Kootenai Girls Get State Spot
Girls basketball
It went unspoken until Wednesday night.
The word state wasn’t talked about until after the Kootenai High girls basketball team had secured an invitation.
“We didn’t talk about state at all this year,” said Kootenai coach Scott Shafer, whose Warriors were too much for Falls Christian, 56-38, in an A-4 District I loser-out game at Lakeland High School. “We knew we were down there (last season), but we just didn’t talk about it. If you start talking about it then you start thinking, ‘I was there and I’ll get back there again.’ You get over-confident.”
Kootenai qualified for state last year for the first time since 1983.
Before Kootenai (13-6) heads south, though, it meets North Star League champ and automatic state qualifier Lakeside (17-3) in the district championship game tonight at Lakeland. Tip off is at 7. The contest will determine state seeding under the league’s new postseason format.
Kootenai beat the Eagles in both league games - 63-30 in the first contest and 43-35 in the second.
The Warriors were determined early not to let Falls Christian hang around and have a chance in the fourth quarter.
A 3-pointer by point guard Shenelle Kraack put Kootenai ahead 20-8 midway through the second quarter. The Warriors led 26-13 at halftime.
The Eagles got the lead under double digits once in the third quarter at 31-22 when Kara Moate hit a 5-footer from the baseline at the 3:18 mark. But an 8-3 surge by the Warriors thwarted any comeback hopes.
Kootenai led by 22 points twice before Shafer pulled his starters and took some time off the clock.
Three Eagles starters played sick, coach Catherine Jones said.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries and sickness this year, and this week was really bad,” Jones said. “They tried their hardest, but they didn’t play up to their potential.”
Three Warriors scored in double figures. Post Jamie Bornitz led with 15 points, Kraack had 13 and guard Nat Damiano added 12. Moate led the Eagles with 14.
Shafer is looking forward to another shot at Lakeside, which defeated Kootenai by 20 and 10 points in league.
“The pressure’s off,” Shafer said. “We’re just going to come out and play.”
Kootenai 56, Falls Christian 38
Kootenai 15 11 13 17 - 56
Falls Christian 6 7 12 13 - 38
KOOTENAI - S.Kraack 13, Reinhardt 7, Andersen 0, Bornitz 15, Goodson 7, Damiano 12, Scheffelmeier 2, Schlepp 0, Donohoe 0, M. Kraack 0.
FALLS CHRISTIAN - Johnson 0, Reed 0, Hayman 2, Williams 4, Jackson 8, Gelnette 2, Moate 14, Taylor 2, M. Jenkins 0, Poole 4, Coy 2, S. Jenkins 0.
, DataTimes