Lake City Rolls Over Sandpoint

If things go according to their recent script, the Lake City High School boys basketball team will probably practice poorly today.

Coming off its worst practice of the season, Inland Empire League champion Lake City put Sandpoint through a clinic, 75-40, Thursday in the opening round of the A-1 Region I Tournament.

The top-seeded Timberwolves (17-4 overall), who were ranked No. 1 in the final poll with defending state champion Centennial this week, will meet No. 2-seed Post Falls (11-8) in the regional championship game Saturday night at Lewiston. Tipoff, following a loser-out game between Sandpoint (8-14) and Lewiston (6-14), is at 8 o’clock.

The T-Wolves extended their homecourt winning streak to 14.

LC coach Jim Winger stopped just short of halting practice early Wednesday.

“It was our worst of the year,” Winger said.

But after watching his Timberwolves play nearly flawlessly Thursday, Winger put the practice and season into perspective.

“I don’t know what it is really. We’ve played some of our worst games after good practices,” Winger said, shaking his head. “This late in the year I think kids just get sick and tired of practice, and they probably get sick and tired of me. They want games this time of the year. I can’t imagine us - especially in the first half - playing a lot better.”

Like their final league game against Sandpoint (an 84-53 decision), the Timberwolves came out hot and never really cooled off. They made 15 of 27 shots from the field in the first half, 29 of 51 overall.

After a putback by Sandpoint’s Carson Jeffres tied the score at 7-all, Chatfield, who had scored his first basket on a beautifully executed alley-oop pass and slam, proceeded to make four straight 3-pointers. A 10-foot jumper by Mike Asper and an alleyoop dunk by Scott Hoover put LC ahead 23-9 by the end of the first quarter.

Chatfield and Hoover played particularly well in the first half with a handful of college coaches watching.

Unfortunately for 6-foot-3 sweet-shooting Chatfield he had nothing more than a cameo appearance in the second half. On the first play of the third period, Chatfield took a pass as he flashed across the key and ran smack into a Bulldog elbow.

Chatfield eventually left under his own power, but didn’t return to the bench until a minute remained in the game. He suffered a black left eye and a headache but is expected to play Saturday.

He scored 21 points in the first half on 7-of-11 shooting, 5 of 9 from 3-point range.

Sandpoint coach Jack Dyck was disappointed with his team’s defense - especially in the first quarter when Chatfield and Hoover dunked.

“Our whole practice (Wednesday) was designed to stick with Hoover and Chatfield early in the game,” he said. “We wanted to make someone else hurt us early. We didn’t make them earn points early. That was the key.”

A fastbreak layup by point guard Mike Thompson gave LC its largest advantage at 70-34 with 4:23 left in the fourth period.

Thompson finishing with seven points, six rebounds and a career-high nine assists. Hoover had 18 points and six rebounds.

David Boren came off the bench to lead Sandpoint with 10 points.

“There’s no physiological or kinesiological difference between their players and our players,” Dyck said. “The difference is they play harder, and that’s very evident. That’s not an easy thing to teach.”

Lake City 75, Sandpoint 40

Sandpoint 9 10 12 9 - 40

Lake City 23 17 20 15 - 75

SANDPOINT Nieman 0, Jeffres 8, Bowman 0, Eller 6, Herrington 6, Palmer 4, Boren 10, Knowles 0, Kleinert 6, Boeck 0.

LAKE CITY Chatfield 21, Camantigue 4, Thompson 7, Keefer 2, Hoover 18, Beadell 6, Asper 10, Everson 2, Bryan 1, Walker 4, Scharnhorst 0, Bemis 0.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo