Lake City Rips Cda, Wins Title
The Lake City Timberwolves went into a hostile environment and walked out with an Inland Empire League boys basketball championship banner.
Despite uncharacteristic turnovers and poor free-throw shooting, the Timberwolves took control early on their way to a 63-45 victory before a packed Viking Gym crowd estimated at 2,000.
Just as important as clinching the league title to LC coach Jim Winger was the Timberwolves redeeming themselves after CdA humbled LC at Viking Gym last year (73-58).
“The league title is obviously very nice, but it was more of a pride thing for us - that’s what it boils down to,” Winger said. “We wanted to prove ourselves after what happened last year here.”
LC collected its 14th win in its last 16 games. The Timberwolves moved to 15-4 overall, 7-0 in league with a final league and regular-season contest at Lewiston next week.
The Viks (7-11, 1-6) firmed their hold on last place.
Winger was especially upset the way the game ended. LC’s Scott Hoover was breaking for a potential dunk when Vik reserve David Goodwin intentionally pulled him down under the basket with 16 seconds left.
Coaches and school officials alertly gained control of the situation before anything serious could occur.
“I absolutely have no comment on Coeur d’Alene about any aspect of the game, including the ending,” Winger said.
CdA coach Larry Bieber was disappointed the incident occurred, but thought Goodwin was just trying to prevent Hoover from dunking.
“He wasn’t trying to hurt him I don’t think,” Bieber said.
It was a needless ending to a hard-played, emotional game between crosstown rivals.
LC’s Jon Chatfield hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to put the T-Wolves ahead 15-4 with 1:47 left in the first quarter. CdA closed the gap to 16-8 by quarter’s end.
The T-Wolves increased the lead to 15 points in the second quarter, and took a 35-20 edge at halftime.
Chatfield scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half.
What kept the game from being a complete blowout were LC’s turnovers and foul shot woes. Chatfield hit just 5 of 12 from the line.
“If he’d made some free throws they would have killed us,” Bieber said.
LC committed 17 turnovers (the T-Wolves average about five per game), and they made 20 of 35 free throws, but just 5 of 14 in the first half.
“There’s absolutely no excuse for that,” Winger said. “It’s an absolute lack of concentration. But I thought in the fourth quarter we put them down pretty good.”
Hoover led LC with a team-high 20 points, 12 coming in the second half.
“We didn’t have any offensive flow
at the start of the game,” Bieber said. “It’s an emotional game out there when you play Lake City. They’re an awfully good team. I was happy with our effort, but I was a little upset with the poise breakdown at the end. But I thought that was both teams, it just wasn’t our kids.”
Lake City 63, Coeur d’Alene 45
Lake City 16 19 9 19 - 63
Coeur d’Alene 8 12 10 15 - 45
LAKE CITY Camantigue 2, Thompson 3, Keefer 6, Chatfield 19, Hoover 20, Beadell 2, Asper 9, Everson 2. COEUR D’ALENE Goodwin 0, J. Davis 6, Milionis 0, Lowry 3, Corbeill 7, Lee 4, B. Davis 13, Hermstad 0, Kovatch 0, O’Dowd 12, Hoorelbeke 0.
Wrestling
St. Maries Tournament
Mike Schauble (119 pounds), Josh Thompson (135) and Dusty Gatten (160) finished fifth for Coeur d’Alene at the St. Maries Tournament. Schauble trailed David Stockwell of Bonners Ferry 3-2 headed into the third round but scored a takedown for a 4-3 win. Gatten, with a third-round takedown, beat second-seeded Kelly Waggener of Orofino 6-4.
, DataTimes