Quesnell Frustrates Sandpoint Post Falls Rallies As 5-8 Star Scores 43 In Border League Win

The Sandpoint High boys basketball team played one of its best games Thursday.

With the game up for grabs, though, Sandpoint couldn’t solve two problems.

The Bulldogs couldn’t contain Post Falls senior point guard Chad Quesnell and they couldn’t crack the Trojans’ fullcourt pressure.

The press heaped the first shovels of dirt on Sandpoint and Quesnell buried the Bulldogs thereafter as he scored a career-high 43 points to lead the Trojans to a thrilling 67-62 win in a Border League game at Post Falls.

“It was impressive, but what he did best I thought was at the free-throw line down the stretch,” proud father and Post Falls coach Wade Quesnell said.

His son made 13 of 13 free throws in the fourth period.

Quesnell finished with this scoring line: He made 9 of 12 two-point field goals, 3 of 8 3-pointers and 16 of 18 foul shots. The 43 points topped his previous best, 30, which he scored last weekend at Clarkston.

“Everything was just feeling good,” said Quesnell, who scored 27 points in the second half.

He praised his teammates for getting him the ball. He said the key to the win was the Trojans’ fullcourt pressure.

“That’s the way we’ve got to play,” Quesnell said. “We’re not the biggest team around so we’ve got to press.”

Jevon Watson hit a 3-pointer to extend Sandpoint’s lead to 51-41 at the 6:53 mark of the fourth quarter.

That’s when Post Falls took over defensively. The Trojans forced seven turnovers thereafter as the momentum shifted dramatically.

The 5-foot-8 Quesnell scored 18 of his team’s final 26 points in the last 6 minutes.

Sandpoint led by three after junior wing Paul Nieman (21 points) drove baseline to put the Bulldogs ahead 60-57 with 2:40 left. But the Trojans would outscore Sandpoint 10-2 to finish the game.

Two free throws by Quesnell gave Post Falls the lead for good at 61-60 with 2:16 remaining.

Sandpoint first-year coach Tyler Haynes hinted that Quesnell may have made more trips to the foul line than necessary.

“First off, Quesnell’s not made of china,” Haynes said. “That was unbelievable. He’s a great little player - he’s probably my favorite player in the league - but he’s not made of china. It’s really frustrating to come in here with a great defensive game plan and see that happen.”

Sandpoint’s plan was to chase Quesnell as much as possible early, hoping to wear him out.

It was effective somewhat after Quesnell opened the game with 15 points in the first 10 minutes. He didn’t score the final 6 minutes of the second quarter. And half his shots in the third period fell short, including two airballs.

Sandpoint used three players to defend Quesnell, but he had more than enough fuel in the tank when it counted most.

Post Falls improved to 7-5 overall, 5-4 in league. Sandpoint slipped to 4-8, 2-7. The Trojans are off for a week while Sandpoint returns home Saturday to play Coeur d’Alene.

Post Falls 67, Sandpoint 62

Sandpoint 9 20 17 16 - 62

Post Falls 16 11 12 28 - 67

SANDPOINT - Shelton 0, Nieman 21, Bowman 0, Watson 12, Menard 0, Gehring 9, Kleinert 12, Singlton 0, Rust 8.

POST FALLS - Klaudt 2, Meeks 6, Quesnell 43, Christianson 0, Fehling 0, Miller 14, Leary 2, Thornley 0.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo