Nieman Collects Iel’s Top Award

Inland Empire and North Star girls basketball coaches have selected their respective all-league teams.

Sandpoint senior post Alli Nieman was named Player of the Year in the IEL. It’s just the first of what should be several postseason honors for Nieman.

Nieman, who signed to play at the University of Idaho, averaged 27.6 points and 11 rebounds per game to lead the Bulldogs to the state title game.

Joining Nieman on the first team were teammate Tanya Allmaras, Heidi Umthun of Post Falls, Lindsay Herbert of Lake City and Andrea Gomez of Lewiston.

Umthun, who has signed with Boise State, averaged 24 points per game.

Post Falls freshman Janelle Ruen, who scored 10 per game as a starter, was named Newcomer of the Year.

Familiar names make up the allNSL team.

Margaret SiJohn, Jennifer Niebuhr and Ruth Brand, who led Lakeside to third at the State A-4 Tournament last week, were named to the team. Joining them were: Sarah Peterson and Audrey Wallace of Falls Christian; Hailey Scofield and Amy Longstreet of Clark Fork; Shasta Renteria and Katie Elwood of Mullan; and Jamie Bornitz of Kootenai.

League finales

Intermountain League boys basketball teams were scheduled to complete league play this weekend as teams jockey for seeding position for next week’s district tournament.

But one game - originally thought to be unnecessary - will be made up.

League-leading Moscow (14-3, 6-1) will go to last-place Lakeland (1-14, 1-6) on Monday, the final day of league action and just a day before the district begins. The game begins earlier than usual at 6:30.

League officials believe the contest could have a bearing on district seeding.

The top two league finishers receive first-round byes in the first night of district play.

In league games tonight, Lakeland goes to Moscow and St. Maries (8-8, 3-4) treks to second-place Kellogg (15-3, 6-2). In games Saturday, St. Maries goes to Lakeland and Priest River (4-14, 2-7) is at Kellogg.

Bonners Ferry (10-8, 6-4) has completed league play and has secured no worse than a tie for third place.

In opening action in the district tourney Tuesday at Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene, the No. 3 seed (most likely Bonners Ferry) will take on No. 6 (most likely Lakeland) at 6 p.m., followed by No. 4 meeting No. 5 - St. Maries and Priest River - at 7:30. Both games are loser out.

The entire tourney will be played at Lake City. The tourney continues Wednesday when the top seeds begin double-elimination play. The championship game is Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The top two teams advance to state, which will be held Feb. 29-March 2 at Pocatello.

NIC players suspended

North Idaho College women basketball players Aundria Howerton and Becky Phillips will miss the Cardinals’ weekend road trip to serve an NJCAA suspension.

Howerton, a starting guard, and Phillips, a reserve forward, violated NJCAA eligibility rules by playing on a city-league team during NIC’s season. NIC self-reported the matter to the NJCAA, which handed down a one-game suspension.

The two players actually will miss two games, tonight’s encounter with Eastern Utah and Saturday’s against Colorado Northwestern, because they didn’t accompany the team.

NIC coach Greg Crimp was unaware that Howerton and Phillips were playing on the city-league team, which the two have since quit.

, DataTimes