Locals Had Chance At State Tourneys, But It Wasn’t To Be

Final thoughts about the state high school boys’ basketball tournaments:

Odd things happen at state - particularly in the first round.

It’s not a reach to say A-1 state qualifiers Lake City and Post Falls and A-2 entrants Kellogg and Bonners Ferry could have and, in some cases, should have won during the opening round last Thursday of the state tournaments.

If I’ve learned anything in a decade of watching state tournaments of all varieties, it’s this: Teams have to make their own breaks.

Cliche? Perhaps. Truth? Amen.

That’s tough to accept if you’re Kellogg and Bonners Ferry, teams that should have been playing in Saturday’s A-2 championship game. Even tougher to accept if you’re Lake City - a team that should have been playing in any game Saturday. For 31 minutes and 56 seconds in their opener, the Timberwolves did everything but win.

The final 4 seconds, however, was a painful frame of time that is a reminder that not all things are fair in life.

What was doubly difficult for the Timberwolves to accept was how they fumbled away a win the next day against Capital.

Yes, LC will remember the pain at state. The players will think about missed baskets and miscues.

But after they’ve played back in their minds every second of their losses, they should finally dwell on this: They won a regional championship, and a trip to state was their reward.

Regarding the Panhandle’s state qualifiers in general, I’m reminded of one of those No-Fear T-Shirts that featured the following statement: You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.

Whether successful or not, there were several teams in the Panhandle that would have loved trading places with the state qualifiers - even if it meant encountering disappointment.

Bonners Ferry senior wing Gavin Glindeman won’t be convinced otherwise about the Badgers’ firstround loss to Weiser.

The Badgers led by 12 points at halftime, but watched the lead evaporate in the final 16 minutes.

“We choked,” Glindeman said. “We had it right there and we choked.”

The mood in the Post Falls locker room following its season-ending, 71-63 loss to Capital in the A-1 consolation game was predictably somber.

But Trojans coach Scott Moore took a few minutes to remind his team how far it came.

“There are a lot of teams that would love to be sitting where you are right now, but they didn’t get there,” Moore said.

Then he asked his players if they had anything to share.

Tim Roberts led off.

“I want to say thanks for nobody quitting,” he said. “Some of us didn’t get as much playing time as others, but no one quit. I want to thank everybody for that.”

Roberts was right. None of the Trojans quit, and that very well could have happened on a team where all 11 players usually played during a game, but at least six could have argued for more time.

Critics thought the juggling of playing time would create an ugly monster that would cause internal turmoil for the Trojans.

It never happened, and that’s why the Trojans were playing for a trophy Saturday.

Moore, whose team finished 21-6 overall, said the Trojans planted seeds at state that future Post Falls teams will harvest.

He hopes that happens next year. Moore graduates nine of 11 players, but returns junior guard Brett Hollenbeck and sophomore post Austin Lee.

The nucleus of a Trojans junior varsity team that went 20-1 this year must step up and fill some big Reeboks.

For a second straight year at state, it took the Panhandle’s smallest state qualifier to carry the region’s torch.

Congratulations to the Wampus Cats of Clark Fork. Last year Clark Fork took consolation honors, and the Wampus Cats followed that up with third last weekend.

An amazing feat considering the Wampus Cats won two games at state by using essentially just their starting five.

Then there was the team that, on the face of its record, didn’t belong at state: Jerome.

Brent Clark heard the laughter over his team’s record. But it didn’t both him or his players.

Jerome opened the season with 13 straight losses, but played its best ball when it counted most. After opening the district tournament with a loss, Jerome ran off three straight wins to qualify for state.

The Tigers were over their heads in Pocatello, where they fell to Bear Lake 57-42 and were eliminated by Bonners Ferry 69-51.

“It’s not the most talented team I’ve had,” said Clark, whose team finished 6-19. “But they never quit, not early in the season and not at state.”

Here are my A-1 and A-2 all-tournament teams:

A-1 - Jon Harris, junior post, Centennial; Brian Russell, senior post, Lake City; Tim Roberts, senior guard, Post Falls; J.T. Nelson, senior post, Pocatello; Brandon Andrew, senior guard, Rigby. Most valuable player - Harris.

A-2 - Casey Fisher, junior post, Kellogg; Gavin Glindeman, senior wing, Bonners Ferry; Travis Fulton, senior guard, Kellogg; Robbie Harris, senior guard, Sugar-Salem; Danny Walker, senior post, Weiser; Kent Howell, senior guard, Marsh Valley. MVP Fisher.