room after junior Derrick Chamberlain, who recorded six points and six rebounds, posted an offensive rebound and putback and Williams produced a steal-and-score to close the half.

"It's something we've been working on all season long," coach Love said of the team's mental toughness and ability to shake off cold stretches. "We continued to work on the things we could control, and that was how we were playing defense. Coach Chris (Taylor) did a good job of getting the team ready for their on-ball continuity... it took us awhile to figure things out, but we did, and our defense was what kept us in there."

In the third, the Bulldogs, which produced 17 steals in total, got into a groove as Williams hit two of his three triples and Roos tallied eight of his 23 points, which included a three-point play. In the fourth, Sandpoint stretched their lead to 11 points, 38-27, after junior Logan Iverson drained one of his two 3-pointers on the afternoon after an assist from sophomore Alec Lieuallen, who impressed throughout the tournament after coming up from the junior varsity squad.

Iverson, who scored eight points in total and also had a team-high five assists, then sent a pass to Chamberlain, who converted a layup after some shifty footwork under the basket to extend the lead to 44-31 with under two minutes to go. On Sandpoint's next possession, Roos found Williams for a corner three to keep the lead at 13, 47-34, as the Bulldogs sealed the deal with some solid shooting from the free throw line.

Wenatchee, which stifled Sandpoint early on with their 1-2-2 zone and is now 1-7 on the year, was led by Micah Knell, who registered a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two blocks.

Lieuallen added three points, four rebounds and three steals to the stat sheet, Roos, Chamberlain, and Iverson all had two steals, and Williams dished out four assists in the winning effort for Sandpoint (7-4), which will return to action on Friday, Jan. 16 when they'll travel to Lakeland for the Battle for the Paddle Spirit Competition and a 5A Inland Empire League matchup.

"Knox played a really good tournament in regards to defense," coach Love noted of the standout guard, who had eight steals in the victory. "He did a great job using his length against players, keeping them in front, and had good timing off the ball and with double teams. Between Knox and the rest of the guys, they really started figure things out, and that's something we'll need as we head into league play. When we were in the same situation three weeks ago, we weren't able to get the win on Saturday — and this time we did against a team on their home court. A lot of credit to our guys for sticking through it."

Sandpoint 3 16 15 18 — 52

Wenatchee 7 10 10 12 — 39

PTS: SPT — Roos 23, K. Williams 12, Iverson 8, Chamberlain 6, Lieuallen 3. WEN — Knell 14, Torres 7, Cass 7, Harle 6, Mathison 3, Flatress 2.

REB: SPT — Roos 9, Chamberlain 6, Lieuallen 4, Iverson 4, K. Williams 2, Weisz 2, D. Williams 1. WEN — Knell 10, Cass 8, Wray 4, Torrres 3, Harle 3, Stuber 2, Nayak 1.

AST: SPT — Iverson 5, K. Williams 4, Roos 2, D. Williams 1, Lieuallen 1, Chamberlain 1, Weisz 1. WEN — Torres 3, Knell 3, Wray 1.

STL: SPT — K. Williams 8, Lieuallen 3, Roos 2, Chamberlain 2, Iverson 2. WEN — Torres 5, Harle 2, Wray 1, Stuber 1, Knell 1.

BLK: SPT — Roos 3, K. Williams 3. WEN — Knell 2, Cass 1.