CHEWELAH UPSET IN OPENER

State A boys

Jeremy Landram let his final shot fly. Even if the 3-pointer had found its mark, it wouldn't have mattered. It was just a sign of his fleeting desperation - not wanting a dream to die.

The ball bounded off the rim. Landram fell to his knees at the free-throw line. He didn't move. His father, Chewelah High coach Drew Landram, tried to console him as did an assistant coach. It didn't help.

"He looked at this as the pinnacle of what he's been working for," Landram said of his son, a senior.

The dreams of bringing a state title back to Chewelah ended for Landram and his Cougar teammates in a 58-54 loss to Omak in the opening round of the boys Class A basketball tournament at the Tacoma Dome.

"The aura and magnitude of the whole thing overwhelmed us," the elder Landram said. "It's a lot to put on kids."

Chewelah was touted as one of the favorites to win the boys trophy. After all, the Cougars brought back most of the team that took fourth in last year's tournament, when they lost only to the eventual state champions from Cashmere. On the season, Chewelah boasted a 20-2 record, losing to two Class AA teams.

The Cougars' inactivity - three games in two weeks - showed early on and the lack of close competition showed late.

Omak, on the other hand, played four games in an eight-day stretch to qualify. The Pioneers' final win was a four-point upset of Cashmere.

Omak (18-9) advances to the quarterfinals to play Connell (20-4), which beat King's 62-48, today at 5 p.m. Chewelah (20-3) takes on King's (20-4) on the consolation bracket today at 9 a.m.

The Cougars trailed at halftime 30-24, but finally started to play like favorites in the third quarter.

Greg Belzer, a 6-foot-2 senior, scored 10 of his 13 points, helping the Cougars to a 46-42 lead heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter included three lead changes and two ties. Chewelah took its final lead, 52-51 with 2:45 remaining on a Chris Boone basket. Chewelah 6-7 senior Greg Rainier tied the game at 54-54 moments later with a hook shot.

Josh Ervin scored just nine points, but he kept the Pioneers alive, scoring five points in the final 2:31.

Chewelah trailed 56-54 and sloppiness, which hurt its chances in the first half, returned.

Omak junior David Rusk picked off a looping pass across the key by Belzer. Beau Barker then made two of four free throws in the final 22 seconds to seal the victory.

Chewelah senior Chris Boone, a 6-6 senior, was in foul trouble most of the game but still managed to score 13 points. Belzer finished with 12 points.

Rusk topped the Pioneers with 15 points. Nick Sackman and Colomb scored 10 each.

Omak 58, Chewelah 54

Omak 21 9 12 16 -58

Chewelah 13 11 22 8 -54

OMAK (58) - Baker 2, Ervin 9, Ayers 8, Sackman 10, Rusk 15, Colomb 10, Matt 4.

CHEWELAH (54) - Landram 21, Skok 2, Boone 13, Belzer 12, Rainier 4, Murbach 2.

Lakeside 61, Adna 53

Lakeside (16-9), the No. 2 seed out of District 7, upset Adna (20-5) in the opening round. The Eagles move onto the quarterfinals against Ilwaco today at 9:30 p.m. The Fishermen (15-7) advanced with a 65-55 win over Meridian (16-9).

Lakeside held Adna's 7-foot-0 Jeff Ellis in check in the first half, allowing him to score just four points. Meanwhile, George Petticrew, Lakeside's 6-3 junior, hit three 3-pointers, helping the Eagles to a 27-14 first-half lead.

Adna went to Ellis early in the second half for four quick points. The Pirates closed to within four points with less than 2 minutes left in the third.

Lakeside's trouble inside continued when Josh Miller, a 6-5 senior, went to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with about 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Ellis opened the fourth with a short jumper to again pull the Pirates to within five points. Petticrew answered seconds later with a 3-pointer that gave Lakeside a 42-34 cushion.

That lead grew to 10 points as Ben Spiger added a basket and Vince Nelson drained a 15-foot jumper and a layup.

Ben Johnson sank a 3-pointer to pull Adna to within 51-47 with 2:21 left. He two more trey in the final minute to keep it close. Lakeside pulled out the win, converting 10 of 14 free throws in the final 2 minutes to seal the win.

Petticrew finished with 18 points to lead the Eagles. Spiger added 15 and Nelson had 13. Johnson scored a game-high 19 for the Pirates and Ellis had 14.

Copyright 1996 Cowles Publishing Company
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