Iel Crown Will Carry Some Weight League Champion Will Get To Host State-Qualifying Regional Tourney

Three of the five Inland Empire League boys basketball teams - Post Falls, Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene - figure to contend for the conference championship this season.

Nothing more than symbolic in years past, winning the league crown will carry significance this year. The champion will play host to the state-qualifying regional tournament.

None of the teams considered contenders for the IEL title are coached by the league’s two most successful coaches. Jim Winger’s Lake City Timberwolves and Dick Richel’s Lewiston Bengals will go head to head in an interesting scenario: to see which team can avoid last place and early postseason elimination.

Four of the five league coaches tabbed Post Falls as the title favorite, but they expect Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint to be close.

“This team reminds me a lot of the one two years ago (which finished fifth at state),” said Post Falls coach Scott Moore, who has announced that this will be his final season. “We’re going to be deep. I just hope we have enough basketballs to go around.”

One should be plenty. There doesn’t appear to be a selfish player on Moore’s team.

Although Post Falls carries the favorite tag, none of the coaches expects a team to dominate league like Lake City did last year.

“I don’t see the top and the bottom of the league being out of touch with each other,” Richel said.

As usual, the IEL receives an automatic berth to state and a berth to a playoff to decide another state invitation.

The regional tourney will feature a double-elimination format.

State will be held March 6-8 at Nampa’s newly built Snake River Stampede Events Center.

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Just like football, Moscow would have been the easy pick as Intermountain League champion after the Bears finished runner-up in the State A-2 Tournament last winter.

Moscow has had a face lift, but it wasn’t just because of graduation.

Burly 6-foot-9 post Jason Keep was expelled from school last spring and Ryan Dudley, a starting guard and the coach’s son, moved to Kent, Wash. The Bears also graduated four other key players.

And Moscow’s top returning player, senior point guard Adam Miller, is still recovering from shoulder surgery that ended his football season. He’s not expected back at full strength until the first of the year.

Bonners Ferry returns its entire starting lineup and is the coaches’ pick to win the league. But Moscow and perennial power Kellogg figure to challenge for the league’s two state berths.

The state-qualifying district tourney will be held in Coeur d’Alene. The first two days of state (March 6-8) will be held at Meridian and the title game will be played at Nampa.

They’ll most likely be playing for second in the North Star League this season. Lakeside, which finished runner-up at state last year, should make another run for an appearance in the title game.

But playing for second isn’t anything to sneeze at in the NSL this season. With the state tourney expanding to 16 teams, two teams qualify.

District will be held at a neutral site, either Lakeland or Post Falls. State will be held March 5-8, with the state final being played at Nampa.

A-3 independent Wallace hopes the struggles from the football season don’t carry over to basketball.

The Miners will meet the Central Idaho League’s district runner-up in a playoff for a state berth. State (March 6-8) will be held at Capital in Boise the first two days and conclude at Nampa.

, DataTimes