Lc Chases Away Recent History Coaches Select T-Wolves As Top Team

The way Jim Winger figures it, his Lake City High School boys basketball team will wear a new pair of sneakers this year.

Symbolically, that is.

In three previous seasons, Winger’s teams played the role of chaser. They wore the shoes well en route to earning berths to state.

This season, though, Winger’s team must wear the shoes of the chased. Lake City, tied for second in the preseason rankings, has been tabbed by Inland Empire League coaches as the team most likely to win the league championship.

“From what I understand around the league, we’re going to be pretty darn good,” Winger said. “We’re supposed to be the favorite. The kids accept that and I accept that challenge.

“Now the challenge is to live up to it. It’s a different role for me and the kids. We’ve always been picked second or third. If we don’t get there (a league championship), it won’t be for a lack of trying.”

As typical of Winger’s teams, the Timberwolves last year played their best ball during the regional tournament, knocking off league champion Post Falls in an entertaining title game.

The team expected to challenge Lake City is Post Falls. The Trojans graduated all but two players, but there are plenty of talented players poised to make names for themselves.

In fact, the league returns few marquee players; the top 11 scoring leaders graduated. Coeur d’Alene, which hopes to bounce back from its worst season in school history, Lewiston and Sandpoint are expected to battle for third.

In the Intermountain League, meanwhile, three of the six teams feature new coaches. Two others were new last year and the veteran coach had yet to watch his team practice coming into the week.

Lakeland coach Mike Bayley, now the dean of IML coaches, had a bout with pneumonia and has yet to fully recover. Tony Kerfoot replaces David Roberts at Kellogg, and the defending league and district champion Wildcats shouldn’t miss a step under their new coach.

Kellogg and Moscow are expected to battle for the league title. The Wildcats feature the top player in the league in 6-foot-7 senior post Casey Fisher.

In the North Star League, four-time league champion Clark Fork’s run is about to end. Football powers Mullan and Lakeside are the teams sizing up the league crown.

A-3 independent Wallace, which fielded one of its youngest teams ever last year, returns four starters and could make a run at a state berth.

All four state tournaments will be held for a second straight year in the Pocatello/Idaho Falls area. The A-1 tourney will be at Idaho State University’s Holt Arena; the A-2 will be at ISU’s Reed Gym; the A-3 at Skyline High in Idaho Falls; and the A-4 at Hillcrest High in Idaho Falls.

All four state title games will be contested at Holt Arena.

Here is how area teams may qualify for state:

A-1

The IEL receives one automatic berth and sends the Region I runner-up to a playoff for another berth.

The league champion and runner-up earn home openers in the regional tourney. Following the first round, the tourney concludes at Lewiston.

The regional runner-up will meet the fourth-place team from District III (Boise area) in a playoff for a state berth.

A-2

The IML champion and runner-up receive first-round byes in the district tournament, which will be held at Lake City High School.

The district champ and runner-up advance to state.

A-3

The regular season is all practice for Wallace.

Wallace will meet the Central Idaho League’s district runner-up in a single-game playoff for a state berth.

A-4

The NSL sends one team to state.

The district tournament will be held at Lakeland High School. As a reward for league play, the NSL champion must be defeated twice at the single-elimination district tournament before it can be eliminated.

All state tournaments will be held Feb. 29 through March 2.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo