Kootenai Surprises Lakeside

If ball handling mistakes were raindrops, the weather inside Lakeland High’s gym Thursday night would have matched the weather outside - wet and stormy.

In a game that saw more than 30 turnovers, the Kootenai Warriors were able to shed light on the contest and upset the Lakeside Knights 46-39 in the A-4 District I girls basketball championship.

The victory improved the Warriors to 14-6 overall and earned them the first-seed going to the state tournament in the Nampa area next Wednesday. The Knights fell to 17-4, and will be the district’s second seed.

Kootenai’s biggest lead was 46-36 after Annie Goodson and Shenelle Kraack hit two free throws apiece stemming from heavy fouling by the Knights within the 1 minute mark.

Goodson scored 13 points and grabbed four steals. Kraack added seven points, including two coast-to-coast layins.

A power outage resulted in a three-minute delay at the beginning of the second quarter. It may have provided ample time for the Warriors’ Jamie Bornitz to cool down after scoring seven of her team’s nine first-quarter points.

But the delay did just the opposite. The Kootenai crowd got riled. Bornitz scored another six of her game-high 18 on almost flawless shooting, including a layin after a steal and two more from the foul line. Her marksmanship helped Kootenai to a 17-12 lead at the two-minute mark.

“We worked really hard since we played them last at home,” Bornitz said after cutting down the net. “We deserved it; we’re ready to go down there and win.”

Kootenai 46, Lakeside 39

Kootenai 9 10 14 13 - 46

Lakeside 8 6 14 11 - 39

KOOTENAI - S.Kraack 7, Reinhardt 4, Andersen 0, Bornitz 18, Goodson 13, Damiano 4, Scheffelmeier 0.

LAKESIDE (PLUMMER, IDAHO) - Flint 12, McPeak 3, Mi.Middleton 2, Scott 0, Kolar 4, Ma.Middleton 12, Kelly 4, Fuchs 2, Mullen 0.

, DataTimes