W. Oregon overtakes Central

MONMOUTH, Ore. — Fresh off a victory over the region’s top seed, Central Washington couldn’t maintain that momentum as Western Oregon used a big finishing kick to defeat the Wildcats 77-74 in a GNAC men’s basketball game Saturday afternoon.

Western Oregon (4-5, 11-9) outscored the Wildcats 10-2 in the final 1:51 to pull out the victory over a Central team that was coming off an upset of Seattle Pacific this past Thursday.

Chris Sprinker and Toussaint Tyler scored 21 points apiece to lead Central (6-3, 12-7), which had an eight-game winning streak against the Wolves snapped.

Sprinker also had 10 rebounds and matched his career-high with six blocked shots.

Tyler scored nine of Central’s final 12 points before fouling out with 4 seconds to play. His final basket gave Central a 74-70 lead.

But Blair Wheadon made two free throws and then hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 21 seconds left to rally Western Oregon.

Central missed a 3-pointer and had a turnover on its final two possessions.

Wheadon had 18 points to lead six Western Oregon players in double figures.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON — Chris Sprinker 10-15 1-2 21; Toussaint Tyler 8-13 4-6 21; Jon Clift 4-12 2-2 12; Miller 4-9 0-0 8; Gibler 2-2 0-0 4; Cook 2-12 0-0 4; Clyde 1-4 1-1 3; Sivak 0-1 1-2 1; Snowden 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-70 9-13 74.

WESTERN OREGON — Blair Wheadon 4-11 6-8 18; Rico Myles 6-13 1-3 13; Tarance Glynn 4-11 3-4 12; Kyle Long 4-10 3-4 11; Kolton Nelson 4-9 2-2 10; Matt Schmidt 4-12 2-2 10; Johnson 1-5 0-0 3; Chippoletti 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 27-74 17-23 77.

Halftime: CWU 34, WO 34. 3-point goals: CWU 3-16 (Clift 2-6; Tyler 1-2), WO 6-21 (Wheadon 4-8; Johnson 1-3; Glynn 1-2). Fouled out: Tyler. Rebounds: CWU 42 (Sprinker 10), WO 51 (Myles 11). Assists: CWU 14 (Miller 3; Tyler 3), WO 14 (Wheadon 5). Total fouls: CWU 18, WO 12. Technical fouls: None.

Central men beat No. 1 SPU

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — There was nothing subtle or measured about Central Washington University’s men’s basketball performance Thursday night.

The Wildcats hit the floor with power and precision and didn’t slow down until they knocked off Seattle Pacific, the West Region poll leader, 85-72, in GNAC play at Nicholson Pavilion.

Riley Sivak threw down a two-handed dunk for the first basket of the game and J.C. Cook threw in two of his four 3-pointers in the opening four minutes to launch Central on its way to a 47-30 halftime lead.

“That was probably our best half of the season,” said Central coach Greg Sparling. “That might have been Riley’s first dunk as a Wildcat and it really set the tone. And J.C. made a lot of big shots to keep it going.”

Cook made 9 of 13 shots, including 4 of 5 from long distance, for a team-high 24 points. His third trey closed out the scoring in the first half.

The Wildcats (6-2, 12-6) earned their eighth straight regular-season win over the Falcons (7-1, 16-3), who had matched the program’s best conference start in school history. Central has a three-game win streak since losing at home to Western Washington.

“We had a little heart-to-heart after the Western game and we’ve been playing with a lot more passion since,” Sparling said. “We’re not taking so many questionable shots and we’re playing great half-court defense.”

In addition to his scoring, Cook had eight rebounds and three assists without a turnover. Sivak finished with 14 points, and Roby Clyde grabbed nine rebounds.

Seattle Pacific, the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division II West Region this week, got a game-high 28 points from Brandon Larrieu.

