Xavier Kamalu-Vargas solid at the line, Mt. Spokane outlasts Ferris in Greater Spokane League 3A battle
League games are always important.
But the new schedule in the Greater Spokane League this season sees each team only playing each other once in league play – so teams need to make sure every single one counts.
It brings a playoff vibe to every game, and with it the intensity and physical play to go with it.
That was the backdrop to Friday’s matchup between Mt. Spokane and Ferris, two of the top 3A teams east of the Cascades. Add that two of Ferris’ starters are Mt. Spokane transfers and it adds another layer of complexity to the game.
Xavier Kamalu-Vargas scored 21 points, eight in the fourth quarter and all on the line, and the Wildcats held off the Saxons 71-64 in a game in which nearly 40 fouls were called.
Mt. Spokane (12-2 overall, 2-0 GSL) hit 14 of 22 free throws and 23 of 34 overall in the fourth quarter. Maverick Sanders scored 12 points and Andrew Rayment added 11 for the Wildcats.
“I knew I would miss something because of the nerves, but other than that I knew I was good,” said Kamalu-Vargas. “It was a very important win. Ferris is a good team, we are a good team and it came through to the end.”
Mt. Spokane coach David Wagenblast said: “I’m really proud of this group when it comes to taking every game like it’s the most important game on our schedule and tonight was definitely a game that we really do needed.”
The Saxons (9-4, 1-2) were led by Trayce Atkins with 19 points and Kruz Wheeler added 15.
“It was sort of a playoff vibe considering how bad each team really was,” Wagenblast said. “There was a lot of emphasis on every ball possession and so the kids were diving on the ground and the kids were running together and so the physicality got a little bit more than most games.”
Ferris point guard Ray Ray Bergerson injured his leg in the second quarter and did not return.
“Our point guard went down with a bad ankle, you know that threw things down for us. That’s no excuse,” said Ferris coach Sean Mallon. “You know the way our kids have gathered, when that happens, especially if it’s your starting point guard, you have an option to throw in the towel, or you have an option to just grind it out. I thought they did a good job when they played really hard.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Chapel Smith hit a 3-pointer to extend the Wildcats’ lead to 10. With four minutes remaining, Ferris’ Kobe Smith converted a three-point play to bring it back down to five.
After that it became a free-throw shooting competition – led by the elder Kamalu-Vargas.
“He’s a kid that I love when he’s got the ball,” Wagenblast said. “And so that it’s his turn and he knows that as a senior and he’s a captain of the team. I mean, what a great kid to put in pressures like that. And he loves it.”
Mt. Spokane started 10-4, with Sanders and Kamalu-Vargas turning turnovers into layups.
The Saxons got 3s from Wheeler, Dylan Skaife and Bergerson and tied after a quarter with 19 points.
The teams traded points early in the second game as Sanders scored a couple of baskets down the inside and Alec Roland hit a 3-pointer for the Saxons.
But Bergerson went down with one leg moments later, walking with a trainer.
Rayment and David Roe both scored on follow-up ball games and the Wildcats led by six points with 2 minutes left. Ben Ehlert hit a midrange jumper just before halftime and Mt. Spokane went into the third quarter with a 39-33 lead.
Scoring slowed down significantly, but physical play picked up. Mt. Spokane’s Aiden Prado went down hard on an uncalled layup attempt and 2 minutes later the players had to be separated after contact on the midcourt with football players Prado and Wheeler in the middle.
“Our children want to play well against them. And of course (Ferris) wants to play well against us,” said Wagenblast.
“And at the end of the day I was just like, ‘Guys, it’s a basketball game.’ I was proud of my kids for staying calm when tempers flared.”
Atkins had six points for Ferris in the quarter, but Mt. Spokane led 48-42 into the final quarter.