Even Without Star, Lake City Rolls
It was a good news, bad news situation for the Lake City Timberwolves on Saturday in their pivotal Inland Empire League boys basketball game with Post Falls.
First, the bad news. The T-Wolves were still awaiting the return of leading scoring Jon Chatfield, who has missed two weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot.
The good news? It didn’t matter.
Lake City, perhaps playing with a little extra emotion following a loss Tuesday to A-2 Kellogg, held off the Trojans for a 57-32 victory before about 400 fans at Trojans Gym.
The win held added significance for the T-Wolves as it gave them some breathing room in the race for the IEL title. LC goes to 5-0 in league and 12-4 overall and holds a two-game cushion over both Post Falls (3-2, 8-7) and Lewiston.
“I thought tonight we really played smart, we played with our heads,” LC coach Jim Winger said. “I thought the kids after Tuesday night (a 62-56 loss) really played with intelligence on the court.”
Scott Hoover, after a slow start, did most of the damage for LC. The 6-foot-5 senior forward scored 23 points, 15 in the second half.
Mike Asper, who has benefitted from Chatfield’s absence, provided the early scoring punch, scoring LC’s first 10 points of the game that opened a 10-7 lead.
The two teams stayed close through the rest of the first half as LC took a 26-19 lead at halftime.
LC picked up its defensive intensity in the third quarter, going on a 10-3 run to extend its lead to 36-22. That proved to be pivotal as Post Falls never got closer than nine points thereafter.
Post Falls, 0 for 10 from the field in the fourth quarter, was coming off a big 69-52 road win Friday at Lewiston.
Asper finished with 14 points and Chad Beadell added 10. Brett Hollenbeck led Post Falls with 13.
Chatfield is scheduled to return Thursday when LC entertains Sandpoint.
Lake City 57, Post Falls 32
Lake City 12 14 13 18 - 57
Post Falls 9 10 10 3 - 32
LAKE CITY Camantigue 0, Thompson 5, Everson 0, Keefer 4, Bemis 0, Walker 1, Scharnhorst 0, Hoover 23, Bryan 0, Beadell 10, Asper 14.
POST FALLS Bechel 0, Alexander 1, Quesnell 6, McLean 2, Hollenbeck 13, Campbell 4, O’Briant 4, Lee 0, Shepherd 0, Juhlin 2.
, DataTimes