Cda, Lc Do It Again, But Vikings Still Win Rivals Repeat Their Battles To Last Buzzer In Regional Girls Tourney

Perhaps the Coeur d’Alene and Lake City girls basketball teams should skip the first 31 minutes of their games and go straight to the final 60 seconds.

They would save each other some wear and tear.

For the third time in as many games, the contest wasn’t decided until the waning moments.

And the result wasn’t different as the Vikings posted their 19th straight win, 46-43, in an A-1 Region I tournament game Thursday before a crowd of about 750 at Viking Gym.

Final scores between the teams in the regular season were 45-41 and 49-45.

In Thursday’s other regional game, No. 2 seed Moscow hammered visiting Post Falls 41-22.

The tourney continues tonight when Moscow (16-5) visits CdA (20-1) at 7 while No. 5 Lake City (10-12) is at No. 3 Post Falls (15-7) in a loser-out game at 8. That game was in 4h quarter pushed back an hour to allow the Lewiston-Post Falls boys game to be played at 6.

Coeur d’Alene 46, Lake City 43

The Vikings appeared to be on the brink of putting their crosstown rival away when Brittany Douglas made two free throws to extend CdA’s lead to 38-28 with 5:31 remaining.

There was just one problem. Somebody forgot to tell the Timberwolves the game was over.

The scrappy and undersized T-Wolves fought back, pulling within 45-43 when Amber Hanson hit a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left.

CdA’s Dani Bielec was fouled in backcourt and went to the line for two shots because LC had exceeded the double-bonus limit (10) seemingly hours earlier.

Bielec made the first shot before missing the second. LC advanced the ball quickly to midcourt and called timeout to set up another shot for Hanson.

But her attempt with 4 seconds showing on the clock sailed high over the rim before bounding off the backboard into Patti Stranger’s hands. Stranger avoided being fouled, dribbling off the final ticks.

“Amber had the hot hand and we have that play for her and she got the open look and that’s all we can ask for,” LC coach Darren Taylor said.

The looks on the players’ and coaches’ faces afterward belied the outcome. The T-Wolves appeared as if they’d won while most of the Viks’ faces reflected anguish not satisfaction.

Actually, they looked relieved.

“It’s a win. That’s about all I can say,” CdA coach Bill Pratt said. “We got up to 10 (point leads) twice and let them slide back into it. We didn’t play very smart. We’ve got to go to a higher level. That level’s not going to get us where we want to go.”

The game was physical from the opening tip. One coach thought too many fouls were called and one thought several more could have been whistled. Good thing more fouls were not called or they’d been playing well into the morning - if there were still any bodies left on the floor.

CdA threatened to knock out LC twice. But like the bothersome Taco Bell critter, the T-Wolves wouldn’t back down.

“I thought it was an awful rough game underneath,” said Taylor, who had three players foul out. “That does not play into our hands at all. Our girls inside gave everything they had. We gave up all the fouls we possibly could. We don’t have a girl over (5-foot-10), but our hearts are huge.”

LC tied the game at 18-18 late in the second quarter, but baskets inside by CdA twin towers Douglas and Shaylia Davis allowed the Viks to take a 23-18 lead into halftime.

A 3-pointer by Erica Hauck put CdA ahead 27-18 early in the third quarter. But LC rallied within 28-26 before a three-point play by reserve post Whytnie Budvarson gave CdA a 31-28 lead after three periods.

Davis, who Pratt sat on the bench most of the third quarter because he was frustrated with a couple of her mistakes, played an inspired fourth quarter before fouling out. She scored half of her game-high 16 points in the final 8 minutes and she finished with 14 rebounds.

“I got frustrated,” Davis said. “They (the T-Wolves) were hacking a lot.”

Davis said the Viks should be beating LC by bigger margins.

“We’re letting them play with us,” Davis said.

CdA defeated Moscow twice during league - 52-45 at Moscow in late November and 43-25 at home in mid January.

Post Falls beat LC both times (36-32 and 39-27).

Taylor believes his team’s season will last more than one more game.

“We’re going to get it done; I have a good feeling about our team,” Taylor said. “We talked in the locker room that we need to play at this level each game now. If we do we’ll be successful.”

Lake City 7 11 10 15 - 43

Coeur d’Alene 10 13 8 15 - 46

Lake City (10-12) - Smith 3 3-6 9, Chamberlin 1 0-0 2, Metz 1 0-0 2, Carpenter 2 0-0 4, Colwell 2 0-1 5, Brumley 0 0-0 0, Cook 1 0-0 2, Bro 4 4-4 14, Hanson 2 0-0 6, Mitchell 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 7-11 43.

Coeur d’Alene (19-2) - Lenz 0 1-3 1, Stranger 2 2-2 6, Vig 0 0-0 0, Baracco 0 1-2 1, Hauck 1 2-6 5, Bielec 1 1-3 4, Douglas 2 6-7 10, Budvarson 1 1-1 3, Davis 8 0-2 16. Totals 15 14-26 46.

3-point goals - Bro 2, Hanson 2, Bielec, Hauck. Total fouls - Lake City 23, Coeur d’Alene 17. Fouled out - Cook, Smith, Chamberlin, Davis. Technicals - none.

Moscow 41, Post Falls 22

Brenda Robinson and Kim Hawley scored 12 apiece and combined for 13 rebounds to lead the Bears over the visiting Trojans.

Robinson and Hawley were a combined 3 for 5 on 3-pointers. The Bears shot 14 of 37 from the floor.

Post Falls 9 6 6 1 - 22

Moscow 9 15 5 12 - 41

Post Falls (15-7) - Eberle 2 0-3 5, Kane 0 0-0 0, Stockwell 0 1-2 1, Ridenour 0 0-0 0, Roberge 0 0-0 0, Holland 0 0-0 0, Olson 2 0-0 4, A. Johnson 1 0-0 3, D. Johnson 3 1-1 7, Young 0 2-4 2. Totals 8 4-10 22.

Moscow (16-5) - Brown 2 0-2 4, LeFors 1 0-0 2, Thol 0 0-0 0, Robinson 4 3-6 12, Vasquez 2 0-0 4, Thornton 0 0-0 0, Nygaard 0 0-0 0, Sorbel 0 0-0 0, Bisbee 0 1-4 1, Hawley 4 2-3 12, Goetz 1 4-6 6. Totals 14 10-21 41.

3-point goals - Eberle, Johnson, Robinson, Hawley 2. Total fouls - Post Falls 19, Moscow 15. Fouled out - Ridenour. Technicals - None.

Intermountain League

Priest River 49, Bonners Ferry 48

The league season ended on an exciting note, as Emily Oscarson hauled in a long pass and made a layup at the buzzer to lift the visiting Spartans over the Badgers.

BF took a 48-47 lead on Hailey Hays’ bank shot with 4 seconds left. The Badgers had a 43-15 rebounding edge, with Taylor Cady and Julie Bateman totaling 14 apiece.

Priest River and league champion Lakeland have opening-round byes to A-2 District I tournament. Saturday’s 7 p.m. openers, both loser-out games, are No. 5 Kellogg at No. 4 Bonners Ferry and No. 6 Timberlake at No. 3 St. Maries.

Priest River 21 4 13 11 - 49

Bonners Ferry 16 6 12 14 - 48

Priest River (15-5, 7-3) - Troudt 9, Brooks 0, Oscarson 2, Naccarato 5, Yount 9, Turner 12, Lemm 5, Cork 3, Guthrie 4.

Bonners Ferry (9-11, 4-6) - Hays 4, Robertson 6, Armstrong 2, Howlett 8, Blackmore 0, Cady 10, Bateman 16, Rice 2, Mein 0.

Kellogg 41, Timberlake 38

Heather Hoeck had 14 points and seven steals, and Kacie Martello added 15 rebounds to lead the Wildcats over the visiting Tigers.

Kellogg slowed down Timberlake’s second-half comeback with 10 steals. Kellogg’s Cara Burkgart returned after missing six weeks with a foot injury, and hit a 3-pointer in her 50 seconds of play.

Timberlake 8 5 13 12 - 38

Kellogg 14 11 2 14 - 41

Timberlake (8-10, 1-9) - Logan 0, Reisenauer 0, Mueller 2, Lower 17, Forsberg 2, Campbell 12, Hansen 3, Fox 2, Kreider 0.

Kellogg (10-10, 3-7) - Poulson 4, Burkgart 3, Martello 8, Mercado 5, Schonewald 3, Hoeck 14, Lodi 0, Absec 4, Scudder 0, Rose 0.

A-3 District I-II tournament

Wallace 51, Timberline 29

Rachelle Zent and Stephanie Lavigne combined for 25 points and the Miners eliminated the Spartans of Weippe at Lewiston High.

Wallace was assisted by Timberline’s 9-for-24 shooting from the line.

The Miners play another loser-out game at 7:30 p.m. Monday vs. the loser of tonight’s Lakeside-Potlatch game.

In Thursday’s other loser-out game, Prairie defeated Kamiah 42-33.

Wallace 13 14 14 10 - 51

Timberline 5 7 3 14 - 29

Wallace (10-12) - Branstetter 0, R. Zent 13, Striker 2, Gregory 4, Deahn 0, Lavigne 12, Carrico 7, N. Zent 4, Krulitz 0, Cantamessa 5, Alexander 4.

Timberline (1-19) - DeGregario 4, Montambo 0, N. Carlson 2, McMillen 0, Hartig 15, M. Carlson 8, Bullock 0, Groenendyk 0, Klein 0.

Boys - North Star League

Falls Christian 52, Mullan 49

The visiting Eagles escaped with a win when the Tigers were called for traveling with 7 seconds left, trailing by one.

Mike Anderson scored 18 for FCA, which hit four 3-pointers in the first half. Mullan’s Derik Stanley and Jean Hegbloom combined for 19 second-half points.

Falls Christian 19 14 7 12 - 52

Mullan 10 8 15 16 - 49

Falls Christian Academy (9-6, 3-1) - Danforth 4, Alger 0, Krahn 0, Jackson 8, Dowers 4, Smoot 5, Bishop 0, Anderson 18, McKee 0, Baker 13.

Mullan (6-9, 1-3) - Carrico 2, Stanley 16, Elwood 2, Hegbloom 10, Short 0, Hoven 9, Elliot 10.

Non-league

Kootenai 47, North Idaho Christian 36

Mike Krieps had 10 rebounds and the Tigers ended the first half with a 7-0 run to pull away from the visiting Royals at Harrison.

Kootenai’s Tyler Cress and Jon Hall had five steals and five assists apiece.

N.I.Christian 8 8 7 13 - 36

Kootenai 12 13 17 5 - 47

North Idaho Christian - Link 15, Sand 2, Stobie 10, Netzer 6, Gross 1, Franco 2. Kootenai (5-9) - Gustin 2, T. Cress 6, Lundwall 0, Hall 7, Reinhardt 10, Dyer 10, Krieps 10.