SEATTLE PACIFIC — Brandon Larrieu 9-17 5-6 28; Chris Banchero 7-18 5-9 19; Sweet 2-7 2-5 7; Anderson 3-5 0-0 7; Wardell 2-4 0-1 4; Campanaro 1-3 1-3 3; Vranes 1-2 0-0 2; Morse 1-2 0-0 2; Diederichs 0-2 0-0 0; McHugh 0-0 0-0 0; Hope 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-60 13-24 72.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON — JC Cook 9-13 2-3 24; Riley Sivak 5-7 4-6 14; Chris Sprinker 4-9 2-2 10; Humberto Perez 4-8 0-1 10; Clift 2-6 3-4 8; Gibler 3-8 2-2 8; Clyde 2-7 2-4 6; Tyler 1-2 3-4 5; Nelson 0-0 0-0 0; Snowden 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-60 18-26 85.

Halftime: Central 47, Seattle Pacific 30. 3-point goals: Seattle Pacific 7-15 (Larrieu 5-7; Sweet 1-1; Anderson 1-1), Central Washington 7-16 (Cook 4-5; Perez 2-6; Clift 1-3). Fouled out: Campanaro, Clift. Rebounds: Seattle Pacific 38 (Sweet 10), Central Washington 41 (Clyde 9). Assists: Seattle Pacific 13 (Banchero 3), Central Washington 20 (Clift 8). Total fouls: Seattle Pacific 20, Central Washington 20. Technical fouls: Wardell, Toussaint.

Central-Western game will be on FSN

YAKIMA, Wash. — Central Washington University’s rematch with Western Washington in men’s basketball has been moved one day to Feb. 28, a Sunday, and will be televised on Fox Sports Northwest.

The Great Northwest Athletic Conference game was originally scheduled for Feb. 27 but was moved to accommodate the telecast.  Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. at Western’s Sam Carver Gymnasium.

In the season’s first meeting of the long-standing rivalry, Western defeated Central 84-70 on Jan. 23 in Ellensburg.

Sprinker, Cook, Perez lift CWU

LACEY, Wash. — Chris Sprinker, J.C. Cook and Humberto Perez combined for 42 points and Central Washington thumped Saint Martin’s 83-68 in GNAC men’s basketball action Saturday night in Marcus Pavilion.

The victory completed a two-game road sweep for the Wildcats, who improved to 5-2 in conference play and 11-6 overall.

Sprinker had 15 points and nine rebounds, Cook came off the bench for 15 points and Perez totaled 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.

“They zoned us, they manned us and all our guys kept attacking,” CWU coach Greg Sparling said. “When they made their runs our guys didn’t panic. And we did a fabulous job on the boards.”

With Roby Clyde grabbing 13 rebounds, Central compiled a 49-29 advantage in that department. Sprinker had nine and his backup, Coby Gibler, added eight.

Cook, in his second game back from a knee injury, was 6 for 11 from the field in 21 minutes. And key reserve Toussaint Tyler, who missed Thursday night’s win at Northwest Nazarene with an ankle injury, returned for eight points, four rebounds and three assists.

“He was a little tender,” Sparling said, “but he helped us. All our guys contributed. It was just a good overall performance. People did what they needed to do.”

The Wildcats host conference-leading Seattle Pacific on Thursday night before playing their next three games on the road.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON — Clyde 4-7 0-0 8, Sivak 1-4 5-6 7, Chris Sprinker 6-10 3-4 15, Clift 2-7 4-4 8, Humberto Perez 4-9 2-2 12, Snowden 1-2 0-0 2, J.C. Cook 6-11 2-2 15, Gibler 3-5 2-2 8, Tyler 3-3 0-3 8, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-58 18-23 83.

SAINT MARTIN’S — Jeremy Green 5-8 0-2 10, Jared Howard 4-17 5-7 15, Blake Poole 6-12 6-10 19, Squiers 3-6 0-0 8, Brady Bomber 2-7 4-4 10, Taylor 1-2 0-0 2, Votaw 1-2 1-2 4, O’Neill 0-4 0-2 0, Dodson 0-1 0-4 0. Totals 22-59 16-31 68.

