Time Is Now For T-Wolves Lake City Knows There Won’t Be Another Chance
Fair or not, the undefeated Lake City High girls basketball team has been called many uncomplimentary things this year.
Vanilla, boring, unemotional, uninspired are a few of the words used to describe the Timberwolves.
The phrase “state champions” would overshadow everything, coach Dave Stockwell said.
LC, ranked No. 1 all season, opens pursuit of the state title this afternoon when the Timberwolves (23-0) take on Centennial (21-4) at the Idaho Center in Nampa. Tipoff is at 2:15 PST.
Fair or not, Lake City was considered the clear-cut favorite to capture the State A-1 championship this season. That role was tagged to the Timberwolves last year moments after they fell to Borah 55-43 in the state final.
Many thought runner-up wasn’t good enough last year.
Count starting junior wing Laura Dodge among that group. She was frank in describing LC’s last loss.
“We choked,” she said. “The championship game was our worst of the season. We don’t want that feeling of losing again. That was the worst feeling - being there and having it in your hands and ….”
And losing.
Senior guard Lindsay Herbert, arguably the best player in the state the past two years, doesn’t reflect fondly on last year either.
“Even if we’d won state I wouldn’t have been satisfied,” Herbert said. “That was awful. A lot of us remember that feeling. It was a hollow feeling.”
Stockwell wasn’t as critical as some of his players, but even he barely recognized the team that lost to Borah.
Dodge believes LC has been more focused the last half of the season and in postseason.
“We have to have 101 percent intensity and effort or we won’t succeed,” Dodge said.
At LC’s first postseason practice, Stockwell asked his team a question before they began drills: “What’s our record?”
“Twenty and 0,” was the collective response.
“Wrong,” Stockwell said. “We’re 0-0. Everything starts all over today.”
And everything started all over again Monday, the first day of state tourney week.
Stockwell reminded his players that they’ve finally reached the point of no return.
In other words, LC must finish undefeated now to accomplish its goal. There are no second chances at state.
“We’ve got to run the table now,” he said.
The senior class of Timberwolves will either finish as the best team this season or they’ll go down in history as one of the best groups never to have won a state championship.
Stockwell expects his team to play as well as it can.
“Earlier in the season we were in a coast mode,” he said. “But since early January they’ve been really focused. They’ve met all their goals except for one. We have three games to meet that one.”
LC senior Alison Asher sees a difference between last year and this year.
“We’re a lot more mentally focused this year because we know what we need to do to get what we want,” Asher said.
The T-Wolves will meet a familiar opponent in their opener.
Stockwell scouted Centennial in a district game last week.
“We’re going to have to think for four quarters,” Stockwell said. “Their zone offense (against a 2-3 zone) is much more sophisticated than most teams we play. They don’t make a lot of mistakes.”
What did Stockwell learn from last year’s loss in the state final that will benefit LC this week?
“The first thing I did was change our offense this year,” Stockwell said. “We’re less structured than last year. I decided the best thing we could do was take advantage of the natural talents of our players. When Borah went to an extended 3-2 zone against us I didn’t have an answer last year. I was outcoached.”
Like his players, Stockwell felt his team played one of its worst games in the championship.
“It was a good learning lesson for me,” he said. “Then you pray to God that you get another chance in a state title game.”
That should happen Saturday.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: OTHER A-1 OPENERS In the other opener in LC’s side of the bracket, District VI champ Madison (22-1) takes on District III runner-up Borah (15-8). Defending champ Borah graduated some key starters, but it came on strong at the end to qualify for state. In the other bracket, District IV-V champ Highland (19-5) meets Region I runner-up Post Falls (17-8) immediately following the LCCentennial game at 5:30 PST. In the nightcap, District III champ Eagle (22-1) meets District VI runner-up Blackfoot (17-8).