Lake City’s Fealko Nears 300th Victory

Don’t mention the number 300 to Lake City High School girls basketball coach Dave Fealko this week.

He doesn’t have any time for milestones. There will be plenty of time after the season to wax sentimental.

Schools officials, players and parents of players plan to honor Fealko when he collects his 300th coaching victory. That could have happened in the final regular-season game this Saturday, but a midseason 63-60 upset by Sandpoint postponed the celebration.

The No. 1-ranked Timberwolves (5-1 in league, 17-1 overall) gave Fealko his 297th victory and reversed their earlier loss to Sandpoint with a 63-37 win at Sandpoint last Friday.

All that’s on Fealko’s mind, however, is finishing the regular season with wins over his former team, Coeur d’Alene (0-6, 3-15), tonight and Lewiston (5-2, 16-3) on Saturday.

Career victories 298 and 299 would give Fealko and the Timberwolves a league championship - the first of any sport in the school’s first year.

“My attention is on the team and not the other things,” Fealko said. “(300 wins) is immaterial at this point. At the end of the season, it’ll be nice to look back on.”

Wins tonight and Saturday would give LC the No. 1 seed heading into next week’s Region I Tournament. Two consecutive wins there by LC and it will advance to state, which will be held Feb. 9-11 at Albertson College in Caldwell.

“Winning the league title and getting the No. 1 berth (to regional) is what’s on my mind right now,” Fealko said. “Then, next week, we’ll work at winning the first (regional) game and the (regional) championship game. Whatever those wins add up to doesn’t matter right now. The only thing that matters to me is the wins can put us in Caldwell.”

In another league game tonight, Sandpoint (3-3, 12-5) is at Post Falls (3-4, 7-11).

The Lewiston-LC game time has been changed from a night start to 2:30 in the afternoon.

In another league finale Saturday, CdA travels to Sandpoint. Tipoff is at 8.

Much jockeying could occur this weekend as teams decide seeding into the regional tournament. CdA will finish league in last place and will travel to the fourth-place finisher Tuesday in a loser-out playoff that will decide the No. 4 seed into the regional tournament.

Light boys schedule

Just two IEL games are scheduled this weekend.

Lewiston (1-1, 8-5) goes to league-leading Lake City (2-1, 8-4) and Post Falls (1-1, 11-2) goes to Sandpoint (1-1, 5-9) on Friday. Both games begin at 8.

Coeur d’Alene (1-2, 2-10) has the league bye but isn’t idle. The Vikings visit Bonners Ferry (9-2) Friday.

Though LC has one more win than the other four IEL teams, four of the five teams have one loss each after two weeks.

The coaches believe that to finish first or second teams must take care of business at home and steal a win or two on the road. So far home teams are 6-0.

LC hopes that trend continues through Friday. After Friday, the T-Wolves play three of their final four league contests on the road.

Lewiston has a prime opportunity to put itself in the driver’s seat at the midway point of league. Three of the Bengals’ five remaining league games are at home after Friday.