Halftime — CWU 42, SMU 39. 3-point goals — CWU 5-16 (Sivak 0-1, Clift 0-2, Perez 2-7, Cook 1-4, Tyler 2-2); SMU 8-26 (Howard 2-9, Poole 1-2, Squiers 2-5, Bomber 2-6, Taylor 0-1, Votaw 1-2, O’Neill 0-1). Fouled out — Gibler, Howard, Squiers. Rebounds — CWU 49 (Clyde 13, Sprinker 9, Gibler 8); SMU 29 (Poole 14). Assists — CWU 18 (Clift 6); SMU 13 (Bomber 7). Turnovers — CWU 19, SMU 10. Total fouls — CWU 23, SMU 18. Technical fouls — Poole, SMU team.

Sprinker lifts CWU men

BILLINGS, Mont. — Chris Sprinker scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Central Washington recorded perhaps its biggest win of the season Thursday night, 73-57 over Montana State Billings in Alterowitz Gymnasium.

Central, ranked ninth in the initial Division II West Region poll on Wednesday, improved to 4-2 in GNAC play and 10-6 overall. The Yellowjackets, ranked seventh, slipped to 3-3 and 9-6 with their first home loss.

Jon Clift scored 13 points and Humberto Perez and J.C. Cook had 11 each for the Wildcats, who shot 55 percent (15 for 27) over the second half and 50 percent (28 for 56) for the game. Perez added four assists, two rebounds and a blocked shot as he, Sprinker, Roby Clyde and Coby Gibler combined for seven swats. Gibler also had six assists.

Cook, in his second game back from a knee injury, grabbed five rebounds. Toussaint Tyler, a top reserve, missed the game with a sprained ankle.

Central, coming off a disappointing 84-70 home loss on Saturday night to Western Washington, also outrebounded MSUB 42-33.

“We came to practice Monday and had an absolute bear wrestling match,” said CWU coach Greg Sparling, who was especially displeased with his team’s performance against Western. “This was definitely our biggest win. The guys played extremely hard and with a lot of confidence. And when Chris puts up numbers like that, we’re not going to lose many.”

The Wildcats led virtually wire to wire, and added steadily to a 34-30 halftime lead.

Reserve DeAndre Chambers led the Yellowjackets with 15 points.

CWU, playing six of its next eight on the road, visits Saint Martin’s on Saturday night.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON — Clyde 1-5 2-3 4, Sivak 0-3 5-6 5, Chris Sprinker 9-11 2-2 20, Jon Clift 4-9 3-4 13, Humberto Perez 5-9 0-0 11, Snowden 1-4 0-0 3, Miller 1-2 0-0 2, J.C. Cook 5-9 0-1 11, Shelton 0-1 0-0 0, Gibler 2-3 0-0 4, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-56 12-16 73.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS — McCrary 2-5 4-4 9, Hentzen 0-3 1-2 1, Wright 1-3 5-8 7, DaVell Jackson 4-11 3-3 11, Parghalava 1-7 3-4 6, Taylor 0-1 0-0 0, Weisz 0-1 1-2 1, DeAndre Chambers 4-12 3-7 15, Blaine 2-2 0-0 4, Hodge 1-6 1-2 3, Tanascu 0-0 0-0 0, Hickman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-51 21-32 57.

Halftime — CWU 34, MSUB 30. 3-point goals — CWU 5-15 (Clift 2-4, Perez 1-4, Snowden 1-3, Miller 0-1, Cook 1-2, Shelton 0-1); MSUB 6-19 (McCrary 1-2, Wright 0-1, Parghalava 1-6,Taylor 0-1, Chambers 4-6). Fouled out — Sivak. Rebounds — CWU 42 (Sprinker 9, Clyde 8); MSUB  33 (Jackson 9). Assists — CWU 17 (Clift 4, Perez 4); MSUB 12 (Chambers 3). Turnovers — CWU 15, MSUB 13. Total fouls — CWU 24, MSUB 20.

Central 9th in first West Region poll

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — If the playoffs started today, Wednesday’s initial NCAA Division II West Region men’s basketball poll would have been bad news for Central Washington.

With the top eight teams in the final regional rankings qualifying for the postseason, the Wildcats would have been the odd team out. They were listed ninth in Wednesday’s poll following Saturday night’s 84-70 home loss to No. 2 Western Washington.

