Clark Fork Targets State Berth

The Clark Fork High School boys basketball team may have to use its insurance policy when the A-4 District I Tournament begins tonight at Lakeland High School in Rathdrum.

That insurance comes in the form of the North Star League championship, which affords Clark Fork double-elimination status at the state-qualifying tournament.

The other three teams face single elimination. In the opener, No. 1 seed Clark Fork (11-8 overall) takes on No. 4 Lakeside (12-8) at 6:15. No. 2 Falls Christian (10-9) meets No. 3 Mullan (8-11) at 8.

Tonight’s winners meet Friday at 7. If Clark Fork loses tonight, it would meet Friday’s winner in the championship game Saturday. If Clark Fork wins tonight but loses Friday, then the “if-necessary” game would be played Saturday at 7.

Clark Fork lost just once in eight league games, but that hardly reflects the difficult games the Wampus Cats have had against league opponents.

They had to rally twice in the fourth quarter to defeat Falls Christian, went to overtime to beat Lakeside and Kootenai, and lost in overtime to Mullan.

The annual Pine Cup wrestling match between Coeur d’Alene and Lakeland, scheduled for tonight, has been canceled because of the death of Lakeland wrestler John Neff last weekend.

Coeur d’Alene will be in action, however. The Vikings will entertain Post Falls tonight at 7 in a match originally scheduled for Tuesday.

This is the final week for regular-season matches. State-qualifying tournaments will be held next weekend, and the state tournaments will be held March 9-11 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.