Herbert Elevates Lake City Scores 18 In Second Half To Squash Trojans’ Upset Bid In A-1 Region I Title Game

Most of the Lake City High girls basketball team was warming up on the court during halftime when standout Lindsay Herbert and coach Dave Stockwell walked from the locker room toward the Timberwolves’ bench.

In not so many words Stockwell was asking Herbert, saddled by three fouls in the first half, to elevate her game. The scoreboard displayed the reason for the one-on-one chat: Post Falls 27, Lake City 24.

Led by Herbert’s 18 second-half points, unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Lake City forestalled Post Falls’ upset bid, 57-47, in the A-1 Region I championship game Tuesday before a crowd of 500 at LC.

The Timberwolves (23-0) advance to state, which will be held Feb. 19-21 at the Idaho Center in Nampa. LC’s first-round opponent won’t be determined until a cross-district playoff Saturday.

It was LC’s 10th win in as many games against Post Falls since the T-Wolves’ first season (1994-95).

Post Falls (16-8) can still earn a state berth. The Trojans will meet the loser of tonight’s District III third/fourth-place game between Centennial (19-4) and Boise (15-8) Saturday in a playoff at Grangeville.

“(Stockwell) told me to lead my team, not worry about my fouls and just play my game,” said Herbert, a 6-foot senior guard who’s bound for the University of Utah.

“I figured it was my last home game and I shouldn’t hold anything back.” Herbert scored 13 of her game-high 21 points in the telling third quarter. She hit 5 of 7 shots including two 3-pointers attempted.

“I think tonight was pretty evident that she decided she’d carry (the team) on her shoulders,” Stockwell said. “And Alison (Asher) and the other seniors wanted it, too.”

Herbert hit a pull-up 3-pointer to open the second half, tying the score. A free throw by Janelle Ruen, also plagued by fouls, a minute later gave Post Falls its last lead at 28-27.

Kelley McCabe’s basket in the key with 3 seconds left in the quarter put LC ahead 43-32.

“Lindsay Herbert hit the money shots in the third quarter,” Post Falls coach Chris Johnson said. “We made an effort to know where she was all the time. But you can’t keep track of everybody they have.”

Herbert, who also had five assists, wasn’t without assistance. Asher, who bounced back from a knee injury Friday, and wing Laura Dodge, scored 13 points apiece. Asher had 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots. McCabe added eight points and seven rebounds.

Post Falls couldn’t get any closer than eight points in the fourth quarter. Ruen, who like Herbert was whistled for three fouls in the first half, picked up a fourth at the 3:36 mark of the third period and had to sit out the rest of the quarter.

Ruen played the entire fourth quarter and didn’t foul out. She finished with nine points, six coming in the final period. Freshman post Desiree Johnson led with 13.

Stockwell thought the T-Wolves played tentatively in the first half.

“Post Falls was playing with nothing to lose. They were tough,” Stockwell said. “I told (the team) at halftime ‘you have to play to win, you can’t play not to lose.’ We were a little bit tentative in the first half.”

Lake City 57, Post Falls 47

Post Falls 12 15 5 15 - 47

Lake City 13 11 19 14 - 57

POST FALLS - Eberle 9, Billetz 9, Brown 2, Edmonds 1, Holland 0, Swanstrom 4, Ruen 9, Johnson 13.

LAKE CITY - Hayes 0, Hawn 0, Kendrick 0, Bro 0, Herbert 21, McCabe 8, Dodge 13, Asher 13, Stern 2.

A-1 DISTRICT I-II TOURNEY

Lakeland 55, Kellogg 37

Alyssa Douglas had 10 steals and the third-seeded Hawks (8-11) defeated the No. 6 Wildcats (5-13) at Rathdrum in a loser-out game.

Douglas, Tina Foldvik, Sarah Walter and Megan Egbert combined for 29 rebounds for Lakeland. The Hawks advance to the double-elimination part of the tourney at Post Falls and play No. 2 Bonners Ferry (15-4) at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Kellogg had 23 turnovers.

Kellogg 9 5 3 20 - 37

Lakeland 17 16 10 12 - 55

KELLOGG - Baillie 3, Magnus 2, Burkgart 10, Vork 0, Mann 2, Stevens 5, Hoeck 1, Grebil 11, Delcomte 0, Hunt 3, Poalson 0, Schrieber 0, Mills 0, Beamis 0.

LAKELAND - Foldvik 6, Douglas 21, Smith 6, Burstein 2, DeBoer 2, Campbell 0, Houchin 0, Walter 4, Egbert 4, Berger 4, Duvall 6, Adams 0, Reisenauer 0.

Priest River 35, St. Maries 23

Lyla Smith and Angie Turner combined for 22 rebounds as the No. 4 Spartans (11-9) eliminated the No. 5 Lumberjacks (4-17) at Priest River.

The Spartans, also into doubleelimination play, meet top-seeded Moscow (17-3) at 7:45 Thursday at Post Falls.

St. Maries 5 5 9 4 - 23

Priest River 14 8 9 4 - 35

ST. MARIES - Bender 0, Harpole 2, Cuvala 0, Holdahl 0, Boyd 7, Bond 0, Allen 0, Kachelmeir 0, Greiser 0, Osier 0, Nelson 5, A.Hammons 3, M.Hammons 0, Gibson 6, Pierce 0.

PRIEST RIVER - Troudt 5, Kreager 0, Cook 1, Oscarson 0, Duley 2, Washburn 0, Smith 8, Turner 2, Carpenter 7, Vogrig 5, Guthrie 5.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo