B2
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Sports
The Wenatchee World
Zags narrowly escape Pullman
Associated Press
second half.
“Olynyk couldn’t have made
PULLMAN — Kevin Pangos
these plays a year ago,” Few
had a tough shooting night, until said. “He’s turning into a strong
the game was on the line.
player.”
Then the Gonzaga guard
Brock Motum had 23 points
drove the length of the court
and DaVonte Lacy added 22 for
and made a layup with 2
Washington State (5-4), which
seconds left for a 71-69 victory
saw its three-game winning
over Washington State on
streak snapped.
Wednesday night, giving the
Motum hit a 3-pointer with
Bulldogs (9-0)
14 seconds left to bring WSU
the best start in within 68-67.
their Division I
Gary Bell Jr. made a free
history.
throw for Gonzaga, and Lacy
Pangos made made a layup to tie the score
just 1 of 11 shots at 69.
Zags 71,
before the
That set up Pangos’ drive
WSU 69
game-winner.
that
gave him eight points.
Wednesday
“My thought
“It was a great college
Next: vs. Illinois
process was to
Saturday, 4 p.m.
basketball game,” Washington
TV: ESPN 2
just get to the
State coach Ken Bone said. “It
rim,” Pangos
was a fun game to be involved
said.
in, a stressful game to coach.
“It wasn’t my best shooting
“Gonzaga is very good,”
night, to say the least,” he said.
Bone said. “There is a reason
“But I’ve struggled offensively
they are the No. 10 team in the
before. I forgot about the misses country.”
and just kept shooting.”
Olynyk, who had 10 points
Elias Harris scored 23 points
in the first 8 minutes of the
and Kelly Olynyk had 22, all in
second half, scored three
the second half, for Gonzaga,
straight baskets as Gonzaga
which had been tied with the
built a 41-36 lead.
1994-95 team for best start.
Consecutive 3-pointers by
“We gave game balls to both
Harris and Mike Hart gave
of these guys,” Gonzaga coach
Gonzaga a 56-45 lead with 7:26
Mark Few said of Harris and
left.
Olynyk. “These two players
Lacy hit two 3-pointers to
down the stretch were big for
bring WSU within 58-51 with
us.”
6 minutes left and consecOlynyk, who redshirted last
utive 3-pointers by Motum cut
season, made 10 of 14 shots to
Gonzaga’s lead to 60-57 with
keep Gonzaga in the game in the 3:31 left.
AP Photo
Gonzaga guard Gary Bell, Jr. drives around Washington State guard Mike Ladd.
Gonzaga needed a last second layup to avoid an upset and remain undefeated.
Seattle’s suspended corner could see action if Seahawks clinch playoff spot
BY DANNY O’NEIL
The Seattle Times
RENTON — Cornerback Brandon Browner
began his four-game suspension sooner with an
eye toward being available later this season.
Whether that happens will depend on how the
Seahawks cope with the absence of their starting
cornerback, who will miss the final four regularseason games for violating the league’s policy on
performance-enhancing drugs. Walter Thurmond
will start in Browner’s place beginning Sunday
against Arizona.
If the Seahawks reach the postseason, Browner
would be eligible for the playoffs.
Coach Pete Carroll declined to comment
on Browner’s case, but said, “I’m disappointed
that we’d lose anybody whether it’s by injury or
whatever.”
Browner’s suspension is the first step toward
resolving the issue that has loomed over the
Wildcats
From Page B1
strong defender.
“Scoring-wise, J.J. is smart. He knows what his
best shot for us is,” Waters said. “And he’s one of
our best defenders. He gets more defensive tips
than anybody.”
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound McDonnell will be
expected to spend some time in the paint for the
perennially height-challenged Wildcats — only
three players on the roster reach 6-foot-3, and
none have previous varsity experience.
“Dalin is no stranger to the paint; he can go
inside/outside. Is he undersized? Yeah, but he’s
a relentless player,” Waters said.
A couple of athletic junior transfers will slide
right into spots left vacant by the senior class
— Connor Trevino (Cascade-Leavenworth)
and Killion McGinnis (Wenatchee), the son of
former Eastmont High player and Wenatchee
boys basketball head coach Brett McGinnis.
“Trevino bounced around (at Waterville
and Cascade), but we’re glad he landed here.
He’s very athletic, very savvy and has great
instincts,” Waters said. “And of course Killion
is a fantastic athlete — you saw that in football,
and his 6-foot-5 high jump is very helpful on
the basketball court. He rebounds very well and
knows the game very well.”
Adams, a scrappy 6-foot-2, 190-pound
forward, is the front-runner for the fourth
Panthers
From Page B1
he is the type of player to never take a day off.
Productive practices are one thing, but a
weekday session going through rebounding drills
doesn’t mean much if the team can’t translate the
lessons into tangible results.
So far, so good.
Wenatchee opened the season with a 54-44
upset over the Lake City Timberwolves, who
went into the season ranked No. 1 in 5A in Idaho.
It was the Panthers’ first win over the Timberwolves in five years of meetings.
“We played with energy for 32 minutes,” Stone
said of the win. “And that’s something we haven’t
done in the past.”
The team then split its first doubleheader
weekend with a 70-52 win over Monroe and a
53-44 loss to Newport.
Stone’s patiently waited for this season to
Seahawks for the past 10 days.
On Nov. 25, reports surfaced
that Browner and fellow starting
cornerback Richard Sherman
Seahawks vs.
tested positive for a banned
Cardinals
substance and could face
Sunday, 1:25 p.m.
four-game suspensions. Several
TV: FOX
reports said that the banned
substance for both players was
an amphetamine in Adderall, a
prescription drug used to treat Attention DeficitHyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The NFL and
Seahawks won’t comment.
Sherman, the other half of the Seahawks’ tall,
physical cornerback tandem, remains eligible to
play. His hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14.
Browner dropped his appeal, thereby beginning
the suspension this week and insuring that Seattle
isn’t at risk of missing both of its starting cornerbacks for the same four games. It also means that
if Sherman is suspended, the Seahawks won’t
starting spot, but the fifth spot will usually be a
game-time decision.
Wright, a 5-foot-5 guard, is recovering from
a recent knee injury and likely won’t join the
team until midseason.
To make up for their lack of size, Waters
plans to turn up the heat on the Wildcats’
already breakneck pace on both offense and
defense.
“The philosophy this year is a little different.
We’re gonna play all 84 feet on defense, and to
play that style is tough on an athlete’s cardio,”
Waters said. “The kids on the bench know they’re
going to go in. This style is a rotating style. I feel
the younger kids can go in and contribute, and it
keeps the practices lively and competitive.”
If all goes as planned, Waters thinks the
Wildcats will see themselves going to toe-to-toe
with cross-river rival Wenatchee for the Big Nine
title. He doesn’t discount anybody else in the
league, however.
“Davis is young but athletic, and Eisenhower
will be full of football kids so they’ll be physical,”
he said. “We’ve been telling these guys, ‘You can’t
expect to play anybody at a level lower than our
best and win.’ ”
But with three returning starters and the
league’s best guard on their roster, the Wildcats
are walking into the season with a swagger.
“I’d venture to say we have a target on us,”
Waters said, “and I like that.”
Brent Stecker: 661-5222
stecker@wenatcheeworld.com
come. He took over as Wenatchee’s coach during
the summer of 2010. He wasn’t expecting to fill
the position, and the seniors and returning talent
were equally as surprised.
His inaugural year was a balancing act — he
didn’t want to be overbearing and understood
the frustrations of the tenured returners, but at
the same time, he had to take strides to instill
his philosophy. Sugg, then a freshman, called it a
“weird year.”
Last season, Stone’s penchant for quick offense
and shell defense started to take hold, but
Wenatchee ended the campaign with a 65-42 loss
to Chiawana at districts and a 9-12 overall record.
This year, the players were able to pick up from
where they left off without losing a step.
“(Last year), we had to make sure we were
doing everything right,” senior point guard Brock
Kuntz said. “Now we’re doing everything right at
a higher speed, a higher tempo.
“Now we can take even further steps than we
did last year.”
Kuntz, like his teammates, is buying in. He feels
more comfortable running the offense, a combi-
be missing both players if the team reaches the
postseason. Seattle (7-5) would qualify for the
playoffs as an NFC wild card if the season ended
now.
Thurmond will start in Browner’s place at right
cornerback with rookie Jeremy Lane expected to
be play when Seattle uses formations with five
defensive backs.
Veteran Marcus Trufant did not practice
Wednesday because of a hamstring injury that
caused him to miss Sunday’s dramatic overtime
road victory over the Chicago Bears.
“The focus goes for us right to the guys who
are stepping up,” Carroll said.
That was how Seattle approached the
situation last month when K.J. Wright suffered
a concussion and was replaced by Mike Morgan
and Sunday in Chicago when Malcolm Smith
stepped in for Leroy Hill, who was unable to play
because of a sore ankle.
Seattle s taking the next-man-up approach with
World photo/Mike Bonnicksen
Senior guard J.J. Jahr has improved his jump shot
and put on about 10 pounds of muscle since last
year.
nation of experience as a player and trust in the
program.
“Last year in the first game, I was shaking,” the
18-year-old recalled. “This year, not so much.”
Aside from Stone’s system taking hold and
the wealth of experience, the Panthers have a
tremendous amount of height, which Stone wants
to use for eating glass and altering the trajectory
of shots. He has five players that are 6-foot-4 or
taller and said that allocating minutes among the
roster will be his biggest challenge.
Stone’s ingratiated himself into the program
and worked hard to understand the talent he has
and the most effective means of utilizing it.
But Wenatchee’s biggest advantage going
forward is that the players have figured out Stone.
“Everybody throughout the program has
figured out how he runs things and how he wants
to run practice,” Sugg said.
All the pieces are in place. Now it’s just a
matter of making them work.
Jon Frank: 661-5202
frank@wenatcheeworld.com
Bay
From Page B1
then hopefully something
gets done. Otherwise, you just
keep doing it. You keep doing
the work and hope something
clicks.”
The Mariners do not expect
to be active in Thursday
morning’s Rule 5 draft since
their 40-man roster is already
full and they will already have
to drop a player to accommodate Bay. Most agents
and team officials will leave
here immediately after the
draft, making it unlikely the
Mariners will complete any
more moves before the winter
meetings end.
Zduriencik said he remains
in the hunt for a bat, and
the Mariners continue to
be tied to Nick Swisher,
a free-agent right fielder
and first baseman, along
with center fielder Michael
Bourn. But with free-agent
prices climbing and teams
demanding a premium in
young players via trade,
Zduriencik raised the idea he
might not land a premium bat
this winter.
“At the end, if you can’t
get the offensive piece that
you would like to have, or
it doesn’t fit, or the cost is
too high, then you still try to
do things to make the club
better,” Zduriencik said.
One of those things might
be to acquire more pitching,
either for a young rotation or
an even younger bullpen. The
Mariners are also looking at
several lower-cost bat options
in addition to Bay, since
they still would like to add a
catcher and a first baseman.
For now, the option of
adding a premium bat still
appears out there, with the
market for Swisher dwindling
after the Orioles signed Nate
McClouth to a one-year deal
Wednesday - ending their
pursuit of any additional
outfielders.
On the Bourn front, his
agent, Scott Boras, said he
met with the Mariners here
and feels his speedy, suregloved client is a strong fit
for spacious Safeco Field.
Skiing
From Page B1
Bear it switched completely
over to snow. By the summit
off-load, the hill was full-on
winter — a white-out of
swirling snow and fog.
As I off-loaded, I realized
my annual gradual 200-yard
first-of-the-season balancing
stretch was not in the cards.
The snow was broken and
piled high between where
skiers passed. The upper layer
was distinctly dryer than the
lower layers exposed by the
traffic. My first few turns
were arm fallers.
Chill. And speed up.
I loosened a bit, thought
about staying centered on my
foot, feeling the whole foot.
I pushed my knees into the
turn and found an even speed
that kept my skis out of the
glop below the surface.
Boom. I was skiing. Turning
left and right. All was good.
So this year, when you drop
off the lift for that first run,
think simple. Think bottom
of your foot. Ski evenly on
your foot, clearly feeling the
ball of your foot. Feel your
socks. Feel the front of your
boot. Point your knees, both
of them, into the turns and let
your knees guide your skis.
And most of all, gain a little
speed and power through
the clumps of snow. Don’t
be afraid of speed in earlyseason snow. Speed is your
friend. Keep turning and keep
your speed constant.
It’s here. Happy New Year
to all.
Keith Liggett is a skiing and climbing instructor based in Fernie,
British Columbia. His writing has
appeared in a variety of outdoor
publications, and his book “Island
Lake Lodge: The Cookbook” won a
Gourmand Award in 2009.
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Just off Hwy 240 ~ Richland, WA