The GNAC, in which CWU competes, held the top three spots with Seattle Pacific preceding Western and Alaska Anchorage following. Montana State Billings, which hosts CWU tonight, is ranked eighth.

In addition to Western and Alaska Anchorage, the Wildcats have lost to No. 5 Dixie State and No. 8 BYU-Hawaii.

Central (9-6, 3-2 GNAC), will play seven of its next nine games on the road.

NCAA DIVISION II WEST REGION

1, Seattle Pacific (14-2); 2, Western Washington (14-3); 3, Alaska Anchorage (12-4); 4, Cal State San Bernardino (11-4); 5, Dixie State (12-3); 6, Humboldt State (12-4); 7, Montana State Billings (8-5); 8, BYU-Hawaii (9-6); 9, Central Washington (9-6); 10, Cal Poly Pomona (9-5).

Western Forces the Issue

Western controls Central in front of large crowd ||

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — The fans were into it early and out of it early.

Not a good pattern for Central Washington, which had hoped to send its biggest crowd of the season away savoring its biggest win of the season.

Instead, many of an announced 2,417 were seeking the Nicholson Pavilion exits Saturday night well before the Wildcats’ 84-70 loss to 15th-ranked Western Washington had gone final.

 

 

PHOTO GALLERY

Click here for more photos from this event

Again, not a good pattern for the Wildcats.

Not only has Central (9-6 overall) lost its last two after a 3-0 GNAC getaway, it has been manhandled on its own court in its last two matchups with its cross-mountain nemesis by a combined 34 points. Western has also won the last three and 14 of 21 in the Wildcats’ oldest rivalry.

Coach Greg Sparling, asked his primary source of displeasure after a longer-than-usual postgame meeting, said, “They were more aggressive than we were. They forced the issue, and they controlled the tempo and the game.”

Though not wire to wire, given the Wildcats’ 16-5 advantage after the first 6:32, a burst in which Humberto Perez’s eight points were punctuated by two crowd-pleasing 3-pointers.

Western (17-3, 4-2), however, scored the last 10 points of the half for a 38-34 intermission lead. Then after Central scrambled to within a point on five different occasions, Morris Anderson’s 3-pointer sparked an 8-0 Viking run from which CWU would not recover.

“One thing that was big was getting the lead before halftime,” said Brad Jackson, who’s in his 25th season as Western’s coach. “That gave our kids a boost. And I can never remember coming over here and committing only six turnovers.”

To be sure, Western’s patience and offensive efficiency loomed large on a night when the Viks shot only 41 percent. But they attacked the rim well enough to earn 44 free throws, of which they made 32.

WWU also identified and maximized an unexpectedly hot hand, with senior guard Andrew Ready nailing 4 of 5 long balls en route to a career-high 23 points.

“This was a tough, physical game, as it always is,” Jackson said, “and Andrew’s a city kid from Chicago. This was right down his alley.”

And while Central outrebounded the Vikings 51-38, it was never able to develop the fullcourt pace in which it thrives. Also, several of  the Wildcats’ 15 turnovers were unforced.

“We didn’t take care of the ball, obviously,” Sparling said. “And we didn’t push the ball. We have to attack and get to the foul line like Western did so we can set our presses and do the things we need to do.”

Perez, hitting 6 of 9 shots before fouling out with 1:49 to play, led CWU with 16 points. Toussaint Tyler came off the bench for 12 and 6-foot-9 center Chris Sprinker had 11, although forward Roby Clyde was the team’s most assertive inside presence with nine points and a game-high 15 boards.

“It all starts with our post players,” Sparling said. “If they establish themselves inside, it opens things up for everyone else.”

Season scoring leader J.C. Cook, who hurt his right knee during Central’s Jan. 7 conference opener against Western Oregon, returned to score five points in 16 reserve minutes but was clearly not his usual 15.5 point-per-game self.

The Wildcats, who played four of their first five conference games at home, will play seven of their next nine on the road.

