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Tragedy takes luster off triumph; Deaths of Haerling's sister, grandfather mute 80-63 victory by Warrior women
The Lewis-Clark State women's 80-63 victory over Montana Tech on Saturday night was perhaps their most balanced Frontier Conference performance to date. The Warriors just wish it had come under different circumstances. Earlier in the day, the grandfather and sister of junior guard Nikki Haerling were killed in an automobile accident north of Moses Lake. The two were traveling with Haerling's father, mother and grandmother to Lewiston for the game. Haerling didn't play, nor was she in attendance. When the news reached the rest of the Warriors, they were given the option of postponing or playing. They decided to play. "It was a tough game for us to come and play," said LCSC assistant Scott Thompson, who spoke to the media in place of head coach Brian Orr. "We met as a team before the game and decided that Nikki would want us to play, so we came and played the game. ... We want to say our thoughts and prayers are with Nikki Haerling and her family." The Washington State Patrol reported that Don Haerling, 74, and Patricia Haerling, 14, were killed in the collision between the Haerlings' Dodge Caravan and a logging truck. The other three passengers -- Lila Haerling, 71, Mike Haerling, 52, and Jean Haerling, 48 -- were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where they were listed in serious condition Saturday night. Nikki Haerling, a first-year Warrior who transferred after two seasons at Wenatchee Valley College, had carved out an increasingly important role of late. The Chelan, Wash., native is averaging 14.7 points, and tossed in 30 points in Thursday's win over Montana-Western. Freshman Katie Hart started in Haerling's place, but the Warriors used a handful of players to replace her production. Sophomore post Ashley Baker scored 17 points and nabbed 12 rebounds while freshman Vanessa West popped off the bench for a 17-point, six-board line. Other assistance came from Leah McCauley, who, in the space of two plays, scored four points and tore down two powerful rebounds; Katya Yancheva, who potted three 3-pointers; and Hart, who totaled six points and eight assists. The Activity Center's somewhat subdued crowd of approximately 1,400 watched L-C put the game away late in the first half. With their press defense vexing the Orediggers' guards, the Warriors scored the final 14 points of the half and built a 38-17 edge. Montana Tech (4-17, 1-5) pulled no closer than 13 back in the second half. With the victory, the Warriors improved to 16-7 and 5-2. They'll be on the road at Rocky Mountain and Carroll next week. "It was hard to come and play the game," Thompson said, "but once we got into the game, I think we were focused really well on what we wanted to do."
NOTES -- When asked about Haerling's future availability, Thompson said only, "there are a lot of unknowns still." ... The Warriors all wore black bands on their forearms in honor of the Haerling family.
MONTANA TECH (4-17, 1-6) Streitz 2-6 1-2 5, Phillips 5-10 0-0 10, Powell 2-11 0-0 6, Alzeheimer 5-6 0-0 10, Fowler 7-13 5-6 23, Vicars 0-0 0-0 0, O'Neil 1-2 1-2 3, Cook 0-0 2-2 2, Baertsch 1-6 0-0 3, Trussler 0-0 1-2 1, Porter 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 10-14 63. LEWIS-CLARK STATE (16-7, 5-2) Kalbfleisch 3-8 0-0 7, K. West 1-7 4-5 6, Baker 7-12 3-5 17, Hart 3-7 0-1 6, Fulbright 2-5 4-4 6, Wittmer 1-5 2-2 5, Yancheva 3-8 0-0 9, Boggs 0-3 0-0 0, V. West 6-6 4-4 17, Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, McCauley 2-5 1-1 5. Totals 28-67 18-22 80. Halftime score -- LCSC 38, MT 17. Three-point goals -- MT 7-16 (Streitz 0-2, Powell 2-8, Alzeheimer 0-1, Fowler 4-4, Baertsch 1-1); LCSC 6-19 (Kalbfleisch 1-5, K. West 0-1, Hart 0-1, Fulbright 0-2, Wittmer 1-2, Yancheva 3-6, Boggs 0-1, V. West 1-1). Rebounds -- MT 30 (Alzeheimer 6); LCSC 46 (Baker 12). Assists -- MT 11 (four with 2); LCSC 16 (Hart 8). Total fouls -- MT 21; LCSC 15. Fouled out -- Powell. Technical fouls -- none. ------ Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com
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