Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Lake City, Bf Find Consolation But Timberwolves Cry Foul In Tough Loss; No Area Showdown For Title This Year

Greg Lee Staff Writer

The Lake City and Post Falls boys basketball teams are headed in the same direction at the State A-1 Tournament, one that could culminate in a final showdown.

If they end up meeting, though, it won’t be for the trophy both teams desired. Instead, the first-round losers Thursday now hope to play for the consolation championship.

Lake City lost a 66-65 tearjerker to Blackfoot on a controversial call and a lack of a foul call some found questionable at Idaho State University’s Holt Arena.

Post Falls, meanwhile, had one too many scoring lapses as the Trojans fell 80-67 to Pocatello.

In other openers, the tournament’s undefeated entrants, top-ranked Centennial and No. 2 Rigby, advanced to the semifinals. Rigby topped Capital 56-47 while Centennial handled Madison 62-46.

In loser-out games today, Lake City (14-9) will meet Capital (16-8) at 1 p.m. PST while Post Falls (20 -5) takes on Madison (18-8) at 2:30.

In the semifinals, Rigby (24-0) takes on Blackfoot (14-13) and Pocatello (17-7) meets Centennial (24-0).

Blackfoot 66, Lake City 65

It may be remembered as the mystery shooting foul. Or the foul that wasn’t. And there was also the foul that wasn’t called.

Broncos guard Scott Cannon took credit for talking District III (Boise area) official Larry Lincoln into giving him two foul shots - instead of one-and-one - with 4 seconds left.

It’s a good thing, too, since Cannon bricked the first shot but made the second to clinch the win.

As both teams were scrambling for a loose ball in the free-throw circle after Blackfoot missed a foul shot, Timberwolf Scott Hoover was called for a foul as he apparently grabbed Cannon’s wrist while trying to swipe the ball.

The official, however, called a two-shot foul, saying that Cannon was in the act of shooting. But it was difficult to understand since there was no attempted shot.

“I think I talked the referee into it (two shots),” said Cannon, who explained the ball was in his hands but on the ground when the official blew his whistle.

Cannon said he asked Lincoln, “Two shots?” Then Cannon said Lincoln replied, “Is it?”

“Yeah,” Cannon said.

“OK,” Lincoln apparently told Cannon.

After Cannon made the go-ahead free throw, LC guard Bryan Kelly sprinted upcourt, launching a 3-pointer after taking three strides past midcourt. The shot fell short as time ran out. Kelly thought he was fouled on the play.

LC coach Jim Winger was visibly upset and mystified by the game’s bizarre finish.

“Personally speaking,” he said, “you expect your kids and coaches to come down here and play at their level from the jump ball to the end and compete, and to give everything they have down to the wire whether it’s a free throw to win or a free throw to lose. You need to expect the same thing out of the officials, too, who absolutely swallowed their whistles at the end of the game. It was a great officiated game until the end, and it’s got to continue just like the game was well played until the end. Call it whining, call it complaining, call it whatever you want. It’s fact. I’ve seen it before.”

It was an unfortunate end to a game that featured solid play and composure unusual in a state opener.

LC post Brian Russell led a second-half comeback as he finished with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds.

But he thought the T-Wolves were robbed at the end.

“That last shot Bryan (Kelly) threw up, he got mugged,” Russell said. “He was sandwiched by two guys.”

Russell scored 16 points in the second half. Despite playing with a broken left hand, he was at his best when LC fell behind 49-41 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.

He hit two consecutive 3-pointers to cut Blackfoot’s lead to 51-47. A bucket and a 3-pointer by Hoover trimmed the margin to 54-52 with 1:16 left in the quarter.

Blackfoot led 56-52 going into the fourth period. The Broncos built a 63-58 with 5 minutes left. But a short basket in the key and two free throws by Russell pulled LC within 63-62 at the 3:42 mark.

Russell sprained his left ankle while he was fouled driving to the basket. He left the game to get the ankle taped following the free throws, but when he returned in the closing seconds he was noticeably favoring the ankle.

LC’s Regan Wilson tied the game at 65 when he sank a 3-pointer with :47 left.

Blackfoot had an opportunity to take the lead with 11 seconds left, but Barrett Beck missed two free throws.

The ensuing scramble for the rebound is when Lincoln made the arguable call. “We played a real gutsy game,” Winger said. “Overall we played a pretty good ballgame. It definitely wasn’t our best (defensive game), but it wasn’t bad.” Jon Packer led Blackfoot with 19 points and five rebounds. Kelly, Hoover and Chad Beadell supported Russell with 10 each. “(Lake City) has got a great ballclub,”

Blackfoot coach Dale Shelley said. “We just happened to luck out.”

Blackfoot 66, Lake City 65 LAKE CITY (65)

Russell 27, Kelley 10, Beadell 10, Hoover 10, Wilson 8.

BLACKFOOT (66)

Cannon 8, C. Beck 6, Anderson 8, Packer 19, Kesler 12, B. Beck 5, Callister 6, Dahle 2.

Halftime-Lake City 33, Blackfoot 33.

Pocatello 80, Post Falls 67

Don’t be deceived. The game wasn’t decided until late. The host Indians may have thought victory would be easy after they built a 58-45 lead with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

But 5 minutes later, on the end of an 18-7 run, Post Falls got within 65-63 with 5:02 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Like they did in the first half, though, the Trojans skidded into a brief offensive drought. Post Falls wouldn’t recover from the last dry spell.

Pocatello scored seven straight points to extend its lead to 72-63 at the 3:06 mark.

Two free throws by Tim Cudmore 39 seconds later got the Trojans within 72-65, but Post Falls couldn’t get any closer.

“We just had a couple of dead spells where the ball wouldn’t go in the hole,” Post Falls coach Scott Moore said. “We were taking good fundamental shots; they just weren’t falling.”

The difference wasn’t towering 6-foot-10 post J.T. Nelson, though he finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.

But because the Trojans were so concerned with sandwiching two to three players around Nelson, it opened up the perimeter for guard Dane Jorgensen.

And Jorgensen shined. He finished with a game-high 27 points, hitting 4 of 4 3-pointers.

“(Jorgensen) hit a couple of big 3s after we got it to two (points) ,” said Post Falls guard Tim Roberts, who finished with a team-high 23 points, 17 in the first half. “They’re a good team.”

Roberts helped Post Falls build a seven-point lead twice in the first quarter. Hit sank three 3s in the first quarter as the Trojans settled for a 25- 19 lead going into the second period.But two free throws and a trey by Roberts and a jumper from Ryan Edmonds got the Trojans within two (39- 37) at halftime. Moore expects the Trojans to put the loss behind them today. Roberts expects the Trojans to bounce back. “We didn’t come down here to play one game,” he said. “We got into this tournament by having our back’s up against the wall,” Moore said. “You’ll see 15 guys here tomorrow working their hearts out.”

POCATELLO (80)

Nelson 22, McCarthy 8, Spillett 7, Hales 2, Oliver 3, Jorgensen 27, Godfrey 11.

POST FALLS (67)

Alexander 2, Edmonds 7, Roberts 23, Hollenbeck 5, Pope 9, McLean 9, Cudmore 10, Lee 2.

Halftime-Pocatello 39, Post Falls 37. Centennial 52, Madison 46 Jon Harris supplied top-ranked Centennial of Meridian (24-0) 16 points as the Patriots beat Madison (18-8).

Rigby 56, Capital 47 Brandon Andrew scored 18 points and guard Ty Shippen 16 as Rigby (24-0) beat Capital (16-8).