Freshmen Win Gym’S Finale For Post Falls Trojans Scramble Past Lake City In Tense Overtime Regional Game

The last varsity girls basketball game played in Post Falls High School’s Trojan Gym will go down in history as one of the most memorable.

And the participants that will savor it the most just might be the two youngest players on the court.

Post Falls freshman Katy Ridenour, with a defender in her face, hit a 3-point shot with 15 seconds to go and freshman teammate Aubree Johnson followed with a key block at the buzzer to preserve a 49-48 overtime win over Lake City in loser-out A-1 Region I tournament action Friday.

“I thought (the defender) was going to come and stuff me,” Ridenour said. “But I got it off and it went ‘swish’. Then I just thought, ‘Don’t let Amber (Hanson) get the ball.”’

The Hanson Ridenour was referring to was Lake City’s Amber Hanson who almost single-handedly led a furious Lake City comeback.

Hanson had a career night that featured a 3-point shooting barrage that even an NBA shooter would drool over.

Hanson, who took up the scoring slack for leading scorer Cassie Bro, finished with 29 points, including eight 3-pointers.

“What a clutch shooter,” Post Falls coach Chris Johnson said of Hanson. “It seems like every game in the fourth quarter, she steps it up.”

But it was also Hanson’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer that was swatted by Johnson, giving the Trojans new life in the postseason.

“I just saw her with the ball and I thought to myself ‘I just hope the refs don’t call a foul,”’ Johnson said.

The win sends the No. 3 seeded Trojans (16-7) to Moscow tonight to face the second-seeded Bears (16-6) who lost to the Coeur d’Alene Vikings 44-37. The winner of the Post Falls-Moscow game will advance to play CdA on Tuesday. Game time tonight is at 6.

For most of the first half, the teams took turns shooting themselves in the foot.

Lake City shot a dismal 17.4 percent from the floor in the first half and failed to score a point in the second quarter. Yet the T-Wolves trailed by just seven points at the half, 16-9.

That’s because Post Falls shot just 26 percent and had fits over Lake City’s press, committing 12 first-half turnovers. The Trojans led mainly due to a 26-11 rebounding advantage.

Bro, who was hounded by the Trojans’ defense all night, had just eight points, none in the first half.

“It’s a shame either team had to lose,” Johnson said. “They both played their hearts out tonight.”

Lake City coach Darren Taylor, who saw his T-Wolves finish at 10-13, concurred. “We didn’t lose. (Ridenour) just hit the shot. Somebody suck the venom out of me. I’ve been snake bit all season.”

Taylor wasn’t at all surprised with Lake City’s dramatic comeback.

“We always come back,” he said. “Our hearts are as big as the state of Idaho.”

Post Falls 49, Lake City 48

Lake City 9 0 13 18 8 - 48

Post Falls 11 5 14 10 9 - 49

Lake City (10-13) - Chamberlin 3 1-3 7, Smith 0 0-0 0, Metz 0 0-0 0, Carpenter 1 0-1 2, Colwell 0 0-2 0, Cook 1 0-0 2, Bro 1 6-6 8, Hanson 9 3-4 29. Totals 15 10-16 48.

Post Falls (16-7) - Eberle 1 1-5 3, Kane 0 0-0 0, Stockwell 0 0-0 0, Ridenour 3 1-2 9, Roberge 0 0-2 0, Holland 0 0-0 0, Olson 3 1-4 7, A. Johnson 3 3-6 11, D. Johnson 7 5-9 19, Young 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 11-28 49.

3-point goals - Hanson 8, Ridenour 2, A. Johnson 2. Total fouls - Lake City 24, Post Falls 18. Fouled out - Smith. Technicals - none.