WESTERN WASHINGTON — Derrick Webb 2-9 9-11 13, Bruce 3-8 2-5 8, Vanderjagt 0-2 0-0 0, Morris Anderson 5-13 6-6 18, Andrew Ready 8-11 3-4 23, McAllister 0-1 7-7 7, Blanche 2-2 3-3 7, Woodworth 1-4 0-0 2, Severson 0-2 0-0 0, Mitchell 2-4 2-8 6. Totals 23-56 32-44 84.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON — Clyde 4-8 1-2 9, Sivak 2-7 0-1 4, Chris Sprinker 5-12 1-1 11, Clift 1-5 2-2 4, Humberto Perez 6-9 0-0 16, Snowden 0-0 0-0 0, Miller 1-3 3-4 5, Cook 2-7 0-0 5, Shelton 0-1 0-0 0, Gibler 1-3 2-5 4, Toussaint Tyler 5-16 2-5 12, Nelson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-71 11-19 70.

Halftime — WWU 38, CWU 34. 3-point goals — WWU 6-15 (Webb 0-2, Anderson 2-6, Ready 4-5, Woodworth 0-1, Mitchell 0-1); CWU 5-17 (Sprinker 0-1, Clift 0-2, Perez 4-7, Cook 1-3, Tyler 0-4). Fouled out — Clyde, Perez. Rebounds — WWU 38 (Webb 10); CWU 51 (Clyde 15). Assists — WWU 12 (Anderson 4); CWU 9 (Clift 4). Turnovers: WWU 6, CWU 15. Total fouls — WWU 18, CWU 27.

1/23/10 CWU-WWU photo gallery

Photos from Saturday’s GNAC men’s basketball game between Central Washington and Western Washington at Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg, Wash. All photos by Andy Sawyer of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Legendary CWU coach Nicholson will be inducted into state Hall of Fame

YAKIMA, Wash. — Dean Nicholson went swimming Thursday, in the rain.

“It’s pouring outside,” he said in a telephone conversation from his home in Concord, Calif., which is east of Oakland. “But I like to swim to keep the heart pumpin’. And the pool’s warm, so that helps.”

On June 3, the 83-year-old Nicholson will become part of an elite pool. He will be inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Tacoma. His class will include former Mariner Edgar Martinez, longtime Seattle sports columnist Emmett Watson and mountaineers Jim and Lou Whittaker.

“It’s an honor,” said Nicholson, already familiar with such acclaim. He was previously enshrined by the NAIA, the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association and Central Washington University, where he starred for his father, Leo, and later as coach won 609 games from 1965-90.

Nicholson also was the first coach of the Yakima Sun Kings and concluded his career in 1998 at Yakima Valley Community College.

“I loved reading Emmett Watson and I loved watching Edgar swing a baseball bat,” said Nicholson. “This is very special.”

He remains an avid sports fan and continues to closely monitor events in the Northwest from Concord, where he lives with his wife, Charlene, and where sons Joel and Gary and multiple grandchildren live nearby. In June, Dean and Charlene will celebrate their 62nd anniversary.

Nicholson was pleased with the M’s signing of ace Felix Hernandez, thinks Pete Carroll is deserving of a chance to resurrect the Seahawks and was aware that on Saturday night, the pavilion that bears his father’s name, and sits on a street that carries his own, will host CWU’s archrival Western Washington.

“That’ll be huge,” he said.

And of course Nicholson continues to maintain contact with the legions of players he coached, noting proudly that Richland’s Dylan Radliff is the son of  Reese Radliff, a standout CWU point guard from the 1980s.

There was a down note, though. On Wednesday, before attending a Denver-Golden State game, Nicholson learned of former Gonzaga coach Dan Fitzgerald’s death.

“Dan was a good friend,” he said. “We coached against each other — they beat us one year and we beat them the next — and we worked together in a basketball camp in Santa Barbara. Great guy.”

The State of Washington Hall of Fame was started in 1960. Its members are selected by sportswriters and sportscasters from throughout the state, and  the class of 2010 will swell its ranks to 168.

Back in step — Davis grad Perez moving past injury to become better than ever

YAKIMA, Wash. — Surely you remember the old Humberto Perez.

You recall the slender, 6-foot-2 Davis scoring machine who would light up foes from beyond the 3-point arc or, if challenged in that neighborhood, would slice and dice en route to the rim.

