Nic Fans Get Chance To Buy Tourney Passes
Tournament passes for the Region 18 basketball championships at North Idaho College’s Christianson Gym will go on sale to the public on Friday.
Passes cost $30 - reserved seats and general admission - for the four-day event March 5-8.
NIC Booster Club members have until Thursday at 4 p.m. to purchase their reserve seats from the regular season. If they fail to do so, those seats will be made available to the public starting Friday.
Boosters and those wanting to purchase tournament passes must go to the Boswell Hall Box Office at NIC from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tickets for game sessions go on sale Monday. Individual sessions consist of two games - for example, Wednesday’s noon and 2 p.m. games, or 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. games. Cost is $6, $4 for students or fans 18 and under.
NIC, which is battling for first place in both the men’s and women’s standings, has set times for its openers. The NIC men will play at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, the last of four games.
The Cardinals women play at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 6, to conclude the women’s first day.
If NIC wins its openers, it will play in Friday’s semifinals at 6 p.m. (women) and 8 p.m. (men), respectively.
The women’s championship game is at 5 p.m. Saturday. The men follow at 7.
After subtracting seats designated for media, opposing teams’ fans and assorted tournament officials, Christianson Gym will seat roughly 1,475. There are 833 reserved seats (upper sections with seat backs) and 650 general admission (lower sections bleacher seating). Ticket costs are the same for both.
Tickets sales are at the Boswell Hall Box Office until March 5. Then, if tickets remain, they will be sold at the NIC ticket office at the gym.
Tight fit
There will be squawking. There will be upset fans in Coeur d’Alene. There will be upset fans from visiting SWAC teams.
But the Region 18 tournaments are staying at Christianson Gym. NIC athletic director Jim Headley broached the possibility of moving the tournament to Lake City High and its 2,700-seat gym.
“That was tossed around,” Headley said of moving the site to Lake City. “But no, we owe it to the school first to have it here.
“I’m sure it is (going to draw fans’ ire), but we’ll take that as it comes.”
Tickets will be scarce. Consider that several teams bring bands, cheerleaders and fans. Also, 18 Division I programs recruiting NIC men’s players have requested tickets, so they will dwindle rapidly.
NIC isn’t eager to give away its homecourt advantage. Both the men and women were unbeaten at Christianson Gym.
“We put in too much sweat and work to have it somewhere else,” NIC men’s coach Hugh Watson said. “We want the homecourt advantage. I think you give that up when you go to another gym, even if it’s in your home town. This is our house.”
, DataTimes