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NEA Preview BaSKETBALL

The league shrinks to just five teams. Colfax drops to Class 2B and joins the Bi-County League. Lakeside and Freeman qualified for last year’s State 1A boys tournament, but both were out after two games. The league sent three girls teams and brought home three state trophies. No. 3 seed Lakeside, which reached the semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Lynden Christian, placed sixth. Four-time defending state champion Colfax fell to Lynden Christian in the quarterfinals and rallied to place fourth. Freeman, upset by Granger in the opener, battled back to place fifth.

Boys

Predict this field in December? Good luck. With a dozen non-league games on each team’s schedule, many of them against teams from the 2A Great Northern League, the teams that emerges to play eight league games beginning in January may have only a passing resemblance to the ones that tip-off the season now. Factor in new head coaches at two of the league’s five schools and you have a field with more variables than sure things.

Case in point: A year ago Lakeside opened the season with eight consecutive losses and still rallied to win the No. 1 seed into the state tournament. The Eagles knocked off Lake Roosevelt on a free throw by Brady Blankevoort after the buzzer. The 6-foot-4 all-league forward returns for his senior season, but he’s the lone returning starter back for coach David Pratt.

Freeman will have its third head coach in as many seasons. Bill Bland takes over the Scotties and the team got off to a fast start Tuesday, downing Kellogg in its opener. Second-team all-league selection Chris Miller, who scored 16 points in the opener, returns.

Chewelah returns second-team all-leaguer Forrest Tampush. The Cougars came within a minute of knocking off Lakeside in the regional tournament a year ago and coach Rocky Verbeck annually keeps the Cougars in the hunt.

Newport’s Jamie Pancho has second-team all-league player Devon Willenbrock back.

Kettle Falls enters the season with a new head coach in Don Pratt.

Predicted order of finish

Girls

First-year coach Ashlee Taylor has a well-stocked roster. Freeman returns last year’s co-NEA MVP in senior guard Carley Heinen, already a two-time all-league first-team selection. Junior Megan McIntyre was a first-team pick a year ago and the coach’s sophomore sister, MacKenzie, pumped in a team-high 22 points in the season opener. Mt. Spokane transfer Korina Baker is the team’s junior point guard.

Lakeside graduated its two leading rebounders and will likely be smaller and quicker this season. Junior Leslie Stillar, the team’s leading scorer, was a first-team all-league pick a year ago.

Kettle Falls will be led by a pair of second-team all-league players in Chelsie Brisbois and Jessica Coots.

Chewelah will be led by first-year coach Brandi Lindberg.

Late season

With just five teams in the league, which translates into eight league games, the NEA does not begin head-to-head league competition until January.

“I have 12 non-league games scheduled in December,” Lakeside girls coach Jeff Pietz said. “I’m looking forward to January just to rest up.”