Thirteen turned out to be a special if not lucky number for the Borah High girls basketball team in the State A-1 championship game Saturday night.
Lake City, meanwhile, didn't find pleasure in double that number. The Lions gave their coach, Jim Pankratz, his first state championship in 13 straight state appearances as Borah topped the No. 1-ranked Timberwolves 55-43.
The T-Wolves committed 26 turnovers, the majority - if not all of them - unforced mistakes against second-ranked Borah.
No team, no coach, no program was more deserving of the state crown than Borah.
Pankratz has taken state-title contending teams to state several times. His most recent heartbreak came last year when the then-undefeated Lions were upset in the semifinals by Sandpoint.
It was understandable why Pankratz was choked up while talking to a crowd of 2,500 in the Idaho Center afterward.
"This win is for 13 years of frustration," Pankratz said. "We're going to relish this victory."
Then he looked at his players standing on the court awaiting their gold medals and said, "Thank you ladies. Thirteen was a lucky number for us."
A day before LC left for state, T-Wolves coach Dave Stockwell expressed concern about possibly playing Borah in the state final. Not that Stockwell was afraid of Borah. No, he was concerned about the odds.
More sooner than later, he figured, a Pankratz team would win a state championship.
That big gorilla that's been on Pankratz's back, particularly in recent years, had to jump off with 1:26 remaining. Leading 48-41 and with possession of the ball, Borah was able to run off 27 seconds before LC fouled.
Senior Cecilie Bates, who hurt LC from the perimeter in the first half with three uncontested 3-pointers, made both foul shots and wrapped up the championship.
Perhaps there was a harbinger of LC's poor play. On the T-Wolves' first three possessions of the game, they turned the ball over.
Despite their ballhandling and passing problems, the T-Wolves managed to stay tight with the Lions.
Borah opened its largest first-half lead at 22-14 with 4:11 remaining before halftime. But behind two 3-pointers from sophomore Laura Dodge, LC rallied.
The T-Wolves pulled within 24-22 and had an opportunity to tie with just under 2 minutes left. Point guard Katie Hatrock stole the ball and drove for a layup, but her shot rolled off the rim.
Borah took a 26-22 lead into intermission. The Lions had the advantage thanks to Bates, who scored 15 of her game-high 18 points in the first half.
Hatrock, who committed 12 of the team's 26 turnovers, opened the third quarter by making a 3-pointer.
Then both teams went through a scoreless stretch until LC's Alison Asher took a nice pass from Hatrock for a short jumper that put the T-Wolves ahead 27-26 with 4:45 left in the period.
LC wouldn't lead again. Borah led 33-30 after three quarters.
When Lindsay Herbert made a 3-pointer to pull LC within 35-33 at the 6:58 mark of the fourth quarter there appeared to be hope for the T-Wolves. But five turnovers kept LC from building any momentum.
As players and parents exchanged hugs, Pankratz found it hard to explain his euphoria.
"Quite honestly it hasn't set in yet," he said. Pankratz noted that not only is his team the best in Idaho but also the smartest. Borah was honored as the A-1 academic state champion based on a 3.72 team grade-point average.
It was encouraging to Pankratz that after perhaps the most difficult loss in his career last season - the semifinal defeat to Sandpoint - his seniors-to-be promised to make up for it this season.
Stockwell acknowledged that LC didn't play well at state.
"We played a little tight all the way through and I personally didn't think it was anything Borah did," Stockwell said. "We were playing trying not to lose. But it was a great season."
LC finished 22-4, Borah concluded 23-3.
Borah 55, Lake City 43
Lake City 10 12 8 13 - 43
Borah 12 14 7 22 - 55
Lake City - Hatrock 8, Hawn 0, Herbert 13, McCabe 2, Dodge 13, Asher 7, Hayes 0. Borah - Davis 8, C. Bates 18, E. Bates 3, Phillips 5, Orchard 10, Pincock 11.
