Lakeside Runs Into A-4 Finals Top-Ranked Knights Will Face Mullan For Opportunity To Move On To State

To beat Lakeside, the No. 1 ranked A-4 team in the state, Falls Christian coach Wesley Davis figured his team would have to take care of the ball and slow the tempo

Sometimes the best-laid plans of a coach aren’t enough to overcome raw talent. That was the case Thursday night in the opening round of the District I A-4 boys basketball tournament at Lakeland High School.

The Knights forced 30 turnovers and shot 47 percent from the field to beat Falls Christian 75-54.

Lakeside kept the tempo at the frantic pace they play best and made 11 of 24 3-point attempts to easily advance to the championship game tonight at 8 o’clock at Lakeland. Lakeside will face Mullan, which beat Clark Fork 56-34 in the second game of the night, with the winner advancing to state.

Lakeside 75, Falls Christian 54

The Knights improved to 18-1, and look to be unstoppable against North Star League opponents.

Lakeside got a pair of 16-point efforts from post Andrew Twiss and shooting guard James Twoteeth. The inside-out combination was effective throughout the game, as the Eagles didn’t match up physically with the 6-foot-5 Twiss.

“Andrew is obviously talented, but the guards make him even better,” Lakeside coach Greg Stutzman said.

The game was close throughout the first quarter, as Lakeside was up just 16-14 at the end of the period. The Knights came out hot in the second quarter, though, running up a 32-18 lead at one point.

The Eagles (9-11) could never recover, despite 20 points from Ben Larson that came primarily in the second half. Lakeside now must beat Mullan for the third time this season, to complete an undefeated league season.

“It was hard not to overlook Falls Christian in preparation for Mullan, but the kids play extremely hard and we’ll be ready,” Stutzman said.

Lakeside 75, Falls Christian 54

Lakeside 16 19 25 15 - 75

Falls Christian 14 11 16 13 - 54

Lakeside - Twoteeth 16, Nelson 6, Lozeau 6, McFadden 7, Pluff 15, Lambert 5, B. Morris 2, Twiss 16, T. Morris 2.

Falls Christian - Baker 9, Staggs 3, Bligh 10, Burns 12, Larson 20.

Mullan 56, Clark Fork 34

The Tigers took advantage of a lack of depth from Clark Fork and a 20-point night by post Al Sisk to blow by the Wampus Cats.

Clark Fork only plays seven players, so the loss of sophomore guard Nate Stutzke was a huge blow. Stutzke, who is one of the Wampus Cats leaders, had to sit out due to a broken nose from a car wreck.

When Clark Fork post Jason Stevens fouled out with 12 points early in the fourth quarter, the remaining players had to play the rest of the game.

Clark Fork (9-11) plays Falls Christian in a loser-out game at 6 p.m. with the winner playing the loser of the championship game for the second bid to state.

Mullan 12 20 14 10 - 56

Clark Fork 8 10 4 12 - 34

Mullan - Fritz 5, Chavez 4, Angle 15, Sisk 20, Morris 2, Truesdell 6, Greenfiel 4.

Clark Fork - T. Stevens 12, Higgins 3, Powell 2, Klontz 2, Beers 3, J. Stevens 12.