Lc Overcomes Slowdown To Beat Lewiston

Lewiston girls basketball coach Pat Zink apologized if the tempo of the A-1 Region I tournament game against Lake City Friday was unsettling to watch.

Zink ordered his Bengals to be deliberate on offense, forcing the speed of play just a hair faster than a turtle’s pace.

The strategy worked, but didn’t accomplish the desired outcome. The Timberwolves didn’t let the tempo faze them as they outlasted the Bengals 41-30 at LC.

LC (22-0) advances to the first championship game of the double-elimination tourney Tuesday. It will await the winner of tonight’s loser-out game with Lewiston (10-12) at Post Falls (15-7). Tip off is at 7.

In the opener Friday, Post Falls eliminated Coeur d’Alene 49-36.

Lake City 41, Lewiston 30

The main reason the Bengals’ ploy didn’t result in an upset is the Timberwolves allowed few good looks at the basket.

LC’s players shuffled from side to side in an adhesive 2-3 zone, denying most entry passes. And they usually had a hand in each shooter’s face.

“We played great defense the whole game,” LC coach Dave Stockwell said. “(Lewiston) did a nice job. That’s the first time a team has tried to do that to us. It was good for us to try and be patient. It threw us out of kilter in our offense.”

Leading 19-11 at halftime, LC used a 7-0 spurt for a 26-11 advantage 3 minutes into the third quarter.

The T-Wolves pushed the margin to 15 again less than a minute later. As Lewiston post Kim Wegner banked a shot in the key, LC’s 6-foot-4 post Alison Asher collapsed in pain after apparently stepping on a player’s foot.

Asher, who was playing with a tender right knee from an injury suffered in practice Monday, injured her left knee and hobbled off the court.

She returned to the bench later with ice taped around the knee. Dr. Jack Riggs, an LC volunteer varsity assistant, examined Asher’s knee and believes she suffered a mild strained ligament.

Asher, who’s been bothered by bad knees her entire career, went to see an orthopedic surgeon following the game. She’s doubtful for the championship game, Stockwell said.

“It would be a big blow if we lost her for the season, but that’s why we’ve been playing everybody all year,” Stockwell said.

If Asher can’t play Tuesday, Stockwell will start Katie Hawn and move Kelley McCabe and Laura Dodge inside and Lindsay Herbert to wing.

Although Lewiston trimmed LC’s lead to 28-20 by the end of three quarters, the T-Wolves didn’t miss a beat in the final quarter. They pushed the lead to 39-25 with 1:21 left.

Herbert led balanced LC with 12 points. Wegner scored a game-high 15.

“It didn’t make for the most exciting ballgame for anybody to watch, but it did give us an opportunity to win the game,” Zink said of his ploy. “We weren’t expecting to get too many shots. We just wanted to get as many quality shots, not quantity.”

Lewiston attempted 27 shots, making 11. LC made 15 of 43 attempts.

Lewiston 4 7 9 10 - 30

Lake City 12 7 9 13 - 41

LEWISTON - Gill 0, Zobel 2, Scharnhorst 0, Albright 3, Roberts 3, Wegner 15, Bausch 3, Presnell 4.

LAKE CITY - Hayes 0, Hawn 2, Kendrick 0, Bro 0, Herbert 12, McCabe 8, Dodge 8, Asher 6, Stern 5.

Post Falls 49, Coeur d’Alene 36

Who would have thought the combined score would be more than the LCLewiston contest?

Janelle Ruen wasn’t about to let Post Falls’ season end. And when CdA tried to defend the Trojans with a man-to-man defense, that opened the door for the 5-foot-10 junior wing to dominate.

Ruen scored a season-high 23 points as a number of her baskets came on penetration from the perimeter.

She also was a picture of hustle, diving for loose balls and otherwise causing havoc for the Viks.

Ruen complemented her offense with eight steals, seven rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists.

CdA (8-15) fought hard throughout. But when the Viks’ shooting deserted them, there wasn’t anything they could do to combat the Trojans.

The Viks rallied from a 24-16 halftime deficit to pull within 32-31 after three quarters. CdA outscored Post Falls 13-4 to close the period.

But the Viks went colder than cold in the fourth period when they made just 1 of 15 attempts.

Asked which team he’d like to play tonight, Post Falls coach Chris Johnson smiled. “I’d like to play at home.”

He got his wish.

“The kids wanted to redeem themselves after Lewiston,” Johnson said of his team’s 40-37 loss Wednesday.

CdA sophomore post Shaylia Davis played a splendid game, finishing with a team-high 17 points after missing three games with a sprained ankle.

Post Falls 10 14 8 17 - 49

Coeur d’Alene 8 8 15 7 - 36

POST FALLS - Eberle 7, Billetz 0, Mills 0, Foster 0, Edmonds 0, Holland 0, Swanstrom 10, Ruen 23, Johnson 9.

COEUR D’ALENE - Lenz 2, Stranger 0, Roetter 0, Vig 3, Griffits 0, Ruiz 6, Tatum 0, Davis 17, Allowatt 8.

, DataTimes