He was the Big Nine’s Player of the Year as a 2005 senior, then took his considerable talents first to the Community Colleges of Spokane and later North Idaho College.

Perez took a year off in between, then during his year at North Idaho incurred a stress fracture in his right leg. He was continuing his recovery when, in November of 2008, he chose to continue his career at Central Washington.

“He can do it all,” Wildcats coach Greg Sparling said on the day of Perez’s signing. “He can shoot it, he can get to the rim and I think he guards it pretty well. I watched him play at North Idaho, and he gets in there and rebounds, too.”

Now meet the new Humberto.

At the much more competitive NCAA Division II level, Perez is still getting past his injury. But he is also getting past defenders, blowing by some as if they were motionless, and he’s still draining long 3-balls and complementing a young Wildcats team with his explosiveness and versatility.

The new Humberto has started six of 14 games going into Saturday night’s Nicholson Pavilion showdown with Western Washington, averaging 11 points, 3.4 rebounds and is shooting 48 percent from the floor including 42 from 3-point range.

And here’s the best part.

There will be a yet-newer Humberto, once he fully recovers the stamina, confidence and other competitive factors lost during his lengthy layoff.

“There’s another gear for him,” said Sparling recently, impressed thus far by what Perez has provided and encouraged by what he will likely add. “We haven’t seen everything he has.”

For his part, Perez acknowledged that he is still developing. He is gradually getting his wind back, along with his cloud-level leaping ability and dynamic first-step acceleration.

Meanwhile, the pain that still surfaces when he sometimes plants his leg or makes a hard cut is slowly subsiding.

And of course a byproduct of such progress is confidence.

“At first I was a little scared,” Perez said. “I didn’t know if I could do this, to play at this pace. When we were doing our conditioning and were running a couple of miles a day, it would hurt.

“I was sort of tentative, thinking, man, I don’t know.”

There were early struggles, as one would expect of most any player making the precipitous jump from junior college hoops to D-II. But also there were glimpses of the old Perez, such as a 14-point, five-rebound, four assist outing in a narrow loss to then-No. 1 BYU-Hawaii.

In Central’s GNAC opener against Western Oregon, Perez was a major factor with 12 points and seven boards, and produced two plays reminiscent of the old player while also previewing the new.

During the first half he flew in for a mid-air putback of a missed 3-pointer that drew strong reaction from the Nicholson crowd. Then with CWU fending off a Wolves rally in the second half, Perez rose above a perfectly-positioned defender for a shot clock-beating 3-ball that restored his team’s momentum.

More recently he produced career-highs of 22 points and seven assists in a 120-103 rout of Alaska Fairbanks.

“We had a good little show that night,” Perez said. “We’re playing fun basketball right now, and it reminds me of high school.”

A far cry from Perez’s early days of recovery, when the best thing he could do for his leg was nothing.

“That was one of the hardest times of my career,” he said. “I was five or six months in a (walking) boot, and I couldn’t really do anything at all. It was like, get this thing fixed or be done for my career. The only thing I could do was rest and let it heal.”

And heal it apparently has, periodic twinges notwithstanding. So the door appears wide open for the newer-still Humberto to come barging through.

“Early in the season, especially during the conditioning part, you could see the frustration in his face,” assistant coach G.E. Coleman said. “I just told him that by the first or second week of January, he’d be one of the best players in our league. And now we’re seeing that. We’re seeing the Humberto we all love and remember.”

Next season, with perhaps the newer-still Humberto and all but two seniors from this squad returning, could involve great things for him and them.

Afterward, Perez plans to use a law and justice degree to help youth — perhaps in Yakima.

“There are so many things you can do with the degree,” he said, “counseling, working with kids in a juvenile detention center, that type of thing. The first thing is to get the degree, then I’ll focus on something I want to do. There might even be a little coaching involved.”

Some of his students might well have heard of the old Humberto. Others may have been familiar with the new Humberto.

More still might marvel at being tutored by a player yet to be seen but anxiously anticipated — the newer-still Humberto.

“I saw him at Davis,” Sparling said, “and I saw him at North Idaho. I still think there’s another gear for him.”

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