Menzies, Panthers try to chart plan to reach state for first time

The Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy boys basketball team is sailing for uncharted waters.

Led by senior wing Josiah Menzies, the Panthers have a legitimate shot at going to the state tournament for the first time in the school’s young history.

Despite a one-point loss Tuesday to co-North Star League favorite Wallace, Menzies said he likes his team’s chances in the long run.

“We’re definitely capable of taking districts, and we know that anything can happen after that,” said Menzies, who leads Charter with an 18.8-point scoring average. “We just need to pull it all together and really work as a team.

“Making it to state would be super exciting, and it’s a goal that everybody here is shooting for – we are the underdogs, and we have really nothing to lose.”

Even though the NSL sends two teams to state – a nice insurance policy – Menzies said he and his teammates are not resting on their laurels and are aware that there will be stumbling blocks along the way.

What’s important, he said, is that the Panthers learn from their missteps.

“We need to start off right,” Menzies said. “We kind of started off in the gutter against Wallace – it didn’t roll over into the second half, but we definitely need to get out right away.

“I wish we would have figured it out a little earlier, though – that would have been nice.”

When Menzies, who was held to just five points Tuesday, is asked how much pressure he feels to produce, his answer is simple: “A lot.”

“I was a little bit disappointed in myself,” he said. “Losing by one point, and me not scoring, feels like getting stabbed in the heart – it hurts.”

Minutes after the contest, though, he was already getting past it.

“Every year I have a game or two like that,” said Menzies, who led Charter in scoring last season until he was sidelined with a hyperextended knee. “They’re playing extra-hard defense on me, but I just need to get over that and not feel so pressured to score.

“Just pass the ball more and let my scoring opportunities come when they come.”

This season, he’s battling a mild hamstring tear he suffered during tryouts.

“I’m undergoing physical therapy, and the doctor says it’s not very serious,” Menzies said. “I’m still giving 100 percent – I don’t care how bad it hurts.

“Everybody at my school is expecting big things from this team, and we can’t let them down.”