Vikings Clinch Cda Grabs Border Title With Win

Boys basketball

The Coeur d’Alene Vikings left Post Falls Tuesday with a landmark victory over the Trojans.

The 52-46 win clinched the Border League championship for the Vikings (15-4, 13-2) and earned them the right to host the A-1 Region I boys basketball tournament at Viking Gym.

The Vikings sealed the win in the fourth quarter when Casey Hoorelbeke scored three points, including a basket off an offensive rebound.Hoorelbeke finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Viking’s coach Larry Bieber said the team’s objective was to try to slow down Chad Quesnell and get the ball inside.

“Kevin DeArmond helped us close out on Quesnell,” said Bieber. “He (DeArmond) did a great job on defense.”

It seems as though the Vikings did just good enough.

Post Falls (10-9, 7-8) came back from an eight-point deficit to within three in the fourth quarter when the Trojans hit three 3-pointers, including Quesnell’s fourth. Quesnell scored a game-high 24..

Late in the second quarter, after being down the entire first half, the Viks went on an 8-0 run, pushing the halftime score to 25-24. Lukas O’Dowd scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half. He grabbed 14 rebounds.

The Vikings outrebounded the Trojans 34-15. Jim Rupp added 11 points and dished out seven assists to help the Viks win for the first time against the Trojans in four years.

Post Falls coach Wade Quesnell had his team use a full-court press in the second half, but the Vikings found players open for close jumpers.

“We needed them to get up-tempo … we got out of the press what we needed,” coach Quesnell said. “(The Vikings) are tough in the fact that they don’t have any real weaknesses.” The loss means Post Falls will be the No. 4 seed for the Inland Empire League’s regional tournament. The Trojans will play host to No. 5 Sandpoint in a loser-out game Tuesday. The winner will join the double-elimination portion of the tournament and meet top-seeded Coeur d’Alene in the first round Wednesday.

CdA and Post Falls each have one game left Friday in the regular season. The Vikings entertain crosstown rival Lake City and the Trojans travel to Lewiston.

Coeur d’Alene 52, Post Falls 46

Coeur d’Alene 11 13 11 16 - 52\ Post Falls 11 14 9 12 - 46

COEUR d’ALENE Chambers 3, Ji. Rupp 11, Wood 3, Hoorelbeke 15, O’Dowd 18, DeArmond 2, Sigler 0.

POST FALLS Klaudt 3, Meeks 3, Quesnell 26, Christiansen 0, Fehling 0, Therrian 2, Miller 5, Leary 5, McArthur 2, Thornley 0.

INTERMOUNTAIN LEAGUE

Bonners Ferry 53, Priest River 49

Todd Bateman scored 22, hitting 6 of 10 3-pointers, as the Badgers (7-11, 2-7) defeated the visiting Spartans (5-12, 1-8).

Steve Merrill added eight rebounds for BF, which will host a first-round district game if it wins its final league contest. Priest River’s Kevin Behnke hit 6 of 11 from the floor.

Priest River 7 17 9 16 - 49

Bonners Ferry 13 11 16 13 - 53

PRIEST RIVER Bodecker 10, Baker 5, Ackley 5, Behnke 13, Zmuda 1, Pound 9, Bryson 6.

BONNERS FERRY Winey 5, Clark 2, Bateman 22, Brush 0, Blanford 2, Baker 0, Rice 2, Zimmerman 11, Merrill 9.

WRESTLING - INLAND EMPIRE LEAGUE

Sandpoint 31, Lewiston 25

Wess Orth moved up from 145 pounds to 152 to notch a 17-6 major decision over Jake Whitlock as the Bulldogs defeated the Bengals to forge a three-way tie for first place with Post Falls.

Sandpoint senior Jared Lawrence also moved up, from 140 to 145, and pinned Willie Wicks in the third round to improve his prep career mark to 125-0.

INTERMOUNTAIN LEAGUE

Priest River 37, Bonners Ferry 32

Chris Hughes’ major decision at 189 pounds and a forfeit at heavyweight allowed the Spartans (3-1) to edge the visiting Badgers (1-2).

The Spartans’ Zack Wood (160) overcame Russ Rippatti 16-11 in a back-and-forth match. The Badgers’ Billy Elliston (130) pinned Casey Holbrook, a return ing district champ.

NON-LEAGUE

St. Maries 69, Coeur d’Alene 6

The visiting Lumberjacks (13-0) completed the meet with six consecutive pins to defeat the Vikings (1-11).

Rocky Gray (152), Dante Stone (189) and Roddy Hill (275) had first-round pins for St. Maries.

, DataTimes